He and his companions stole the fruit even though the fruit was of poor quality. They also had more desirable fruit to eat at their own homes. Augustine states this in his Confessions, "For I stole a thing of which I had plenty of my own and much better quality. Nor did I wish to enjoy the thing which I desired to gain by theft, but rather to enjoy the actual theft and sin of theft." (II, iv, pg 29) This relates to the idea of free will. Saint Augustine had a choice, to sin or not to sin.
The mere thrill of the theft and sin was more desirable than the fruit which they stole. The pilfering was sought as an opportunity to be deceitful and to gain self satisfaction from it. Augustine however, realized that the theft which he committed for mere pleasure which was obtained from the sin of the crime was indeed, unlawful. He began to ponder on why he could not have received enjoyment by committing a more lawful act. In Saint Augustine Confessions he states: "What rottenness! What a monstrous life and what an abyss of death! Was it possible to take pleasure in what was illicit for no reason other than it was not allowed?" (II, vi, pg 32) This shows that Augustine was beginning to think about the wrongdoing of his action. At the time of the repulsive deed he remembered being pleased with his wrongdoing.
In book six of his confessions, Augustine starts to think about his past transgressions and how they were unlawful, not only in society, but also in the world which was created by God. As Augustine began to show remorse for his sins, it did not change the fact that he stole the pear from the tree for the sheer pleasure of sin. When viewing the crime which Augustine committed, it is noted that Augustine acted in self-indulgence or vice. Augustine knew that the crime which he was going to commit, the misconduct of stealing fruit, was indeed wrong and was sinful. He carried on with and committed the crime anyway; all for a short-term physical pleasure.
Aurelius Augustine, later known as Augustine of Hippo or Saint Augustine, was one of the most important and well-known theologians in the history of the Christian religion. He was born on November 13, 354 AD, in Roman Empire and died on August 28, 430 AD, in Hippo Regius, Algeria. He was born as a ...
What is Evil? From an explanation that that was given to St. Augustine, "the cause of evil is the free decision of our will, in consequence of which we act wrongly" (pg 161). In other words the decision of our will is that we make our own decisions and our destiny is what we make of it. In l...
Evil Cannot Exist. St. Augustine was one of the most influential Christian converts of his time. In his book, The Confessions, he described his life and journey towards converting to Christianity. He addressed many of the issues that arise from infancy to adolescence to adulthood. In each phase of...
St Augustine had similar beliefs as Plato. ... Augustine states that "one must believe in order to understand." ... So what Augustine is saying is that we shall love all things even if the seem to be evil, because they to severe a purpose in life. ...
Saint Augustine and Classical Education In Saint Augustine's deeply personal work, Confessions, he shares the story of his life up to his eventual conversion to the Christian faith. ... Augustine's attitude towards classical literature and thought was at times slightly self-contradictory. ... Augustine recalled that as a very young man he himself succumbed to excessive pride. ... Augustine was a rationalist man throughout the work, and yet his most defining moment is one of pure faith. Only after years of personal struggle did Augustine arrive at his own religious revelation. ...
St. Thomas Aquinas supports and accepts the notion of Augustine that evil is not something positive and God is not the cause of evil, because evil is not a thing. His whole answer on the problem of evil is related to God. St. Thomas Aquinas believes God did not will moral evil in any sense but only...
St. Augustine: The City of God According to St. Augustine, there have been many people and events that have helped in the establishment of philosophy and natural theology. He mentions many great thinkers before him that have contributed, such as Thales of Miletus along with his disciples Anaxim...
The Confessions of St. Augustine was not, as some scholars have claimed, the work of a weak-willed or self-indulgent man. Rather, it was the work of a very determined and self-sacrificing individual who was looking back into his sinful past. When Augustine wrote the Confessions he had already been a...
