The ''Enchiridion on Faith, Hope and Love'' (also called the ''Manual'' or ''Handbook'') is a compact treatise on Christian piety written by
Augustine of Hippo
Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Af ...
in response to a request by an otherwise unknown person, named Laurentius, shortly after the death of
Saint Jerome
Jerome (; la, Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus; grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος Σωφρόνιος Ἱερώνυμος; – 30 September 420), also known as Jerome of Stridon, was a Christian priest, confessor, theologian, and historian; he is comm ...
in 420. It is intended as a model for Christian instruction or
catechesis
Catechesis (; from Greek: , "instruction by word of mouth", generally "instruction") is basic Christian religious education of children and adults, often from a catechism book. It started as education of converts to Christianity, but as the ...
.
[''The Augustine Catechism: The Enchiridion on Faith, Hope and Charity'' by Saint Augustine, ]Boniface Ramsey
J. Boniface Ramsey (born 6 October 1945) is an American Catholic priest who was ordained in 1973 as a member of the Dominican Order. From 1987 to 1996 Ramsey was a professor at Immaculate Conception Seminary at Seton Hall University.
Life
From 198 ...
, 2008, , p. 9
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
The Apostles' Creed (Latin: ''Symbolum Apostolorum'' or ''Symbolum Apostolicum''), sometimes titled the Apostolic Creed or the Symbol of the Apostles, is a Christian creed or "symbol of faith".
The creed most likely originated in 5th-century Ga ...
, in teaching Christian doctrine and in refuting heresies. Under Hope, he briefly explains the
Lord's Prayer
The Lord's Prayer, also called the Our Father or Pater Noster, is a central Christian prayer which Jesus taught as the way to pray. Two versions of this prayer are recorded in the gospels: a longer form within the Sermon on the Mount in the Gosp ...
as a model of Christian prayer. The final part is a discourse on Christian love.
References
External links
*
Full text of the ''Enchiridion'' at Christian Classics Ethereal Library* {{librivox book , title=The Enchiridion of Augustine , author=Saint AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO
5th-century Christian texts
Works by Augustine of Hippo