Love and the Knowledge of God in Augustine's De Trinitate

Abstract

<p>This thesis offers a close reading of Augustine's <em>De Trinitate </em>that is aimed at addressing the vexed question of the unity of the work. The most influential 20^th century interpretation of <em>De Trinitate</em> holds that Augustine moves from a theological examination of the nature of the Trinity based on scripture to a philosophical investigation based on the structure of the human mind. This interpretation has led to the misconceptions that Augustine espouses a form of natural theology and separates theological doctrine from the concerns of the practical life. This thesis shows that <em>De Trinitate</em> is unified around the methodological rule that only the mind that loves God is capable of knowing him. This means, first, that Augustine's procedure is improperly characterized as natural theology; and, second, that, in making love a prerequisite for, and means to, knowledge of God, the ethical question of the ordering of love is inseparable from doctrinal concerns. This thesis shows that <em>De Trinitate</em> offers a coherent and compelling moral ontology in which the perceived tensions in Augustine's theology of love can be reconciled.</p>