Riki Morohashi

This paper compares and contrasts interpretations of the Augustinian synthesis of Platonic and Christian visions of love by Arendt, Nygren, and Hubbard. Each interpretation reflects its author's philosophical background and perspective: Hannah Arendt’s phenomenology and existentialism; Nygren’s Lutheran theology; and Hubbard’s Catholicism. In Agape and Eros, Nygren presents a genealogy of love from Greek eros to Christian agape, treating Augustine as a central figure in the historical transformation of Christian love. Hubbard, who draws on Catholic presuppositions, disagrees with Nygren, following differing concepts of divine grace, love, and the relationship between men and God. While Arendt and Nygren represent opposite ends of the interpretive spectrum regarding Augustine’s concept of caritas, Hubbard adopts a middle-ground position, drawing on Catholic theological traditions. Unlike Arendt, who highlights the phenomenological self in Augustine’s writings, and Nygren, who emphasizes a theocentric perspective that shifts the focus away from the human self, Hubbard centers on philia to explore the nuances of loving relationships both among humans and between humans and the divine. Finally, the article argues that Augustine’s Caritas accepts desire but re-orders it through divine grace, offering a transformative vision for ethical and communal life.