Word and Life in Augustine's "De Magistro"

Intimacy and Intelligibility is a paradigm-shifting exploration of De magistro, Augustine's overlooked and misunderstood dialogue about words and signs.

Erika Kidd's fresh approach to Augustine's De magistro (On the Teacher) fills a gap in the emerging conversation about Augustine's early dialogues, while avoiding the disincarnate bias of existing interpretations of this essential work. Kidd's reading situates the dialogue within a broadly Augustinian tradition of reflection on language and intimacy. Drawing on the work of feminist philosopher and linguist Luce Irigaray, Intimacy and Intelligibility unpacks the literary form and the relational context of De magistro, including the women who lurk in the dialogue's shadows. Kidd likewise reimagines the place of Christ, the inner teacher, in the dialogue. Though the inner teacher is often cast as a mere guarantor of meaning, she argues that the inner teacher summons Augustine and his son Adeodatus to an intimate space of meaning, rooted in the life they share.

Kidd reveals that De magistro is not a text about informing but a text about intimacy. It is a rich meditation on the blessed life and a worthy memorial to Augustine's beloved son.