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Love One Another, My Friends: St Augustine's Homilies on the First Letter of John
English, Latin (translation)
118 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1984
27 people are currently reading
217 people want to read
About the author
Augustine of Hippo
3,339 books2,010 followersEarly church father and philosopher Saint Augustine served from 396 as the bishop of Hippo in present-day Algeria and through such writings as the autobiographical
Confessions
in 397 and the voluminous
City of God
from 413 to 426 profoundly influenced Christianity, argued against Manichaeism and Donatism, and helped to establish the doctrine of original sin.
An Augustinian follows the principles and doctrines of Saint Augustine.
People also know Aurelius Augustinus in English of Regius (Annaba). From the Africa province of the Roman Empire, people generally consider this Latin theologian of the greatest thinkers of all times. He very developed the west. According to Jerome, a contemporary, Augustine renewed "the ancient Faith."
The Neo-Platonism of Plotinus afterward heavily weighed his years. After conversion and his baptism in 387, Augustine developed his own approach to theology and accommodated a variety of methods and different perspectives. He believed in the indispensable grace to human freedom and framed the concept of just war. When the Western Roman Empire started to disintegrate from the material earth, Augustine developed the concept of the distinct Catholic spirituality in a book of the same name. He thought the medieval worldview. Augustine closely identified with the community that worshiped the Trinity. The Catholics and the Anglican communion revere this preeminent doctor. Many Protestants, especially Calvinists, consider his due teaching on salvation and divine grace of the theology of the Reformation. The Eastern Orthodox also consider him. He carries the additional title of blessed. The Orthodox call him "Blessed Augustine" or "Saint Augustine the Blessed."
Santo Agostinho
An Augustinian follows the principles and doctrines of Saint Augustine.
People also know Aurelius Augustinus in English of Regius (Annaba). From the Africa province of the Roman Empire, people generally consider this Latin theologian of the greatest thinkers of all times. He very developed the west. According to Jerome, a contemporary, Augustine renewed "the ancient Faith."
The Neo-Platonism of Plotinus afterward heavily weighed his years. After conversion and his baptism in 387, Augustine developed his own approach to theology and accommodated a variety of methods and different perspectives. He believed in the indispensable grace to human freedom and framed the concept of just war. When the Western Roman Empire started to disintegrate from the material earth, Augustine developed the concept of the distinct Catholic spirituality in a book of the same name. He thought the medieval worldview. Augustine closely identified with the community that worshiped the Trinity. The Catholics and the Anglican communion revere this preeminent doctor. Many Protestants, especially Calvinists, consider his due teaching on salvation and divine grace of the theology of the Reformation. The Eastern Orthodox also consider him. He carries the additional title of blessed. The Orthodox call him "Blessed Augustine" or "Saint Augustine the Blessed."
Santo Agostinho
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
April 23, 2019
"And see how many works pride does. Charity feeds the hungry man; pride also feeds him. Charity does it so that God may be praised, pride so that it itself may be praised. Charity clothes the naked man; pride also clothes him. Charity fasts; pride also fasts. Charity buries the dead; pride also buries them. Pride, directing its horses, as it were, carries out in contrary fashion all the good works that charity wants to do and does do. But charity is within; it removes the place of the badly-driven pride - not badly driving but badly-driven. Woe to the man whose chariot is pride, for it surely will be wrecked."
August 18, 2021
This book is ten sermons that Augustine preached walking through 1 John. What a privilege it is to even be able to read some of his sermons. You get a great sense of his voice and pastoral heart. He has good application and it is clear that he knows the people he is preaching to. I got this book because I was preparing to preach through 1 John myself. I found it helpful and encouraging.
November 17, 2018
I have been reading through Gregory, Cyril, Maximus, and some of the other Greek Father’s this year, which have all been good and rewarding but I’m always led back to Augustine, who’s theology is larger than life. He somehow speaks directly to me in a way that none of the others do and this little volume of sermons on 1 John is no different. If you need a little more charity in your life, this is the volume for you. You will meet the One who Himself “is charity.”
March 11, 2019
I mean. It’s Augustine. It was amazing.
March 24, 2020
St. Augustine delivered these 10 homilies in the course of as many days. 1 John is about love ("God is love" ... Deus caritas est). Augustine speaks with eloquence, intensity (and love!) on this inexhaustible topic.
I'm struck again by the Church fathers' integrity of faith. We moderns are trained to believe 8 incompatible things before breakfast each day... the law of non-contradiction has no place in our lives. We separate what we believe from what we do. For Augustine, whether something was true or false affected all of live - not just some section of his knowledge about some particular words written on paper. Our academics believe all kinds of outrageous things which never actually change how they live their lives.
Living life integrally - as one - truly is life changing, and liberating.
I'm struck again by the Church fathers' integrity of faith. We moderns are trained to believe 8 incompatible things before breakfast each day... the law of non-contradiction has no place in our lives. We separate what we believe from what we do. For Augustine, whether something was true or false affected all of live - not just some section of his knowledge about some particular words written on paper. Our academics believe all kinds of outrageous things which never actually change how they live their lives.
Living life integrally - as one - truly is life changing, and liberating.
July 21, 2021
Loved the memorable illustrations. It takes awhile to get used to Augustine's style, but as I became familiar with it, the second half of the book went better. His preaching was clearly applicatory to the lives of his congregation. Worth reading and borrowing the illustrations.
Want to read
July 22, 2019Only read the first two homilies (pp 19 - 51) for a course in church history.
July 25, 2021
Wonderful! Great example of early biblical interpretation. Made me think differently about 1 John and its message about love.
September 21, 2021
These are great homilies no matter how long ago there were written. He must have been a great preacher.
May 28, 2022
Lovely homilies, some stronger the others.
August 19, 2022
I think this Augustine guy is pretty smart, looking forward to more from him
February 6, 2024
Hermosa epístola de Juan que nos enseña a como vivir como cristianos en el amor y en la verdad.
August 18, 2025
Ravishing, radiant, brilliant and beautiful.
August 4, 2009
An excellent exposition of 1 John, dripping with love and Augustine's concern as a pastor for his congregation.
Some great quotes:
"He [John} preferred to number himself among the sinners, so that he would have Christ as his advocate, rather than to put himself as an advocate instead of Christ and to be found among the proud who are condemned." (29)
"Love your enemies in such a way that you wish them to be brothers; love your enemies in such a way that they are brought into your fellowship." (30)
"But how shall we be able to love God if we love the world? [John:] prepares us, therefore, to be inhabited by charity. There are two loves, that of the world and that of God. If love of the world dwells in us, there is no way for the love of God to enter in. Let the love of the world withdraw and that of God dwell in us." (45)
"May the Spirit of God be in you, so that you may see that all these things [creation:] are good, but woe to you if you love created things and abandon the creator. They are beautiful as far as you are concerned, but how much more beautiful is he who formed them?... God doesn't forbid you to love those things [of creation:], but you mustn't love them in the expectation of blessedness. Rather, you must favor and praise them in such a way that you love the creator." (47)
"For to all those who are wicked, Christ is a stone of stumbling; whatever Christ says is bitter to them." (57)
"The works of the Lord praise the Lord. Heaven praises him, and the earth and the sea. Everything that is in heaven praises him: the angels praise him, the stars praise him, the great lights praise him. Whatever swims praises him, whatever flies, whatever walks, whatever crawls: all those things praise the Lord." (60)
"Let no one lead you astray to death. Long for the promise of eternal life. What can the world promise? Whatever it may promise, it promises to someone who will perhaps die tomorrow. And with what shame will you go out to him who abides forever? Suppose that a powerful man urges me with threats to do something bad. What does he threaten? Prison, chains, fire, torture, beasts? Eternal fire? Shudder at what the Almighty threatens, love what the Almighty promises, and the whole world becomes worthless, whether it promises or menaces." (62)
"Now our righteousness comes from faith." (65)
"Pay heed, then, brothers, to two births- Adam and Christ. These are two men, but one of them is man-man, while the other of them is man-God. Because of hte man-man we are sinners; because of the man-God we are made righteous. The former birth cast us down to death; the latter birth raised us up to life. The former birth brings sin along with itself; the latter birth frees us from sin. It was for this reason that Christ the man came, to absolve the sins of men." (74)
"Love alone, then, distinguishes between the children of God and the children of the devil." (82)
"The prayers of the saints are answered in every respect; they are always answered with a view to eternal salvation." (93)
"There is no forgiveness apart from chairty. Remove charity from the heart and it holds onto hatred and cannot forgive. Let charity be there and it forgives with a sense of security and is not made narrow." (104)
"Love, and do what you want." (110)
"If you are silent, be silent with love; if you cry out, cry out with love; if you chastise, chastise with love; if you spare, spare with love. The root of love must be within; nothing but good can come forth from this root." (110)
"What sort of countenance does love have? What sort of shape does it have? What sort of height does it have? What sort of feet does it have? What sort of hands does it have? No one can say. Yet it has feet, for they lead to the Church. It has hands, for they stretch out to the poor person. It has eyes, for that is how he who is in need is understood... These aren't distinct members occupying space, but he who has charity sees everything all at once with his understanding." (111-112)
"Love is a sweet word, but a sweeter deed." (115)
"He is the true Lord who seeks nothing from us. And woe to us if we don't seek him. He seeks nothing from us, and he sought us when we weren't seeking him." (129)
"What does this mean: Upon this rock I shall build my Church? Upon this faith, upon what was said: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Upon this rock, he says, I shall establish my Church. (146)
Some great quotes:
"He [John} preferred to number himself among the sinners, so that he would have Christ as his advocate, rather than to put himself as an advocate instead of Christ and to be found among the proud who are condemned." (29)
"Love your enemies in such a way that you wish them to be brothers; love your enemies in such a way that they are brought into your fellowship." (30)
"But how shall we be able to love God if we love the world? [John:] prepares us, therefore, to be inhabited by charity. There are two loves, that of the world and that of God. If love of the world dwells in us, there is no way for the love of God to enter in. Let the love of the world withdraw and that of God dwell in us." (45)
"May the Spirit of God be in you, so that you may see that all these things [creation:] are good, but woe to you if you love created things and abandon the creator. They are beautiful as far as you are concerned, but how much more beautiful is he who formed them?... God doesn't forbid you to love those things [of creation:], but you mustn't love them in the expectation of blessedness. Rather, you must favor and praise them in such a way that you love the creator." (47)
"For to all those who are wicked, Christ is a stone of stumbling; whatever Christ says is bitter to them." (57)
"The works of the Lord praise the Lord. Heaven praises him, and the earth and the sea. Everything that is in heaven praises him: the angels praise him, the stars praise him, the great lights praise him. Whatever swims praises him, whatever flies, whatever walks, whatever crawls: all those things praise the Lord." (60)
"Let no one lead you astray to death. Long for the promise of eternal life. What can the world promise? Whatever it may promise, it promises to someone who will perhaps die tomorrow. And with what shame will you go out to him who abides forever? Suppose that a powerful man urges me with threats to do something bad. What does he threaten? Prison, chains, fire, torture, beasts? Eternal fire? Shudder at what the Almighty threatens, love what the Almighty promises, and the whole world becomes worthless, whether it promises or menaces." (62)
"Now our righteousness comes from faith." (65)
"Pay heed, then, brothers, to two births- Adam and Christ. These are two men, but one of them is man-man, while the other of them is man-God. Because of hte man-man we are sinners; because of the man-God we are made righteous. The former birth cast us down to death; the latter birth raised us up to life. The former birth brings sin along with itself; the latter birth frees us from sin. It was for this reason that Christ the man came, to absolve the sins of men." (74)
"Love alone, then, distinguishes between the children of God and the children of the devil." (82)
"The prayers of the saints are answered in every respect; they are always answered with a view to eternal salvation." (93)
"There is no forgiveness apart from chairty. Remove charity from the heart and it holds onto hatred and cannot forgive. Let charity be there and it forgives with a sense of security and is not made narrow." (104)
"Love, and do what you want." (110)
"If you are silent, be silent with love; if you cry out, cry out with love; if you chastise, chastise with love; if you spare, spare with love. The root of love must be within; nothing but good can come forth from this root." (110)
"What sort of countenance does love have? What sort of shape does it have? What sort of height does it have? What sort of feet does it have? What sort of hands does it have? No one can say. Yet it has feet, for they lead to the Church. It has hands, for they stretch out to the poor person. It has eyes, for that is how he who is in need is understood... These aren't distinct members occupying space, but he who has charity sees everything all at once with his understanding." (111-112)
"Love is a sweet word, but a sweeter deed." (115)
"He is the true Lord who seeks nothing from us. And woe to us if we don't seek him. He seeks nothing from us, and he sought us when we weren't seeking him." (129)
"What does this mean: Upon this rock I shall build my Church? Upon this faith, upon what was said: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Upon this rock, he says, I shall establish my Church. (146)
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October 22, 2015St. Augustine in his preaching does have a tendency to belabour the points he is making, but despite the fact that this can occasionally be exhausting, the gems contained therein definitely make their reading worthwhile.
October 8, 2013
Enjoyable not only for historical value but also for spiritual insights
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews