Augustine’s spiritual doctrine has marked the entire theology of the West. His desire for God, continual conversion, pursuit of happiness, interiority and ascent towards God are constants that can be found in all spiritual theology today, and of which Augustine is one of the most important exponents.
In this course we will address the main features of Augustine’s spiritual theology, taking as our starting point the philosophical, spiritual and theological context of his thought. The idea of conversion will be presented by reading and analysing various texts from the Confessiones. In the course we will also try to follow the path of Augustine’s interiority from his earliest writings to his later works, first and foremost the Confessiones. The commentaries on the First Epistle of John will be followed to see the doctrine of caritas christiana as the foundation of Augustinian thought. We will also address the doctrine of humility in the commentaries on John’s Gospel, Augustinian biblical spirituality in various writings, and the Eucharist in St Augustine’s discourses.
The student is invited to retrace St Augustine’s spiritual journey, discovering its relevance not only for the believer of the 4th century, but also for the Christian of the 21st century, and to find the foundation of today’s spiritual doctrine in the Fathers of the Church.