Flores Augustini: Augustinian Florilegia in the Middle Ages

Augustine of Hippo was one of the first authors to give rise to the need

for anthologies devoted to a single author. Today, over a hundred

florilegia dedicated solely to Augustine’s writings are known. Over the

course of the Middle Ages, several of these collections proved

instrumental in giving access to the Bishop of Hippo’s large oeuvre, and

in determining the direction of its reception.
In fourteen

chapters, this volume presents some important Augustinian florilegia,

their sources, composition, context, afterlife, and the challenges

inherent in editing and studying them. Beginning in Late Antiquity, with

Vincent of Lerins and Prosper of Aquitaine, the volume discusses several

medieval and early modern florilegia, both well-known and more marginal,

and concludes with their use by Augustine’s modern editors. As such,

this book contributes to a better understanding of the reception of

Augustine throughout the Middle Ages and to the ways in which his

exceptional auctoritas took shape.