by St. Augustine
in ePub, .mobi & .pdf formats
St. Augustine’s Enchiridion: A Treatise on Faith, Hope, and Love stands as one of the most concise and profound guides to the heart of Christian doctrine ever penned. Written as a pastoral response to a layman's request for a portable “handbook” of essential Christian truths, this work compresses the depth of the faith into three theological virtues—faith, hope, and love—presenting them not merely as abstract concepts, but as the living framework of Christian life. Augustine navigates the Apostles’ Creed and the Lord’s Prayer to construct a sweeping overview of salvation history, theology, and practical piety, culminating in a vision of love as the consummate virtue that fulfills the law and binds the believer to God.
What sets the Enchiridion apart is its clarity and potency. Augustine’s pastoral heart shines as he answers life’s most urgent spiritual questions: What is man’s chief end? How do we understand evil? What is the purpose of grace, the nature of the Incarnation, and the final hope of the believer? The treatise addresses both the mind and the heart—disarming intellectual pride while warming the soul with the reality of divine mercy. Especially poignant is Augustine’s treatment of sin, redemption, and the necessity of grace, making the Enchiridion a theological compass for any Christian seeking truth, assurance, and deeper devotion. For Reformed readers and lovers of the early Church Fathers, this book is not only timeless—it is essential.
The Enchiridion is a brief treatise on the grace of God and represents Augustine's fully matured theological perspective.
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Table of Contents
CHAPTER I THE OCCASION AND PURPOSE OF THIS "MANUAL"
CHAPTER II THE CREED AND THE LORD'S PRAYER AS GUIDES TO THE INTERPRETATION OF THE THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES OF FAITH, HOPE, AND LOVE
CHAPTER III GOD THE CREATOR OF ALL; AND THE GOODNESS OF ALL CREATION
CHAPTER IV THE PROBLEM OF EVIL
CHAPTER V THE KINDS AND DEGREES OF ERROR
CHAPTER VI THE PROBLEM OF LYING
CHAPTER VII DISPUTED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE LIMITS OF KNOWLEDGE AND CERTAINTY IN VARIOUS MATTERS
CHAPTER VIII THE PLIGHT OF MAN AFTER THE FALL
CHAPTER IX THE REPLACEMENT OF THE FALLEN ANGELS BY ELECT MEN (28-30); THE NECESSITY OF GRACE (30-32)
CHAPTER X JESUS CHRIST THE MEDIATOR
CHAPTER XI THE INCARNATION AS PRIME EXAMPLE OF THE ACTION OF GOD'S GRACE
CHAPTER XII THE ROLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
CHAPTER XIII BAPTISM AND ORIGINAL SIN
CHAPTER XIV THE MYSTERIES OF CHRIST'S MEDIATORIAL WORK (48-49) AND JUSTIFICATION (50-55)
CHAPTER XV THE HOLY SPIRIT (56) AND THE CHURCH (57-60)
CHAPTER XVI PROBLEMS ABOUT HEAVENLY AND EARTHLY DIVISIONS OF THE CHURCH
CHAPTER XVII FORGIVENESS OF SINS IN THE CHURCH
CHAPTER XVIII FAITH AND WORKS
CHAPTER XIX ALMSGIVING AND FORGIVENESS
CHAPTER XX SPIRITUAL ALMSGIVING
CHAPTER XXI PROBLEMS OF CASUISTRY
CHAPTER XXII THE TWO CAUSES OF SIN
CHAPTER XXIII THE REALITY OF THE RESURRECTION
CHAPTER XXIV THE SOLUTION TO PRESENT SPIRITUAL ENIGMAS TO BE AWAITED IN THE LIFE OF THE WORLD TO COME
CHAPTER XXV PREDESTINATION AND THE JUSTICE OF GOD
CHAPTER XXVI THE TRIUMPH OF GOD'S SOVEREIGN GOOD WILL
CHAPTER XXVII LIMITS OF GOD'S PLAN FOR HUMAN SALVATION
CHAPTER XXVIII THE DESTINY OF MAN
CHAPTER XXIX "THE LAST THINGS"
CHAPTER XXX THE PRINCIPLES OF CHRISTIAN LIVING: FAITH AND HOPE
CHAPTER XXXI LOVE
CHAPTER XXXII THE END OF ALL THE LAW
CHAPTER XXXIII CONCLUSION