Inner Grace: Augustine in the Traditions of Plato and Paul
"Phillip Cary'sInner GraceandOutward Signstogether constitute a fascinating account of how Augustine's Platonism shaped his account of grace, of faith, of language, of sacraments  indeed, of almost everything he ever wrote about.  Cary's discussion was full of surprises for me; the Augustine that emerges is much more strange and much more creative than the Augustine I thought I knew.  Many readers won't like this new Augustine; Cary's treatment will be controversial.  But it is so remarkably original and so thoroughly documented that no Augustine scholar will be able to ignore it." --Nicholas Wolterstorff, Noah Porter Professor Emeritus of Philosophical Theology, Yale University; Senior Fellow, Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture, University of Virginia"Philip Cary's new books,Inner GraceandOutward Signs, are major contributions to scholarship on Augustine. They are also controversial ones, since the upshot of one of his central arguments is that Augustine not only doesn't but can't have any genuine sacramental theology because on his assumptions there can be no intimate and transformative causal connection between material objects and inner states. Cary supports this argument with learning, wit, and intellectual passion. It deserves what it will undoubtedly receive, which is much lively discussion." --Paul J. Griffiths, Duke Divinity School"Cary's study of the Platonic and Pauline roots of the Augustinian theology of grace has expertly clarified Augustine's thinking on grace and has deftly disentangled the rather convoluted movement of its development. Contrary to many Augustine scholars, Cary rightly emphasizes the continued influence of Platonism on Augustine's theology. He offers his readers a thoughtful analysis of where Augustine's doctrine of election went wrong and suggests ways in which various forms of Western and Eastern Christianity have presented corrections to certain factors in Augustine's theology of grace. Cary offers us a fresh, fascinating, and challenging reading of Augustine's later thought." --Roland Teske, Donald J. Schuenke Professor of Philosophy, Marquette University"These two handsome volumes by Phillip Cary complete a trilogy on Augustine's theology...Altogether the trilogy constitutes an energetic and challenging interpretation of Augustinian theology." --Journal of Religion