Final answer:
Augustine highlights the theft of pears from a neighbor's garden as a significant event showcasing his sinful nature. This act, devoid of a justifiable reason, is used to reflect on the irrational nature of sin and human free will. Augustine's confession serves to illustrate the human struggle and the necessity of divine grace in overcoming sin.
Step-by-step explanation:
St. Augustine of Hippo presents his own experiences and sins as evidence of humanity's need for divine grace and the complexities of free will. One particular event that Augustine uses to highlight the depths of his sinful depravity is the theft of pears from a neighbor’s garden. Despite his actions being trivial, Augustine uses this incident to ponder the nature of sin and evil, emphasizing that the theft was committed not out of need or lack, but simply for the pleasure of doing something forbidden. In his confessions, Augustine reflects on this act as one of sheer malice, detached from any justifiable motive, demonstrating the irrational nature of human sin and the inner conflict between the wills that we all experience – one inclined towards good and the other towards sinfulness.
Augustine's thoughts on this subject are subtly woven into a broader theological context where he defends theological orthodoxy against heresies, such as Pelagianism and Manichaeism, and discusses the role of divine grace in salvation. His self-critique through the pear theft is not just personal but also serves a larger purpose to illustrate the inherent struggle between good and evil within each person, a struggle that only divine intervention can ultimately remedy. Augustine's acknowledgment of his past behaviors serves as a shared human experience, evidencing the commonality of this inner battle across humanity.
In championing the need for divine grace, Augustine also makes a case against the deterministic views of the Manicheans, asserting that even in a world deeply marked by original sin, humans retain the capacity for moral choice. His writings suggest that while God's providence is all-encompassing, it does not nullify human agency. Augustine's influential ideas on these subjects not only shaped Christian doctrine for centuries but also continued to raise significant questions for philosophical discourse concerning the nature of time, agency, and free will.