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

Augustine identified reason and authority as complementary ways of learning the truth, and he employed both to explore such perennial questions as the rationality of faith, the nature of the good life, the problem of evil, and the relation of God and the soul. Eight writings of Augustine represent his application of these two methods to these four topics: 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. In Reason, Authority, and the Healing of Desire in the Writings of Augustine, Mark Boone explains Augustine’s theology of desire in this cross-section of his works. 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.