In this short but essential compendium of the Christian faith, Augustine has surely included enough material to offend every Christian. The "Protestant" (meaning not a denomination, but a theological orientation that cuts across denominations, and can be found today not uncommonly among Roman Catholics) will surely be offended by Augustine's high view of the sacraments and his identification of baptism with the regeneration that washes away original sin ex opere operato, even for infants. The "Catholic" (meaning again not a denomination but a theology) will be offended by Augustine's high view of grace and his "Calvinistic" formulation of predestination (indeed, "double predestination," as if there were any meaningful difference). Hopefully, both of these orientations can profitably read this work and realize they each have something to learn from the other. This is not to say that there are not intermingled here certain private opinions of the saint which cannot be made a rule of orthodoxy (such as his belief that Original Sin is simply the implication of the child in the ineluctable carnal lust of his parents), but on the whole the exegesis and teaching here should be enlightening for every Christian.

i'm not even sure how to rate this book, but i definitely enjoyed it. while i don't agree 100% with augustine's ideas and doctrines, i did appreciate many of the clear and precise ways he explains some of Christianity's more complex ideas. it's pretty amazing what he was able to accomplish in a mere 112 pages. some theologians have filled entire volumes trying to explain a topic augustine succinctly covers in a page. not sure if i'd ever read this book again, but i'm keeping it in my library for future reference.

Augustine structures his handbook to the Christian faith around the topics of faith, hope, and love, using the Apostles' Creed to discuss our faith, and the Lord's Prayer to address the topic of hope; as he puts it, "faith believes, hope and love pray" (Ch. VII).

Augustine spends much more space developing faith than he does hope and love -- of the 121 sections, over 100 are devoted to the Creed. This particular edition, published by Regnery Gateway, with an introduction by Thomas Hibbs and a concluding analysis by Adolph von Harnack, is especially useful to appreciate the structure and explain the apparent imbalance of saying so much about faith, and relatively little about hope and love. Hibbs explains that for Augustine, faith, hope, and love are interdependent (ix). Augustine writes, "there is no love without hope, no hope without love, and neither hope nor love without faith" (Ch. VIII). Thus, even in the exposition of the Creed, Augustine addresses implications for the Christian life, such as whether it is allowable to tell a lie (Ch. XVIII - XXII), or in an extended discussion about almsgiving (Ch. LXX-LXXVII).

I was edified by Augustine's broader application of what almsgiving includes. I had always assumed almsgiving was providing for the material needs of others, but Augustine says, "the man who pardons the sinner, the man who corrects with blows, or restrains by any kind of discipline one over whom he has power, and who at the same time forgives from the heart the sin by which he was injured, or prays that it may be forgiven, is also a giver of alms, not only in that he forgives, or prays for forgiveness for the sin, but also in that he rebukes and corrects the sinner, for in this, too, he shows mercy" (Ch. LXXII). One can also see development toward belief in Purgatory and in the benefit of almsgiving on behalf of the souls of the dead (Ch. LXIX, Ch. CIX-CX).

There are other ideas I had never thought about before, like this one: "In speaking of sin, the singular number is often put for the plural, and the plural for the singular" (Ch. XLIV). Among other examples, he cites Numbers 21:7, "Pray to the Lord, that he may take away the serpent from us," though there were many serpents, not just one.

Ganske masse bra, samtidig som ting jeg er uenig med.

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