The law of freedom is the law of love : Some remarks on Christian liberty in Augustine’s thinking
The law of freedom is the law of love : Some remarks on Christian liberty in Augustine’s thinking

Summary/Abstract: We encounter the term “liberty” (libertas) in many places of Augustine’s writings. Basically, he uses it in two different contexts: politically and religiously. However, he does not provide a systematic definition of the term in either category, although in the period of the anti‐Pelagian controversy his ideas develop into an informal definition of the term. In this paper, I briefly summarize some basic aspects of the term liberty as it is presented in the political as well as in the religious contexts, and then I focus mostly on his concept of Christian liberty which is the term Augustine uses whenever he talks about the true liberty manifested by the real presence of God’s love in man. In fact, this love strenghtens human will in pursuing the good works which the human being is unable to perform by himself without God’s grace after Adam’s fall.

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