In Reason, Authority, and the Healing of Desire in the Writings of Augustine, Mark Boone explains Augustine's theology of desire in a cross-section of his writings. He shows that Augustine's writings consistently teach a Platonically informed, yet distinctively Christian, theology of desire.

• Cover
• Reason, Authority, and the Healing of Desire in the Writings of Augustine
• Reason, Authority, and the Healing of Desire in the Writings of Augustine
• Copyright
• Contents
• Abbreviations
• Introduction
  • Desire
    • The Twin Methods of Reason and Authority
    • Augustine and His Modern Readers
    • Reason, Authority, and Desire
    • Notes
• Part one: Reason
  • Chapter 1
  • Defense of the Faith according to Reason
    • Manicheanism
    • The Prologue: True Religion, the Happy Life, and the Pursuit of Wisdom
    • The Problem of Evil: Creation, Sin, and Redemption
    • When Someone Lacking Wisdom Meets an Authority Having It
    • The Ascent
    • Notes
  • Chapter 2
  • Ethics according to Reason
    • The Testimony of Reason
    • The Testimony of Authority: Paragraphs 24–40
    • Dialogue with the Manicheans: Paragraphs 41–48
    • Notes
  • Chapter 3
  • Metaphysics and the Problem of Evil according to Reason
    • BOOK I: Free Will Is the Cause of Evil
    • BOOK II: Free Will Is a Good
    • Book III: Whence the Free Will’s Turning Away from God?
    • Notes
  • Chapter 4
  • God and the Soul according to Reason
    • Soliloquia and De Magistro
    • De Magistro’s Epistemology
    • De Magistro’s Theology of Desire
    • Notes
• Part Two: Authority
  • Chapter 5
  • Defense of the Faith according to Authority
    • Defense of the Old Testament
    • Why Belief Makes Sense
    • Notes
  • Chapter 6
  • Ethics according to Authority
    • Marriage and Friendship: 1.1
    • What Is Marriage?
    • The Goods of Marriage
    • Marriage and Augustine’s Theology of Desire
    • Notes
  • Chapter 7
  • Metaphysics and the Problem of Evil according to Authority
    • Faith: Reality and Evil
    • Faith: Redemption
    • Hope and Love
    • Notes
  • Chapter 8
  • God and the Soul according to Authority
    • Apologetics, Ethics, Metaphysics, and Desire
    • God and the Soul in Confessions
    • Notes
• Bibliography
• Index
• About the Author