Freedom and Necessity: St. Augustine's Teaching on Divine Power and Human Freedom

159 Pages·2007·0.94 MB·English

by  Gerald Bonner

FREEDOM and NECESSITY

FREEDOM
AND
NECESSITY
St. Augustine’s Teaching on Divine Power
and Human Freedom
GERALD BONNER
The Catholic University of America Press
Washington, D.C.
Copyright © 2007
The Catholic University of America Press
All rights reserved
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum
requirements of American National Standards for Information
Science—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials,
ANSI Z39.48-1984.
∞
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Bonner, Gerald.
Freedom and necessity : St. Augustine’s teaching on divine power
and human freedom / Gerald Bonner.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn-13: 978-0-8132-1474-0 (pbk. : alk. paper)
isbn-10: 0-8132-1474-2 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Augustine,
Saint, Bishop of Hippo. 2. Grace (Theology)—History of doc-
trines—Early church, ca. 30–600. 3. Free will and determinism—
Religious aspects—Christianity—History of doctrines—
Early church, ca. 30–600. 4. Predestination—History of doc-
trines—Early church, ca. 30–600. I. Title.
BR65.A9B626 2006
234´.9092—dc22
2006019364
The author’s English spelling has been altered by the
Catholic University of America Press without reference to him,
to conform to its own norms.
To all my fellow-students over the years
and especially to Jane

CONTENTS
Prefatory Note ix
Abbreviations and Sources xi
Introduction 1
1. The Problem 17
2. The Evidence 34
3. The Nature of Freedom in the Mind of Augustine 49
4. Freedom and Responsibility 66
5. Augustine’s Final Theology of Freedom 81
6. Divine Predestination and Jesus Christ 97
7. Conclusion 118
Select Bibliography 133
Index 139
vii

PREFATORY NOTE
the purpose of this work is to set out, as fairly as I can, Augustine’s
final understanding of divine predestination and his attempt to recon-
cile it with his continued assertion that free choice continues to exist in
fallen human beings. I also wish to make clear how grim are the con-
clusions which he draws from his doctrine of Original Sin, which to
me seem irreconcilable with the Gospel message, but which are sup-
ported by texts of Scripture, including some words of Christ Himself,
and which have been accepted by generations of Christians, who were
not themselves lacking in sympathy and charity for other human be-
ings. At the same time, I have attempted to remind the reader that Au-
gustine’s thinking is not simply negative. Many years ago, in a study
of Augustine’s theology, I remarked that “it would be possible, though
it would require careful selection, to read widely in Augustine with-
out ever considering his doctrine of Grace.”1 When considering Au-
gustine’s eucharistic theology, his emphasis on love as the supreme
virtue, and on the significance of the Word’s flesh-taking in the In-
carnation for God’s dealings with humanity, one encounters a mood
which might, in other circumstances, have led Augustine to greater
hopes for the future of humanity than are found in the De Dono Per-
severantiae and the (mercifully uncompleted) Opus Imperfectum contra
Iulianum. Without subscribing to his thesis, I have much sympathy
with Dr. P.-M. Hombert, Gloria Gratiae: Se glorifier en Dieu, principe et
fin de la théologie augustinienne de la grâce.
For similar reasons I have found myself convinced that the Pela-
gians, to whom I am not naturally drawn, deserve more sympathy
1. St. Augustine of Hippo: Life and Controversies, 3rd ed. (2002), 389.
ix