Il punto e l'eterno: Seneca, Agostino e il lessico del tempo

In their meditation on time, Seneca and Augustine seem to share many words and images; nevertheless, an in-depth analysis of many of them (from punctum to extendo, from verbal compounds with dis- to colligo) detects a wider technicalization in Augustine’s lexicon and proves the incompatibility between his perspectives and Seneca’s ones. According to the Stoic philosopher the appropriation of time allows the wise man the means for becoming like God, while Augustine states that it is precisely the time that marks every human being as a frail, transitory God’s creature. However, as a Christian, Augustine acknowledges that time is central in the divine plan of salvation; therefore in his Confessions Augustine too, like Seneca in the De breuitate uitae and Epistles, ends up inviting his readers to a new consideration of time.