Evil and the Augustinian Tradition by Charles T. Mathewes


Evil and the Augustinian Tradition
Title : Evil and the Augustinian Tradition
Author :
Rating :
ISBN : 0521035449
ISBN-10 : 9780521035446
Language : English
Format Type : Paperback
Number of Pages : 284
Publication : First published January 1, 2001

Evil and the Augustinian Tradition explores the "family biography" of the Augustinian tradition by looking at Augustine's work and its development in the writings of Hannah Arendt and Reinhold Niebuhr. Mathewes argues that the Augustinian tradition offers us a powerful, though commonly misconstrued, proposal for understanding and responding to evil's challenges. The book casts new light on Augustine, Niebuhr, and Arendt, as well as on the problem of evil, the nature of tradition, and the role of theological and ethical discourse in contemporary thought.

Evil and the Augustinian Tradition Reviews

  • Stephen Hicks

    Not for the faint of heart, and my heart came pretty close to giving out. Fairly academic and incredibly dense. A very slow read that I probably read too fast.

    It was incredibly fascinating overall, and I wish I had a more expansive background in both Niehbur and Arendt. The more you know about those two writers, I imagine, the more this book will be impactful and insightful. Regardless, a tough read for me, but well worth it.

    The first section lays out the rudiments of the Augustinian Tradition and puts that in contrast to Modernity’s understanding of evil and the surrounding human condition.

    The second section described the thought of Reinhold Niehbur and how it sheds light on the Augustinian notion of “Sin as perversion”, but then critiques Neihbur where he strays away from Augustine and into Modernity. Mathewes then takes of Hannah Arendt’s thought as an example of the Augustinian concept of “Evil as privation”, and critiques Arendt when she strays back into Modernity’s temptations.

    The final section then synthesizes the previous sections and attempts to construct a positive project of how to grapple with evil both emanating from us and inundating us.

    I’ll have to revisit this book later to attempt to comprehend the 75% that I’m sure is still laying in wait.

  • Alberony Martínez

    El ensayo que tratamos en esta ocasión Evil and the Augustinian tradition escrito por Charles T. Mathewes es un libro que toca con sutileza y profundidad el problema del mal para que todo usuario tenga una fuente explicativa sobre el mal a luz del sistema agustiniano. Escribe de manera accesible y con un toque ligero el como se ha tratado el mal. Este libro está destinado para aquellos que siente el poder de la visión moral cristiana de abordar la problemática a la luz de la tradición agustiniana para paliar la tensión ineludible en nuestro mundo, que es un criadero del mal. Un libro interdisciplinario sin sacrificar el rigor, y provocativo, pero no dogmatico.

    Excelente ensayo

  • Braden Siemens

    I read half of this book for a paper. Great response to Arendt’s criticism of Augustine.