ON CHRISTIAN COMBAT

What is the true nature of the Christian struggle? For Saint Augustine, the greatest battle is fought not only against external enemies, but within the human heart.

In On Christian Combat (De agone Christiano), Augustine examines the spiritual and moral struggle at the center of Christian life. He explores the conflict between virtue and vice, truth and error, and eternal realities and worldly desires.

Victory over evil, he teaches, begins with self-mastery: disciplining the body, ordering the will, and resisting pride and disordered desires. Yet this struggle also requires a sound understanding of Christian faith. Augustine addresses creation, the nature of evil, the Incarnation, the humanity and divinity of Christ, and the unity of the Church.

With the clarity and depth characteristic of the Bishop of Hippo, this work brings moral teaching and theological reflection together, showing that faith, reason, and spiritual discipline cannot be separated.

This edition features a direct translation from the Latin by Emerson Dias, with explanatory notes and historical and theological material to illuminate the work's original context and enduring significance.

A challenging introduction to Augustine's vision of Christian life as a continual struggle for truth, virtue, and perseverance. It remains especially valuable to readers of theology, philosophy, and early Christian history.