The Quotable Augustine: Distinctively Catholic Elements in His Theology
Reformed Protestants have long claimed St. Augustine as their own. The “allegiance” of these two men — Luther and Calvin — to Augustine, closely examined, is selective and a “mixed record” at best. Dave Armstrong systematically documents what Augustine actually taught on the doctrines historic Protestantism has rejected: baptismal regeneration, the Sacrifice of the Mass, the intercession of the saints, the perpetual virginity of Mary, the primacy of Peter, infused justification, the falsity of sola fide.
Quotations are drawn from 42 separate works of St. Augustine, plus collections of his letters and sermons, and arranged alphabetically under 157 topics. Within each topic the quotations run chronologically, so the reader can watch a position develop across Augustine’s career — using the dates from Allan Fitzgerald’s Augustine Through the Ages. Editorial input is kept to an absolute minimum: an occasional bracketed clarification, nothing more.
A reference work for anyone studying the Fathers, debating Reformed friends, or simply wanting Augustine on a given topic without footnotes in the way.
Inside this book
- 157 alphabetical topics — from Abortion and Apostolic Succession through the Sacrifice of the Mass to *Theosis*
- 42 separate works of St. Augustine plus his letters and sermons — all in public-domain 19th-century translations
- Chronological ordering within each topic, using Fitzgerald’s *Augustine Through the Ages* dates, to show doctrinal development
- A focus on what Protestant traditions reject — *sola fide,* the irresistibility of grace, total depravity, baptismal regeneration, Marian doctrine, the papacy
- Companion sections on questions Calvinists and Arminians both face — God’s foreknowledge, free will, providence, the impossibility of God sinning