Table of Contents

Contents
Acknowledgements
Abbreviations
Introduction
Reaping What We Did Not Sow: Original Sin and Responsibility
I. The Scandal of Original Sin
II. On Responsibility
III. Chapter Overview
Part I: Augustinian Doctrines
Chapter 1: Peccatum Originale
Chapter 2: The Explanatory Power of Original Sin
Chapter 3: Sickness, Sin, and Augustine's Compatibilism
Part II: Ownership and Inheritance
Chapter 4: An Augustinian Conception of Responsibility
Chapter 5: Augustinian Compatibilism
Chapter 6: Responsibility without Freedom
Chapter 7: Responsibility Under Necessity
References

About the Author

Jesse Couenhoven is Associate Professor of Moral Theology in the Humanities Department at Villanova University.

Reviews

"[B]oth Couenhoven's careful interpretative work and bold constructive work distinguish this book as a model for further engagements with Augustine's thought." --Anglican Theological Review
"Couenhoven offers a significant and provocative contribution to moral philosophy and a needed corrective in Augustinian studies to discussions of original sin. In this, his book traverses the domains of historical scholarship and contemporary moral debates, and should be read both by experts interested in the latter as well as by theologians attempting to balance accounts of human agency with the depth and pervasiveness of sin." --Notre Dame Philosophical
Reviews
"Students of Augustine's thought will find this a helpful introduction to the complexity of his doctrine as it relates to original sin. Constructive theologians will marvel at its informed, careful, and constructive use of historical sources. Recommended." --CHOICE
"Couenhoven's careful analysis of Augustine's final response to the ablest of the Pelagian writers, Julian of Eclanum, makes those ancient writers participants in the modern analysis and understanding of human freedom and responsibility. The presentation adapts Augustine's vocabulary and arguments so that his perspective becomes intelligible to readers in a radically different cultural context." --J. Patout Burns, Jr. Malloy Professor of Catholic Studies,
emeritus, Vanderbilt Divinity School
"Couenhoven's argument is calm and careful, unapologetic but not blustery, acknowledging the several worthwhile concerns about Augustine's doctrine of original sin, while yet insisting that those concerns do not outweigh that doctrine's singular virtue of being true, and that it does not legitimate moralistic blame, but funds gracious compassion. A truly impressive achievement, combining philosophical acuity, historical learning, and theological profundity in
equal parts, occasionally leavened with a wry sense of humor. We have been waiting for this book for some time, and it proves to have been worth the wait." --Charles Mathews, Carolyn M. Barbour
Professor of Religious Studies, University of Virginia
"The project of this book is to defend a version of Augustinian compatibilism, based on Augustine's later work. The book does not defend this view as a whole, but selects the more plausible parts and mounts a surprisingly effective reply to the usual objections, connecting this reply to contemporary philosophical treatments of related questions. It is well-written, and a sensitive and nuanced treatment of the texts." --John Hare, Noah Porter Professor of
Philosophical Theology, Yale Divinity School
"Students of Augustine's thought will find this a helpful introduction to the complexity of his doctrine as it relates to original sin. Constructive theologians will marvel at its informed, careful, and constructive use of historical sources." -A.W. Klink, Duke University, CHOICE
"Augustine's doctrine of original sin has been widely accepted by traditionallyminded Christians, but is undeniably problematic. Why should subsequent generations suffer the consequences of sin for what the first people did? Jesse Couenhoven tackles this thorny issue and the book is a must read for anyone working on these questions." --Journal of Reformed Theology