Modern English edition · 401 AD
On the Good of Marriage
Augustine's balanced defense of marriage against those who denigrated it. He affirms marriage's goodness while also honoring celibacy, establishing principles that shaped Western Christianity.
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About this book
On the Good of Marriage (De Bono Conjugali), written around 401 AD, is Augustine's defense of marriage against those who disparaged it. Some Christians, influenced by extreme asceticism, were teaching that marriage was sinful or at least spiritually inferior. Augustine responds by affirming marriage as a genuine good while also honoring virginity—a balanced position that became standard in Western Christianity.
Augustine identifies three goods of marriage: offspring (proles), fidelity (fides), and sacrament (sacramentum). Children are the natural fruit of marriage and its obvious purpose. Fidelity means the exclusive sexual relationship between spouses. Sacrament refers to marriage's indissoluble bond, which Augustine sees symbolized in Christian marriage's permanence.
The treatise carefully balances appreciation for marriage with recognition of celibacy's special value. Augustine does not denigrate marriage to exalt virginity. Marriage is good; virginity is better. Both are gifts from God, and neither should be despised. This balance avoids both the extreme of condemning marriage and the opposite extreme of denying any special value to celibacy.
Augustine addresses the sexual dimension of marriage thoughtfully. The sexual relationship within marriage is not sinful—it serves procreation and provides a remedy against temptation. Yet Augustine sees something disordered in sexual desire itself (concupiscence), a consequence of the Fall. Marriage channels this disordered desire toward legitimate ends.
The permanence of marriage receives strong emphasis. Augustine sees Christian marriage as absolutely indissoluble. Even if a spouse commits adultery, remarriage while the spouse lives is forbidden. This strict view became dominant in Western Christianity, though Eastern churches took a somewhat different approach.
For modern readers, Augustine's treatise offers valuable perspective on marriage. His affirmation of marriage's genuine goodness counters any tendency to spiritualize Christianity away from embodied life. His three goods of marriage—children, fidelity, permanence—remain influential in Catholic and some Protestant thought. Even where readers disagree, Augustine's careful reasoning rewards engagement.
About the author
Augustine of Hippo
Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD) was one of the most influential theologians and philosophers in Christian history. Born in Roman North Africa, he pursued a career in rhetoric while experimenting with Manichaeism and later Neoplatonism. His dramatic conversion to Christianity in 386 AD, narrated in his Confessions, followed his encounter with Ambrose of Milan. As Bishop of Hippo from 395 until his death, Augustine produced an enormous body of work addressing theology, philosophy, and ethics. His City of God shaped medieval political thought, while his anti-Pelagian writings established the doctrine of grace that influenced both Catholic and Protestant theology. Augustine's combination of philosophical sophistication and pastoral concern makes his works perennially valuable.
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