St. Augustine

2017 Reprint of 1947 Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition software. Augustine recounts that he "…wrote a book on Faith, Hope, and Charity, at the request of the person to whom I addressed it, that he might have a work of mine which should never be out of his hands, such as the Greeks call an Enchiridion (Handbook). There I think I have…carefully treated the manner in which God is to be worshipped, which knowledge divine Scripture defines to be the true wisdom of man." Augustine usually calls the book "On Faith, Hope and Love," because he treats the subject under these three heads. The work is alternatively titled, Faith, Hope, and Charity, or The Enchiridion. It is a compact treatise on Christian piety, written in response to a request by an otherwise unknown person, named Laurentius, shortly after the death of Saint Jerome in 420. It is intended as a model for Christian instruction or catechesis. As the title indicates, the work is organized according to the three graces necessary for the Christian worship of God: Faith, Hope and Love. Under Faith, Augustine explains the use of the Apostles' Creed, in teaching Christian doctrine and in refuting heresies. Under Hope, he briefly explains the Lord's Prayer as a model of Christian prayer. The final part is a discourse on Christian love or charity.