| Summary: | This paper offers a critical reading of Étienne Gilson’s Introduction to the Study of St. Augustine in order to show how the author’s ideological and methodological presuppositions may have had an impact on the object of his study. First, the Introduction will be situated in the context of the author’s work and its epistemological framework. Particular attention will be given to the debate between Étienne Gilson and Fulbert Cayré. Then, the limits of Étienne Gilson’s reading will be addressed through three examples : the reference to Neo-Platonism, the question of illumination and the issue of Augustinianism. Finally, the paper will interrogate the epistemological conditions in which a critical reading of the work of an author such as Augustine of Hippo becomes possible.
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