Intrepid Lover of Perfect Grace

Intrepid Lover of Perfect Grace provides students and scholars with the first biography of Prosper of Aquitaine (388-455) and the first book-length study in English of this important figure in the history of Christianity. With the death of Augustine in 430, Prosper of Aquitaine quickly emerged as Augustine's defender as the Church debated his teaching on grace. Prosper's significance in the controversy that ensued, his role as Pope Leo's adviser, and his continuation of Jerome's chronicle have long been recognized by historians and theologians. Scholarship exclusively devoted to Prosper, however, has not reflected his importance. While certain aspects of Prosper's life, his individual writings, and connections to Pope Leo and Augustine have been treated at length, a book-length biography until now has eluded the saint. In this valuable contribution to patristics and church history, Alexander Y. Hwang convincingly argues that Prosper's theological development is marked by his understanding of the Church - and his desire to serve and defend it - rather than his relationship to Augustine's doctrines. It was the Church primarily that Prosper sought to serve and defend, not Augustine. Prosper's life and writings are organized chronologically and situated in the dynamic historical, social, religious, and political contexts of fifth-century Gaul and Rome. Hwang considers all of Prosper's writings and the writings of others directly related to him.