Hubertus R Drobner: Love and fear - antitheses and interdependent complements

Augustine faces a fundamental dilemma: On the one hand the new law of love given by Christ supersedes the old law of fear and punishment in the Old Testament. On the other hand, God continues to instil fear on the yet godless in order to convert them.At the same time, according to Stoic philosophy, desire and fear (cupid​itas and timor) remain two of the basic human motivations which are also exploited by the Tempter, the devil.The paper intends to expound how Augustine deals with this threefold complex of amor/dilectio/caritas – cupiditas – timor/terror/minae philosophically, theologically and practically, especially in the pastoral teaching of his sermons.