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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 reconcile 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 conclusions which he draws from his doctrine of Original Sin, which to me seem irreconcilable with the Gospel message, but which are supported 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 beings . At the same time, I have attempted to remind the reader that Augustine ’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 without ever considering his doctrine of Grace.”1 When considering Augustine ’s eucharistic theology, his emphasis on love as the supreme virtue, and on the significance of the Word’s flesh-taking in the Incarnation 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 Perseverantiae 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 Pelagians , to whom I am not naturally drawn, deserve more sympathy ix 1. St. Augustine of Hippo: Life and Controversies, 3rd ed. (2002), 389. than they have generally received down the ages. It seems to me that their major error—an overestimation of human ability after the Fall— stemmed from zeal in urging the duty of right living in all those who claimed to be Christians. It was their misfortune that circumstances brought them into conflict with Augustine and the African episcopate which was not, I am persuaded, far behind its most distinguished spokesman in its defense of what it deemed the faith of the universal Church. I am conscious of a debt to two authors, neither of whom is widely read today: J. K. Mozley and Thomas Allin. I first read Allin more than fifty years ago, and found his vehemence little to my taste. Now, I am inclined to agree with Sir Walter Raleigh (admittedly in very different circumstances), “So the heart be right it is no matter where the head lieth.” Allin’s exuberance sprang from a genuine Christian conviction. I find Mozley’s judicious balance very congenial. In moments of fantasy , I wish that he and Allin could have written a book on Augustine together. Finally, although never mentioned in the text, I would record my gratitude to the writings of the eccentric Christian convert Simone Weil. Although by Augustine’s theology she is damned, being unbaptized , it seems to me that she fully understood his doctrine of grace: “Reniement de saint Pierre. Dire au Christ: je te resterai fidèle, c’était déjà le renier, car c’était supposer en soi et non dans la grâce, la source de la fidélité. Heureusement, comme il était élu, ce reniement est devenue manifeste pour tous et pour lui. Chez combien d’autres de telles vantardises s’accomplissent—et ils ne comprennent jamais.” I am grateful to Beth Benevides and to Ellen Coughlin for their help in preparing this text for publication. prefatory note  ...

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