Kwestie moralne dotyczące małżeństwa, dziewictwa i prostytucji w nauczaniu św. Augustyna
Moral issues regarding marriage, virginity and prostitution in the teaching of Saint Augustine

Summary/Abstract: St. Augustine, in his teachings on marriage and virginity found in numerous theolog-ical works, especially in polemics with the opponents of marriage (gnostics, donatists,manichaeans), emphasized the value of marriage as a form of life created by God fromthe beginning and as the fundamental vocation of man and woman. Augustine iden-tifies three main goods of marriage: offspring (bonum proles), fidelity (bonum fidei),and sacramentality (bonum sacramenti). Although Augustine considers the goodof offspring to be paramount, the goods of fidelity and the love between spouses areequally important. Similarly, Augustine’s teaching on virginity, which he contrastswith marriage, highlights the value of consecration to Christ. Christian virginity is a choice for the Kingdom of God, differing from virginity in pagan traditions. Thevalue of virginity is linked to spiritual fidelity to Christ, and Augustine considersits breach a more serious sin than marital adultery. Virginity also has a propheticdimension, symbolizing the future union with Christ in the Heavenly Kingdom. Inthe context of prostitution, Augustine, despite his firm condemnation of bodily sins,regards it as a lesser evil to prevent greater abuses, such as adultery or rape. His po-sition was influenced by the social context of his time, though modern approaches tohuman dignity, including in the context of prostitution, differ from his era, takinginto account new forms of injustice.

• Details
• Contents