Id non culpam, sed poenam esse iudicabam (Confessiones VII 3, 5). Niektóre wątpliwości i refleksje św. Augustyna analizującego źródło zła

• Authors: Waldemar Turek

Title variants

EN

Id non culpam, sed poenam esse iudicabam (Confessions VII 3, 5): some questions and reflections of saint Augustine on the origin of evil

• Languages of publication: PL

Abstracts

EN

In light of the distinction Saint Augustine makes between a committed evil, understood as the result of a mistake in choosing (culpa), and a suffered evil, des­cribed as the effect of a just divine judgment (poena) – a distinction he makes in several texts dealing with the origin of evil – I analyze Augustine’s reflections in the Confessions on his relationship with the unnamed women. He calls the rela­tionship a pactum libidinosi amoris, that is, one aimed at satisfying the passions. The negative moral judgment he passes on this stage of his life is expressed with particular poignancy by the word libido/libidinosus, indicating the passions to which man submits at times. Looking back at his affair with the unnamed woman, he considers the evil committed a culpa; hence one has the impression that he wanted to place the moral responsibility of the evil committed upon himself, thus giving greater witness to the goodness of the merciful God who revealed to him gradually the truth concerning the various phases of his spiritual journey and the pain experienced along the way.

Keywords

PL

culpa; poena; źródło zła; zło czynione; zło doznawane; wolna wola; osąd boski; miłość lubieżna; pakt małżeński

EN

culpa; poena; the origin of evil; evil done (to one); evil endured; free will; divine judgement; libidinous love; the marital covenant

• Publisher: Katolicki Uniwersytet Lubelski Jana Pawła II
• Journal: Vox Patrum
• Year: 2013
• Volume: 59
• Pages: 241-250

Dates

published

2013-01-25

Contributors

author

Waldemar Turek

Identifiers

DOI

10.31743/vp.4028