The Fall of the Soul in Book Two of Augustine’s "Confessions"
The purpose of the paper is to show a mutual interaction of Platonic and Christian ideas in the pear theft narrative from Book Two of the Confessions. Augustine is provocatively questioning the Platonic theory of good, evil, and love by suggesting that in the theft he loved evil itself. He is consid...
| Published in: | Vigiliae Christianae |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Brill
2016
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| In: |
Vigiliae Christianae
Year: 2016, Volume: 70, Issue: 1, Pages: 77-100 |
| RelBib Classification: | KAB Church history 30-500; early Christianity NBC Doctrine of God NBE Anthropology VA Philosophy |
| Further subjects: | B
Augustine
Platonism
the pear theft
the fall of the soul
the origin of evil
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| Online Access: |
Volltext (Verlag) |
| Summary: | The purpose of the paper is to show a mutual interaction of Platonic and Christian ideas in the pear theft narrative from Book Two of the Confessions. Augustine is provocatively questioning the Platonic theory of good, evil, and love by suggesting that in the theft he loved evil itself. He is considering three possible explanations, but is not fully content with any of them. Not having any better theory than the Platonic one, Augustine is suggesting that moral evil is completely beyond understanding. What is new in Augustine’s provocative analysis is placing the irrationality and incomprehensibility of moral evil in the context of the “I-Thou” relationship of the soul with God. |
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| ISSN: | 1570-0720 |
| Contains: | In: Vigiliae Christianae
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1163/15700720-12341248 |