“Hair!”: Remnants of Ascetic Exegesis in Augustine of Hippo’s De Opere Monachorum

• DOI: 10.1353/earl.2014.0000
• Publication Date: 2014-03-16T13:00:15Z
• Authors: Maria E. Doerfler
• Keywords: Exegesis; Asceticism; Hermeneutics; Eschatology

Augustine of Hippo’s De opere monachorum directs itself against itinerant ascetics who, in emulation the apostolic ideal, sought to support themselves by begging rather than manual labor. The treatise attests a struggle not only over legitimacy different forms ascetic practice, but matters exegesis. latter is evident particularly Augustine’s emphatic assertion that wandering monks’ long hair, intended identify its bearers as having embraced sexual continence, reflected misguided scriptural reading practices. This essay explores and his opponents’ approaches biblical interpretation, deployment construct deconstruct visions formation, conflicting theories sexuality eschatology therein.