Contributor Phineas Upham examines the incident of Saint Augustine’s pear theft in “Confessions,” and Augustine’s conclusions on virtue, sin, and redemption. Read more at http://thoughtsuite.com.

1. Saint Augustine’s Pear Theft
by Phineas Upham

2. Phineas Upham examines the incident of Saint Augustine’s pear theft in
“Confessions,” and Augustine’s conclusions on virtue, sin, and redemption.
The nature of sin and virtue as revealed in Saint Augustine’s confession of the
pear theft, and the confession of the greatness of man’s need of God’s great mercy.
“There was a pear tree near our vineyard laden with fruit, though
attractive in neither color nor taste. To shake the fruit off the tree and
carry off the pears, I and a gang of naughty adolescents set off late at
night after (in our usual pestilential way) we had continued our game in
the streets. We carried off a huge load of pears. But they were not for our
feasts but merely to throw to the pigs,” (p29).
Augustine’s confession of the pear theft is that drop of dew in which one can see
reflected all the colors of Augustine’s demanding concept of sin and virtue. Recounting
his pear theft Saint Augustine analyses what seemed in his youth a comradely escapade,
a youthful prank; and he finds that this pear theft was as significant as the apple theft in
the Garden of Eden. Saint Augustine examines in this act of pear theft his impudence
and his audacity in trying out the liberty of God.
As Adam’s and Eve’s disobedience in The Garden of Eden expresses a restless
desire to be Godlike and gain God’s knowledge of Good and Evil, so Saint Augustine’s
violation, his “sin for its own sake,” expresses a restless desire for God’s Liberty. In this
“maimed liberty” in which he “viciously and perversely imitate[d] my Lord,” Augustine
was “thereby making an assertion of possessing a dim resemblance to omnipotence”
(p32). It is this demonic “imitation of God” that Augustine did “love in that theft.” He
loved the essential audacity of theft, the audacity of the exercise of God’s law-unto-
himselfness and the disregard of spiritual consequence with a callow assumption of
impunity.
Augustine’s rigorous and analytical examination of the nature of his pear theft is
alternated with expressions of pious exhilaration with God, “You alone are worthy of
honor and are glorious for eternity. … Who is to be feared but God alone?” These
alternations make Augustine’s confessions engaging and readable rather than relentless.
Also adding to the liveliness and effectiveness of the pear theft story are Augustine’s
contrary uses of similar words in unlikely juxtaposition, for example “a friendship too
“Saint Augustine’s Pear Theft” by Phineas Upham

3. unfriendly”, and “ashamed not to be shameless”, and “the satiety of your love is
insatiable” (p34).
In these intriguing terms Augustine emphasizes that the theft was for its own
sake and not for pears, “The fruit was beautiful, but was not that which my miserable
soul coveted … My feasting was only on the wickedness which I took pleasure in
enjoying” (p31). Not only was Augustine’s theft not for pears and not only was it an
attempt to displace and assume God’s liberty and omnipotence, but also it was as grave
as any sin. Saint Augustine believes himself more culpable in his pear theft than even
the killer Catiline. For Saint Augustine, unlike Catiline, loved his act of theft: “I loved
my fall… shame for its own sake,” (p29). Although Catiline was generally considered to
embody the principles of evil, wanton cruelty, and unrestrained brutality, Augustine does
not believe it, “No one would commit murder without a motive, merely because he took
pleasure in killing. Who would believe that? … No, not even Catiline himself loved his
crimes…” (p30). Augustine imagines Catiline’s motives to be ambition for honors,
security and wealth, while Augustine considers his own motives to be much more base
and onerous. Augustine is more distressed with his crime because, “My feasting was
only on the wickedness which I took pleasure in enjoying” (p31).
How different this confession from the Old Testament’s Psalm 139 in which a
demanding God is called upon to behold an upright and “wondrously made” man and
his moral achievement, “Do I not hate them [His enemies] with a perfect hatred … see
if there be any wicked way in me.” But Saint Augustine does not find God as
demanding as He is merciful, nor does he find that the progress of a man’s soul requires
achievement as much as submission.
Therefore Saint Augustine considers it ungrateful of God’s mercy to ascribe
“purity” or “innocency” , “virtue” or “strength” to any man for, at best, his uncommitted
sins. “I also attribute to your grace whatever evil acts I have not done. … No one who
considers his frailty would dare to attribute to his own strength his chastity and
innocence …” (p32). In his pious delight in submission to God and in his exhaustive
gratitude for God’s mercy, Augustine confesses, through this sin of theft, all and any sins
“Saint Augustine’s Pear Theft” by Phineas Upham

4. of which we are all potentially guilty, and “he should not mock the healing of a sick man
by the Physician, whose help has kept him from falling sick” (p33). For Saint Augustine,
however, a man has sinned or might have sinned and only in turning towards God and
receiving His mercy is he saved. The pear theft is significant not only in its essential
audacity and in its imitation of God’s liberty, but also and especially for its reflection of
all sin as a turning away from God, and for the worst sin, the love of sinning. For Saint
Augustine, all sin is a turning away from God and all virtue depends on God’s mercy.
Augustine essentially confesses the greatness of man’s need of God’s great mercy.
“Saint Augustine’s Pear Theft” by Phineas Upham

5. About the Author
Phineas Upham graduated from the Wharton School of the University of
Pennsylvania, where he was awarded for his research and served in leading community
service roles. Upham published a successful book in 2002 that was translated into
Mandarin and sold in the US, Europe and China, and has since edited two more. He has
also written a nationally syndicated newspaper column and had his work published in
numerous scholarly journals. Phineas Upham is a frequent contributor to blogs like
Thought Suite.
Phineas Upham currently works as an investor in New York City and San
Francisco, where he has previously worked doing financial research and analysis for a
bulge-bracket investment bank and most recently in macro-economic and technology
investing at a leading hedge fund. Upham's community service involvement includes
serving as a member of the Board of the University of Pennsylvania Museum's Young
Friends, where he led major aspects of its community outreach in West Philadelphia and
was responsible for all graduate student involvement in the Museum. Phineas received his
undergraduate degree with Honors from Harvard University. He is a Term Member at
the Council on Foreign Relations.
“Saint Augustine’s Pear Theft” by Phineas Upham