Preaching Design: Theology and Rhetoric of Divine Order in Augustine’s Sermons

Augustine’s teleological arguments of mathematical order and harmony on the one hand and his aesthetic descriptions of the universe and the living creatures that inhabit the cosmos on the other hand are relatively well known from his philosophical and theological works, such as de ordine and de civitate dei. His critique of utilitarian, even exploitative attitudes towards the Creation address contemporary mindsets in emphasizing the orderly, aesthetic and artistic value of all creatures in the divine design of the universe. Originally, these critiques were aimed at radically dualist versions of metaphysics, in which the universe was seen as a chaotic fighting arena between two principles, the good and the evil. For Augustine, God is thus the artist and the architect of the entire universe. These fundamental insights seem to appear also in the popular media of Augustine’s times, that is, in the sermons. In this chapter, I investigate both Augustine’s theology and rhetorical strategies in presenting his audience the divine design of the physical Creation.