What is the point of Augustine and the pear tree?

What is the point of Augustine and the pear tree?

The point is, in both instances Augustine is showing that there is an impulse in us to sin—Augustine tells us that “If any part of one of those pears passed my lips, it was the sin that gave it flavor” (II. 6.1)—and that it is something that has to be actively combated.

What did Augustine and his friends do with the pears they stole?

They threw the majority of the pears to some pigs. We could sympathize a bit if Augustine was hungry, or if the pears he stole were the most delicious in town, or if their owner had offended him in some way. But, to steal merely because it’s wrong.

What troubled Augustine about the memory of stealing the pears?

What troubled Augustine about the memory of stealing the pears? he stole what he already had plenty of and had no wish to enjoy, but just to enjoy the theft itself and the sin.

Why does Augustine ask where the beauty was in his theft of the pears?

Why does Augustine ask where the beauty was in his theft of the pears? Augustine says that the fruit was beautiful because God created it. While the fruit was beautiful, he recognizes that his actions were not beautiful because they were motivated by sinful desires.

Is it a sin to steal food if you are starving?

“People, do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy himself when he is starving.” Proverbs 6:30-31. Anti-hunger-group officials who were interviewed agree that no hungry person should be charged for food theft and say that programs supplying food to the hungry are insufficient.

What does Augustine say was his motivation for stealing the fruit?

9-14] Augustine considers the theft of the pears next. What particularly disturbs him about this teenage prank is that he did it out of no other motive than a desire to do wrong. The pears were not stolen for their beauty, their taste, or their nourishment (there were better pears at home), but out of sheer mischief.

Is there a lesson to be taken from Augustine regarding sin and the need for redemption if so put this lesson in your own words?

Is there a lesson to be taken from Augustine regarding sin and the need for redemption? If so, put this lesson in your own word. There is a lesson to be taken because Saint augustine teaches that we are all sinner and no one is perfect.

What is Augustine’s idea of the two loves?

Augustine. “Accordingly, two cities have been formed by two loves: the earthly by the love of self, even to the contempt of God; the heavenly by the love of God, even to the contempt of self.

What is the biblical punishment for stealing?

Exodus 21:16 and Deuteronomy 24:7 apply the same Hebrew word to kidnapping (stealing a man) and demands the death penalty for such a sin. The Hebrew word translated “steal” is more commonly applied to material possessions. Restitution may be demanded, but there is no judicial penalty of death.

What was St.Augustine’s Sin in the Pear Tree?

Augustine’s sin just hopes to be a sin. Where Augustine succeeds, however, is that he does not wallow in his guilt. He does not rest in shame and self-loathing.

Who was St.Augustine and what did he do?

St. Augustine is a monumental figure in the church. His Confessions shaped Christian thinking and devotion for centuries. There is one image that stands out, the story of his theft of the pears.

Why did Jesus throw the pears to the pigs?

The natural law that he should not steal the property of others–this is what pushed him to steal the pears. He took a pear merely to throw it to the pigs, not for the pigs’ sake, but for the sake of his own desire to disobey. He explains the act this way: It was foul, and I loved it. I loved my own undoing.

Why is the story of the Pear Tree important?

Nevertheless, his story of teenage hijincks has been adopted and adapted through the centuries, recited whenever social scientists, philosophers, or poets need to address the topic of guilt or disobedience. Twenty-first-century neurologists have used this story to illustrate the rewards provided by adrenaline-inducing thrills.