Pseudo-Augustine

Pseudo-Augustine is the name given by scholars to the authors, collectively, of works falsely attributed to Augustine of Hippo. Augustine himself in his ''Retractiones'' lists many of his works, while his disciple Possidius tried to provide a complete list in his ''Indiculus''. Despite this check, false attributions to Augustine abound.

The ''Sermones ad fratres in eremo'' is a collection of pseudo-Augustinian sermons. It is by far the most prominent. It was printed along with Augustine's other sermons at Basel in 1494 by Johann Amerbach. Their authenticity was rejected by the Maurists in the 17th century. Once thought to be the work of Geoffroy Babion in the 12th century, it is now accepted that the ''Sermones'' were composed by an anonymous Belgian in the 14th century. They were forged with an apparent intention of strengthening the mendicant Order of Saint Augustine's historically dubious claims to have been established at Hippo by Augustine himself.

Among pseudo-Augustinian works on spirituality are the ''Manuale'' and ''Meditationes''. Among the pseudonymous polemical works relating to the Pelagian and Arian conflicts are ''De fide ad Petrum'' (actually by Fulgentius of Ruspe), ''De unitate Trinitatis contra Felicianum'' (actually by Vergilius of Thapso), ''Altercatio cum Pascentio Ariano'', ''Hypomnesticon contra Pelagianos et Caelestianos'' and ''De praedestinatione et gratia''. On biblical exegesis there are ''Quaestiones Veteris et Novi Testamenti'' (probably by Ambrosiaster), ''Testimonia divinae scripturae et patrum'', ''Liber de divinis scripturis sive Speculum'' and a commentary on the ''Book of Revelation'' actually by Caesarius of Arles. There are also spurious philosophical works attributed to Augustine, such as ''Categoriae x ex Aristotele decerptae''.

The 5th-century pseudo-Augustinian letter ''Gravi de pugna'' was often cited to justify war.

The ''Categoriae decem'', a Latin paraphrase of the ''Categories'' of Aristotle, was traditionally and erroneously attributed to Augustine. Provided by Wikipedia