The Quotable Augustine: Distinctively Catholic Elements in His Theology

Book excerpt: Protestants (especially Reformed Protestants, or Calvinists) often assert that St. Augustine's views were closer to theirs than to the present-day Catholic Church. My aim is to systematically document St. Augustine's advocacy of positions that historic Protestantism has expressly rejected, and (conversely) detail his opposition to some doctrines or beliefs that it has (generally speaking) espoused. Quotations are drawn from 44 separate works of St. Augustine, arranged under 157 topics, and also arranged chronologically within topics, insofar as that can be determined. This helps to clarify any development in Augustine's views. Editorial input is kept to an absolute minimum: confined to an occasional bracketed clarification (usually a contextual matter or reference) or briefly stated fact considered to be indispensable in understanding some aspect of the quotation. I'm delighted to pass along to readers a ""capsulized version"" of St. Augustine's wonderful and eloquent theological writing.