Doctrinal and Moral Writings

The Enchiridion and Other Treatises

By: Augustine

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

A foundational guide to Christian belief, ethics, and daily life from one of history’s most influential theologians

This modernized edition gathers Augustine’s most practical and widely read shorter works on faith, moral reasoning, and pastoral instruction, presenting them in clear contemporary English for today’s students, pastors, and serious readers of classical Christian thought.

• Complete collection of fifteen doctrinal and moral treatises including The Enchiridion, Augustine’s classic summary of faith, hope, and love

• Modernized from the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series I, Volume 3 for improved readability and smoother contemporary prose

• Covers belief, ethics, and Christian living from catechesis and the Creed to marriage, truthfulness, monastic life, suffering, and death

• Designed for study, teaching, and reference in theology courses, church settings, and personal reading

At the heart of this volume stands The Enchiridion, Augustine’s enduring handbook of Christian teaching, organized around the theological virtues of faith, hope, and love. Written to provide a clear and compact guide to what Christians are to believe and how they are to live, it has shaped theological instruction for centuries.

Several of the included treatises focus on the formation of new believers and the nature of belief itself. On the Catechising of the Uninstructed offers practical guidance on how to explain the faith with clarity and pastoral sensitivity. Treatise on Faith and the Creed and On the Creed: A Sermon to the Catechumens unfold the articles of the Creed as a framework for understanding the central claims of Christian confession. In Concerning Faith of Things Not Seen and On the Profit of Believing, Augustine reflects on trust, testimony, and authority, showing how faith and reason work together in the pursuit of truth.

Moral and ascetical questions receive sustained attention in On Continence, On the Good of Marriage, On Holy Virginity, and On the Good of Widowhood. Here Augustine examines desire, vocation, and the value of different states of life, affirming both the call to devotion and the goodness of marriage within the created order. The ethical problem of truthfulness is addressed directly in On Lying and To Consentius: Against Lying, where he explores whether falsehood can ever be justified.

The remaining works extend Augustine’s teaching into the communal and practical life of the Church. On the Work of Monks considers the relationship between spiritual devotion, labor, and service. On Patience reflects on endurance in suffering, and On Care to be Had for the Dead addresses Christian attitudes toward death, mourning, and remembrance.

This edition revises the classic English translation of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers to improve clarity and flow for modern readers. Archaic language and cumbersome sentence structures have been updated, while the substance and organization of Augustine’s arguments have been carefully retained.

Together, these treatises present a rich portrait of Augustine as theologian, teacher, and pastor, concerned not only with what Christians are to believe, but with how belief shapes character, community, and hope in the ordinary conditions of human life.

This revision was prepared through an AI-assisted process, combining digital tools with traditional editorial work.