On the Spirit and the Letter

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On the Spirit and the Letter is a theological treatise by Augustine of Hippo that examines the relationship between divine grace, the human will, and the proper understanding of the Mosaic Law in the context of early Christian debates on salvation.

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On the Spirit and the Letter canonical 1

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Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Latin prose work
theological treatise
addresses Pelagian controversy NERFINISHED
early Christian debates on grace and free will
author Augustine of Hippo NERFINISHED
circulation medieval Latin theological schools
countryOfOrigin Roman Empire NERFINISHED
doctrinalEmphasis inner renewal by the Holy Spirit
love as fulfillment of the law
priority of grace over human merit
genre Christian doctrine
theology
hasAuthorRole Augustine as Church Father
historicalPeriod late 4th–early 5th century
impact cited in later Catholic and Protestant debates on justification
influenced Western doctrines of grace
includedIn collections of Augustine’s anti-Pelagian works
influencedBy Epistle to the Galatians NERFINISHED
Epistle to the Romans NERFINISHED
Pauline theology NERFINISHED
language Latin
mainTopic Mosaic Law NERFINISHED
divine grace
human will
justification
relationship between law and gospel
role of the Holy Spirit in Christian life
salvation
opposes Pelagian view of human moral self-sufficiency
originalTitle De spiritu et littera NERFINISHED
partOf Augustine’s anti-Pelagian writings NERFINISHED
positionOnFreeWill affirms existence of human free will
teaches that free will is healed and aided by grace
positionOnGrace affirms necessity of divine grace for salvation
denies that human beings can fulfill the law without grace
positionOnLaw argues that the law without the Spirit leads to condemnation
distinguishes letter of the law from spirit of the law
teaches that the Spirit enables fulfillment of the law in love
religiousContext Christianity
scripturalFocus 2 Corinthians 3 NERFINISHED
Romans 7 NERFINISHED
various Pauline epistles
studiedIn Augustinian studies NERFINISHED
historical theology
theologicalTradition Latin patristic theology
Western Christianity NERFINISHED
writtenBy Bishop of Hippo Regius NERFINISHED

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Augustine’s anti-Pelagian writings includesWork On the Spirit and the Letter