I came across this article on Augustine: [Why Do We And St. Augustine Believe “Once Saved Always Saved”?](https://koinos.church/why-do-we-and-st-augustine-believe-once-saved-always-saved/) . The article explains: >Augustine saw in scripture that the fall of Adam resulted in all humans receiving a nature totally depraved so that no one is capable of obedience without God’s grace providing the ability. This is why he uttered his famous prayer, “Lord command what you will and grant what you command.” This view of man’s depravity and God’s grace caused him to reject the idea that believers must maintain their perseverance by their own righteousness. All God’s work of salvation in man is an act of His grace. None of it could be accomplished by the mere will of man, not the beginning steps of repentance and not the perseverance in faith to the end. All of salvation is due to God’s grace alone. This led him to make these affirmations on “once saved always saved,” > >>I assert, therefore, that the perseverance by which we peresevere in Christ even to the end is the gift of God. >> >>It is shown with sufficient clearness that the grace of God, which both begins a man’s faith and which enables it to persevere unto the end, is not given according to our merits, but is given according to His own most secret and at the same time most righteous, wise, and beneficent will; since those whom He predestinated, them He also called. >> >>When the gift of God is granted to them…none of the saints fails to keep his perseverance in holiness even to the end. (In De Perseverantiae). However, in [this debate](https://youtu.be/72TRODe8BdA?t=1411) , Trent Horn quoted a seemingly different passage from Augustine’s [*Treatise on Rebuke and Grace*](https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1513.htm) : > If, however, **being already regenerate and justified**, he relapses of his own will into an evil life, assuredly he cannot say, I have not received, **because of his own free choice to evil he has lost the grace of God**, that he had received. I would like input from someone well-versed in Augustine’s writings: did Augustine’s views ultimately align with, or contradict, the doctrine of *Eternal Security*? Did Augustine actually believe in the doctrine of “once saved, always saved”?

>Education is the food of youth, the delight of old age, the ornament of prosperity, the refuge and comfort of adversity, and the provocation to grace in the soul. Does anyone know in which of his writings, the above quote attributed to St. Augustine may be found? If not, does anyone know the *type* of education to which the above quote refers? I ask because for a thousand or so years after St. Augustine, the [*Imitation of Christ*](https://archive.org/details/TheImitationOfChristChalloner) , for example, admonishes us about devoting too much time acquiring secular knowledge at the expense of the spiritual with warnings such as these quotes from [Book 1 Chapter 3 (The Doctrine of Truth)](https://archive.org/details/TheImitationOfChristChalloner/page/n15/mode/2up) (translation by Rev. Richard Challoner, 1893): > *What availeth a great dispute about abstruse and obscure matters, for not knowing which we shall not be questioned at the Day of Judgment?* and > *Tell me where are now all those great doctors, with whom thou wast well acquainted, whilst they were living and flourished in learning? Now others fill their places, and I know not whether they ever think of them. In their lifetime they seemed to be something, and now they are not spoken of.*

Did St. Augustine think sexual pleasure and concupiscence are identical? If not, why do some people seem to think this? Concupiscence is simply a disorder in which the body rebels against the rational soul; this is something completely different from pleasure.

Augustine and Jerome wrote several epistles to one another. In these epistles, how did Augustine feel about Jerome producing the Latin Vulgate? What were his concerns?

The driving conflict for the 1054 Great Schism was over the insertion of the *filioque* (and from the Son) into the Nicene Creed. The Western, largely Latin speaking churches said that "the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father *and the Son*" while the Eastern, largely Greek-speaking said simply "the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father". This lead to the separation and mutual excommunication of the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches. My question concerns the Eastern Orthodox perspective on this, particularly historically as I am aware that some modern EO theologians have downplayed the difference. If *filioque* is regarded as heresy, what then does the EO make of pre-schismatic Latin saints who used the term? For instance, in Augustine's *De Trinitate*, Book IV chapter 5 argues that the Spirit proceeds from both the Father and the Son: > Nor, by the way, can we say that the Holy Spirit does not proceed from the Son as well. I have heard that other Latin fathers such as Jerome and Ambrose also taught *filioque*. If *filioque* is regarded as heresy by EO theologians, how are Augustine, Jerome, and Ambrose regarded as saints?

I've read this quote by Augustine several times over the years. Can you give me any examples of both parts of the quote to clarify it for me?

From what I understand, St. Augustine had a "common-law wife" (concubine) who bore him a child. He abandoned them to pen theology. Was this considered honorable by the Catholic clergy?

In his *Confessions* Augustine goes into detail about why he stopped being a Manichaean, but he doesn't say what his problem with Judaism was. I assume he did do this in his other writings. So what was Augustine's rationale for accepting Christianity rather than Judaism?

I am looking for a reference to St. Augustine that seems archaic and doesn't correspond to what I'm finding in my search. The reference is from Fr. James L. Meagher's 1906 book *How Christ Said the First Mass*, reprinted by TAN in 1984, [p. 17, footnote #2](https://archive.org/details/howchristsaidfir00meag/page/16/mode/2up?view=theater) : > 2 S. Augustine, In Epist. Joan, ad Parthos, Tracts 11, n. 111. As you might guess, it's the last part that is giving me grief: "Tracts 11, n. 111." This reference is provided in a footnote to Fr. Meagher's statement that > ... the Temple story and worship carried their [the Jewish faithful's] minds, down to the days of Christ, to his Last Supper, to his atrocious death, to the Catholic Church with her Pontiff, her bishops, her priests, her sacraments and her millions of redeemed souls.

In St Augustine's *Confessions* (Book X, Chapter 27) we read: > Late have I loved you, beauty so old and so new: late have I loved You. And see, You were within and I was in the external world and sought You there, and in my unlovely state I plunged into those lovely created things which You made. You were with me, and I was not with You. The lovely things kept me far from you, though if they did not have their existence in you, they had no existence at all. You called and cried out loud and shattered my deafness. You were radiant and resplendent, You put to flight my blindness. You were fragrant, and I drew in my breath and now pant after You. I tasted You, and I feel but hunger and thirst for You. You touched me, and I am set on fire to attain the peace which is Yours. > > Edition used: [Saint Augustine Confessions: A new translation by Henry Chadwick](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0199537828) (1991, Reissued as Oxford World's Classics Paperbacks in 1998). I know that some people can't read it without feeling like crying. This text doesn't move me at all. I just don't understand it. I have heard about the term "affective spirituality" and that St Augustine represented one version of it. Fr. John Hardon's [*Modern Catholic Dictionary* entry on "Affections"](https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/dictionary/index.cfm?id=31692&randomterm=false) says: > A broad variety of human sentiments that are distinguished from strictly mental or cognitive experiences. Affections pertain to the will, desires, and feelings, i.e., the outgoing activities. In the spiritual life they are identified with those movements of the soul that reach out to God and with the invisible world of angels and saints. Affections are acts of the infused virtues of hope and charity. (Etym. Latin *affectus*, condition, situation; affectionate state or inclination; faculty of desire.) This definition mentions feelings, so perhaps this kind of spirituality has a lot to do with them. It could also mean that it focuses a lot more on feeling than on thinking, instead of giving them equal importance. **What is affective spirituality?**

The Bible says that Joseph was not the biological father of Jesus because Jesus was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit. However, I have heard that Augustine may have suggested that the differences between the genealogies in Matthew's gospel and Luke's gospel led him to conclude that Joseph was adopted. [This question](https://christianity.stackexchange.com/questions/74530/different-genealogy-in-matthew-and-luke) is helpful in explaining why the two accounts differ, but I am specifically looking for a reference to Augustine that suggests Joseph was adopted.

There is a C. S. Lewis quote from *The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe* that resembles a famous quote by St Augustine. Here is St. Augustine: > The very thing which is now called the Christian religion was with the ancients, and it was with the human race from its beginning to the time when Christ appeared in the flesh: From then on the true religion, which already existed, began to be called the Christian That quote comes from St. Augustine’s *Retractations* I.12.3. There is scriptural support for Augustine’s assertion. St Paul in his mission to the Greeks famously instructed the Athenians (in Acts 17.23) declaring, “for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: “To the unknown god.” Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you.” I very clearly recall encountering a meme some time ago citing C. S. Lewis’ *The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe* which captured the above sentiment perfectly. C. S. Lewis wrote something to the effect of (trying to recall in my own words): > “You worship another deity but it is the Christian God in disguise.” Or: > “We worship the same God, just a different name.” My question for all of you: Is any one familiar enough with C. S. Lewis’ material (fiction or even non-fiction) to find an actual reference to this quote by C. S. Lewis that I am trying to describe? I’ve spent hours combing through Google search terms trying to find this quote / meme by C.S.Lewis. No dice.

Is there a difference between Augustinianism and (Five Points) Calvinism as they relate to the doctrine of salvation? If so, what is the difference?

Today, in some Christian churches, there is the practice of confession . The penitent – person who feels remorse for sins – goes to a priest, to whom one confesses one's sins, and the priest might possibly grant absolution, that is forgiveness of sins. Was that something *St. Augustine of Hippo*, was doing/practicing himself as a priest (aka listen to other people's confessions, and also confess his sins)? I'd appreciate some evidence, citing why this would be **or** not be the case.

I am currently investigating Catholic/Protestant theological differences. In trying to understand arguments about the immaculate conception of Mary, I began reading St. Thomas Aquinas, when I stumbled across something unusual. In [*Summa Theologica*, Part 3, Question 7, Article 1](https://www.newadvent.org/summa/4027.htm#article1) , Aquinas addresses the issue of Mary's sanctification before birth. Aquinas references St. Augustine, supposedly in a work on Mary's Assumption: >I answer that, Nothing is handed down in the canonical Scriptures concerning the sanctification of the Blessed Mary as to her being sanctified in the womb; indeed, they do not even mention her birth. **But as Augustine, in his tractate on the Assumption of the Virgin, argues with reason, since her body was assumed into heaven, and yet Scripture does not relate this;** so it may be reasonably argued that she was sanctified in the womb. My question is this: **Did St. Augustine write a tractate on the Assumption of Mary?** I am aware that the Assumption is generally considered a late belief (and the earliest explicit quote I could find is from Epiphanius in 350AD, although it is debated). I imagine if a father as prominent as St. Augustine wrote a whole tractate on the belief, that would be a major piece of evidence. Is it perhaps a lost work of his, or maybe a medieval forgery that Aquinas thought was real? Any information would be appreciated.

In Augustine's four stages of the Christian life, is the Reborn Man in the same state as the Pre-Fall Man? In which state was Christ the man while on earth? [Editor's note: OP refers to the 4 stages mentioned in Augustine's [*Enchiridion*, Ch. 118](https://biblehub.com/library/augustine/the_enchiridion/chapter_118_the_four_stages_of.htm) . [From OP's comment:] The first question is on what Augustine really meant, because both have the same able to sin and able to not sin. The second is an application of the fourfold state. My information and knowledge is based on [this]( http://monergism.com/thethreshold/articles/onsite/four-fold.html) .

Yesterday I came across [a quote](https://www.azquotes.com/quote/1090537) that was associated with St. Augustine of Hippo which shocked me and I was wondering if this is a real quote by St. Augustine or is it another fake quotation by him? It's from his [Literal Meaning of Genesis](https://thegreatthinkers.org/augustine/major-works/the-literal-meaning-of-genesis-415/) and is a warning to Christians about interpreting the Bible in a way which may damage science. > We must be on our guard against giving interpretations which are > hazardous or opposed to science, and so exposing the word of God to > the ridicule of unbelievers

According to Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians, Ezekiel 44:1-2 >And he brought me back to the way of the gate of the outward sanctuary, which looked towards the east: and it was shut. And the Lord said to me: This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall pass through it: because the Lord the God of Israel hath entered in by it, and it shall be shut is a prophecy of the blessed Virgin Mary. They believe that this is not only a biblical belief but an historical one and claim that St. Augustine believed and taught that Ezekiel 44:1-2 is a prophecy of Mary, therefore confirming the perpetual virginity of Mary. Is this in any way true?

There is a fairly famous quote that begins "Disturbers are to be rebuked, the low-spirited to be encouraged, the infirm to be supported, objectors confuted..." It is usually attributed to Augustine's "*Sermo ccix*" (Sermon #209). This reference is given in JT McNeill's "A history of the cure of souls" (1951, [page 100](https://archive.org/details/historyofcureofs0000mcne/page/100/mode/2up)) , and that work is sometimes mentioned in conjunction with the quote. However, I cannot find the full source of the sermon in question. I can find at least two different sermons that have been given that numbering. Neither appear to contain a translation of that quote. What seems to be most likely "*Sermo ccix*" is sermon 209 of the Maurist editions of Augustine's sermons, a numbering system subsequently used by Migne and the New City organisation. However, the sermon given that number here is a seemingly unrelated Lenten one. (Read Sermon #209 in [Latin](https://www.documentacatholicaomnia.eu/02m/0354-0430,_Augustinus,_Sermones_Ad_Populum._Classis_II._De_Tempore,_MLT.pdf#page=26) and [English](https://wesleyscholar.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Augustine-Sermons-184-229.pdf#page=121)) . **Where can the full sermon containing the famous quote be found?** (Preferably in either Latin or English).

I am puzzling over a passage in Augustine's *Confessions*, where he speaks of himself and his mother in the Church at Milan: > We were still cold, untouched by the warmth of your Spirit, but were > excited by the tension and disturbed atmosphere in the city [of > Milan]. That was the time when the decision was taken to introduce > hymns and psalms sung after the custom of the Eastern Churches, to > prevent the people from succumbing to depression and exhaustion. From > that time to this day the practice has been retained and many, indeed > almost all your flocks, in other parts of the world have imitated it. > (*Confessions* 9.7.15, trans. Chadwick, p. 165) A few things seem strange: (1) Augustine has already been baptized by this point, and yet he calls himself "untouched by ... your Spirit"; (2) surely singing in Church had existed long before Augustine; and (3) surely Augustine believed that the purpose of singing hymns was to worship God, as opposed to keeping the congregation from "depression and exhaustion." What is the historical context of the "hymns and psalms" which were introduced? Do we know what Eastern tradition Augustine is talking about here? And, in general, what is the meaning of this passage?