Abstract:This article takes the epistolary exchange between Augustine and the pagan grammarian Maximus of Madauros (ca. 390) as a case study in late antique approaches to traditional religion. Christians wrote most of the extant works on paganism, at least in Latin, often relying on earlier literary and antiquarian authorities for information about traditional cult. That dependency has troubled many modern scholars, who have suspected a disconnect between Christian images and the reality of pagan religion. The Maximus–Augustine exchange, which pits a confident traditionalist against an articulate Christian, offers a rare opportunity to calibrate Christian views of paganism against a pagan's own ideas. Following a tripartite theological scheme familiar from Augustine's summary of the theories of the Republican polymath Varro in City of God, Maximus' letter combines literary allusions, philosophical theory, and select references to features of local cult. So does Augustine's reply, which adds Cicero and Ennius to Maximus' citations of Vergil and Lucan and alludes to specific local statues and festivals in terms colored by classical literature. The traditional literature of the Roman Empire was not merely a source for opportunistic Christian polemic; it was a crucial means through which pagans, too, could think about their own religion.

中文翻译：

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四世纪晚期罗马非洲的传统宗教辩论

摘要：本文以奥古斯丁与异教文法学家马道罗斯的马克西姆斯（约 390 年）之间的书信往来作为研究传统宗教晚期古代方法的案例。基督徒写了大部分现存的关于异教的作品，至少是拉丁文，通常依靠早期的文学和古物权威来获取有关传统崇拜的信息。这种依赖性困扰着许多现代学者，他们怀疑基督教形象与异教现实之间存在脱节。马克西姆斯与奥古斯丁的交流让自信的传统主义者与口齿伶俐的基督徒对立起来，提供了一个难得的机会，可以根据异教徒自己的想法来校准基督教对异教的看法。遵循奥古斯丁在上帝之城中对共和党博学者瓦罗的理论总结中所熟悉的三方神学方案，马克西姆斯的信结合了文学典故、哲学理论和对当地崇拜特征的精选引用。奥古斯丁的答复也是如此，将西塞罗和恩尼乌斯添加到马克西姆斯对维吉尔和卢坎的引用中，并用古典文学色彩的术语暗示了特定的当地雕像和节日。罗马帝国的传统文学不仅是机会主义的基督教论战的来源；这也是异教徒思考他们自己宗教的一种重要方式。罗马帝国的传统文学不仅是机会主义的基督教论战的来源；这也是异教徒思考他们自己宗教的一种重要方式。罗马帝国的传统文学不仅是机会主义的基督教论战的来源；这也是异教徒思考他们自己宗教的一种重要方式。