Modelling the Semantic Landscape of Angels in Augustine of Hippo

This contribution explores the application of computationally assisted modelling to analyse angelology in the works of Augustine. We provide a concise outlining and discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of these models. By investigating terms denoting angels and their co-occurring terms within...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Vrangbæk Eva, Vrangbæk Christian
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: De Gruyter 2025-07-01
Series:Open Theology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1515/opth-2025-0050
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850083541098954752
author Vrangbæk Eva
Vrangbæk Christian
author_facet Vrangbæk Eva
Vrangbæk Christian
author_sort Vrangbæk Eva
collection DOAJ
description This contribution explores the application of computationally assisted modelling to analyse angelology in the works of Augustine. We provide a concise outlining and discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of these models. By investigating terms denoting angels and their co-occurring terms within a semantic network, we demonstrate the analytical process. The study begins by introducing the field of computationally assisted text analysis, followed by an outline of our methodology. Subsequently, we analyse angelologic terms such as angelus, homo, and daemon across Augustine’s works using word-embedding techniques. We conclude that Augustine’s angelology has an anthropological focus on human beings obtaining aequalitas with angelic, rational beings.
format Article
id doaj-art-5e960f783e6d4125aa2b38764e7fee3e
institution DOAJ
issn 2300-6579
language English
publishDate 2025-07-01
publisher De Gruyter
record_format Article
series Open Theology
spelling doaj-art-5e960f783e6d4125aa2b38764e7fee3e2025-08-20T02:44:16ZengDe GruyterOpen Theology2300-65792025-07-011111334910.1515/opth-2025-0050Modelling the Semantic Landscape of Angels in Augustine of HippoVrangbæk Eva0Vrangbæk Christian1Department of Theology, Aarhus University: Aarhus Universitet, Aarhus, DenmarkDepartment of Theology, Aarhus University: Aarhus Universitet, Aarhus, DenmarkThis contribution explores the application of computationally assisted modelling to analyse angelology in the works of Augustine. We provide a concise outlining and discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of these models. By investigating terms denoting angels and their co-occurring terms within a semantic network, we demonstrate the analytical process. The study begins by introducing the field of computationally assisted text analysis, followed by an outline of our methodology. Subsequently, we analyse angelologic terms such as angelus, homo, and daemon across Augustine’s works using word-embedding techniques. We conclude that Augustine’s angelology has an anthropological focus on human beings obtaining aequalitas with angelic, rational beings.https://doi.org/10.1515/opth-2025-0050augustineword-embeddingcomputational methodshermeneuticsdigital humanities
spellingShingle Vrangbæk Eva
Vrangbæk Christian
Modelling the Semantic Landscape of Angels in Augustine of Hippo
Open Theology
augustine
word-embedding
computational methods
hermeneutics
digital humanities
title Modelling the Semantic Landscape of Angels in Augustine of Hippo
title_full Modelling the Semantic Landscape of Angels in Augustine of Hippo
title_fullStr Modelling the Semantic Landscape of Angels in Augustine of Hippo
title_full_unstemmed Modelling the Semantic Landscape of Angels in Augustine of Hippo
title_short Modelling the Semantic Landscape of Angels in Augustine of Hippo
title_sort modelling the semantic landscape of angels in augustine of hippo
topic augustine
word-embedding
computational methods
hermeneutics
digital humanities
url https://doi.org/10.1515/opth-2025-0050
work_keys_str_mv AT vrangbækeva modellingthesemanticlandscapeofangelsinaugustineofhippo
AT vrangbækchristian modellingthesemanticlandscapeofangelsinaugustineofhippo