Reason, Authority, and the Healing of Desire in the Writings of Augustine

Download or read book Reason, Authority, and the Healing of Desire in the Writings of Augustine written by Mark J. Boone and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2020-01-14 with total page 261 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Reason, Authority, and the Healing of Desire in the Writings of Augustine, Mark Boone explains the theology of desire developed in a cross-section of Augustine’s On the True Religion, On the Nature of Good, On Free Choice of the Will, On the Teacher, On the Usefulness of Believing, On the Good of Marriage, Enchiridion, and Confessions. Throughout his writings and in many ways, Augustine develops a Platonically informed, yet distinctively Christian, account of desire. Human desire should respond to the goodness inherent in things, loving the greatest good above all and great goods more than lesser goods. Above all, we should love God and souls. Sin, an inappropriate desire for lesser goods, is healed by the redemption of Christ.