Love and Saint Augustine

Love and Saint Augustine is Hannah Arendt's doctoral thesis examining Augustine's concept of love through three distinct lenses. Originally published in German in 1929, the work combines philosophical interpretations from her mentors Martin Heidegger and Karl Jaspers. The text analyzes love as desire, the relationship between creator and created beings, and neighborly love (caritas). These three frameworks form the foundation for Augustine's understanding of human relationships, both with the divine and with other people. The work remained untranslated into English for decades, despite Arendt's attempts to revise and expand it. The English version was finally published in 1996, after her death, preserving both her original doctoral work and her later philosophical developments. This scholarly examination establishes key concepts that would influence Arendt's later political philosophy, particularly her ideas about love of the world (amor mundi) and human natality. The text bridges theological thought and secular philosophical inquiry, examining how love shapes human existence and social bonds.

Readers find this book challenging and dense, requiring significant background knowledge of both Augustine's works and philosophical concepts. Many note it works better as a scholarly reference than a cover-to-cover read. Readers appreciate: - Deep analysis linking Augustine's ideas to modern political thought - Fresh interpretations of Augustine's concept of love - Clear connections between religious and secular philosophy Common criticisms: - Complex academic language makes it inaccessible - Assumes too much prior knowledge of Augustine - Structure feels disjointed between the original dissertation and later additions - Translation issues in some passages "This is not for casual readers - you need serious philosophical training to get through it," notes one Amazon reviewer. Ratings: Goodreads: 4.1/5 (89 ratings) Amazon: 4.3/5 (12 reviews) Most readers recommend starting with Arendt's other works before attempting this one, unless specifically studying Augustine or writing academic papers on the topic.

The Divine Names and Mystical Theology by Pseudo-Dionysius This foundational text explores the relationship between divine love and human understanding through Neo-Platonic frameworks that influenced Augustine's own theological development.

The Nature of Love by Irving Singer A philosophical investigation traces the concept of love from ancient Greece through Christian thought to modern interpretations, featuring extensive analysis of Augustinian perspectives.

God Without Being by Jean-Luc Marion The text examines the intersection of phenomenology and theology through the lens of love, building on Augustinian concepts while incorporating contemporary philosophical methods.

Faith in History and Society by Johann Baptist Metz This work develops political theology through examination of memory and suffering, incorporating Augustinian themes of love and temporality into modern social theory.

The Life of the Mind by Hannah Arendt This text continues themes from Love and Saint Augustine, expanding on the relationship between thinking and love while incorporating Augustine's influence on modern philosophical thought.

🔸 The book was originally Arendt's doctoral dissertation, written in 1929 when she was just 23 years old, and was later translated and extensively revised in English during the 1960s. 🔸 Arendt wrote this work under the guidance of Karl Jaspers at the University of Heidelberg, and it was her first major academic achievement before she fled Nazi Germany in 1933. 🔸 Saint Augustine's concept of "neighbor-love" discussed in the book significantly influenced modern philosophical understanding of social responsibility and community bonds. 🔸 The text introduces Arendt's crucial concept of "natality," which she developed further in her landmark work "The Human Condition" (1958), proposing that humans' capacity for new beginnings is as important as their mortality. 🔸 Despite being a Jewish scholar, Arendt's deep engagement with Christian theology in this work demonstrated her belief that religious thought could provide valuable insights for secular philosophy.