Elenchus a Possidio Eiusdem Discipulo Calamensi Episcopo Digestus," Mis-
24 ST. AUGUSTINE last half century several major works have appeared which, through new methodologies and a more detailed examination of the sermons in connection with the life and writings of Augustine, have proposed different and sounder dates. While one can quite profitably read these Tractates without attention to chronology, it is nonetheless important to date them as accurately as possible in order to appreciate the development of Augustine's theology. Therefore a brief survey of this work follows.
(34) The 124 Tractates on the Gospel of John fall into two obvious groups, 1 to 54 and 55 to 124, both in length and in character. The 10 Tractates on the First Epistle, according to Augustine,^^ intervened between Tractates 12 and 13, thus forming part of this first group. Furthermore, it is quite clear that this first group of 64 sermons were all actually delivered before Augustine's congregation in Hippo Regius. Scholars agree on these points; however, the dating of this group and the dating and exact character of the second group are disputed.
(35) Zarb^^ arrives at his dates from a careful study of the external and internal evidence. The only solid piece of external evidence is the fact that De Trinitate 15.27.48 quotes
Tractate 99.8—9. Augustine's Retractationes do not mention these Tractates, and their occurrence on the list in Possidius' Indiculus'^'^ is uninformative. There are several kinds of internal evidence: time references in one sermon to another or to 191194, after arguing for the later date rather than an early one, deduces from the manner of referring to other sermons and from indications of the day on which a particular sermon was given that Tractates 1-53, with the 10 Tractates on the First Epistle given after Tractate 1 1 , were delivered on, or nearly on, successive days, but that Tractates 54-124 probably were given only on Sundays and special feast days. The sermons were begun in a time of cold weather; so he holds that they were begun late in 416, continued through 417 and possibly into 418.
75. Tr. in lo Ep, prologue. See P. Agaesse, Saint Augustin Commentaire de la premiere epitre de S.Jean, SC 75 (Paris, 1961) 104-107.
76. S. Zarb, 501 10 (see note 73). 77. Possidius, Indiculus. See PL 46. 1 2 or A. Wilmart, "Operum S. Augustini Elenchus a Possidio Eiusdem Discipulo Calamensi Episcopo Digestus," Miscellanea Agostiniana II (Rome, 1931), 182.