The ineffectiveness of hermeneutics. Another Augustine’s legacy in Gadamer

Alberto Romele (1)

1 Institute of Philosophy, Universidade do Porto

This article builds on Gadamer's rehabilitation of the Augustinian concept of inner word (ver-bum in corde). Unlike most interpretions, the thesis is that the Augustinian inner word does not show the potentialities, but rather the ineffectiveness of ontological hermeneutics. In the first section, it is argued that for the later Augustine the verbum in corde is the consequence of a Word-and Truth-event. In the second section, the author suggests that Gadamer has properly understood the verbum in corde as a matter of faith. In the third section, it is shown that Gadamer has found in the notion a paradigm for his philosophical and theological insights. Concerning the former, he has always been fascinated by the evenemential character of the 'second' Heidegger's thought. Concerning the latter, Gadamer has explicitly accused Bult-mann's demythologization of being 'human, all too human', and he has implicitly praised Barth's dialectical theology.

Mots clés: later Augustine; Gadamer; Grace; verbum in corde; hermeneutics

Domaines: Philosophie

Alberto Romele. The ineffectiveness of hermeneutics. Another Augustine’s legacy in Gadamer. International Journal of Philosophy and Theology, 2015, 75 (5), pp.422-439. ⟨10.1080/21692327.2015.1027789⟩. ⟨hal-01303281⟩