Freedom From Passions in Augustine

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Preface

Augustine of Hippo, one of the most influential figures in Western Christianity, stands out as a landmark in the history of Western philosophy, theology, political and social life. There is a prominent tradition of studies on Augustine and medieval philosophy and theology at the Faculty of Theology of the University of Helsinki. This book, which explores emotions in Augustine’s theological anthropology, was grounded on that tradition. Many professors, research fellows, and friends have contributed to the formation of this book during my doctoral studies. I owe them my deep gratitude.

I would like to express my greatest thanks to my two brilliant supervisors, Professor Simo Knuuttila and Professor Miikka Ruokanen, who gave me countless invaluable directions and meticulous attention. I am very appreciative of their erudition, intelligence, genius, graciousness, and conscientiousness. I will treasure their guidance as the one of the greatest honours in my academic life.

My sincere thanks also extend to Professor Pekka Kärkkäinen, Professor Pauli Annala, Professor Jaana Hallamaa, Professor Risto Saarinen, Professor Ismo Dunderberg and other faculty teachers who offered generous assistance and encouragement over the years. I am greatly indebted to Professor Antoine Lévy, who acted as both an “unofficial supervisor” and my best friend in daily life. I am also grateful to my wonderful Latin tutor Outi Kaltio, my English reviser Kate Moore, and all my research fellows at the faculty, of whom Jason Lepojärvi, Rope Kojonen, Kalle Kuusniemi, Aku Visala, Heidi Zitting, Suvi Saarelainen, Taina Kalliokoski, Janne Nikkinen, Joona Salminen, and Miika Tucker, in particular, deserve to be singled out. In addition, I wish to extend my gratitude to my pre-examiners Professor Wu Tianyue and Dr Timo Nisula.

James Francis, the series editor of “Religions and Discourse”, offered insightful suggestions for improving the text adaptation, and Lucy Melville, Publishing Director at Peter Lang (Oxford), generously helped to prepare ← vii | viii → this monograph for publication. I thank them and the editorial board for accepting this book.

I wish to express my heartfelt gratitude to Mr Donald Woods, my faithful American teacher and friend, who has shown steadfast and admirable passion in his support for my monographic studies, as well as helping me polish the English in this book during the final publication process. I will value his language guidance forever.

I am also deeply indebted to the many other people who offered invaluable support from China and other countries: Professor Fang Weilin (Shu Ye), Professor Paulos Huang, Professor Chen Yongtao, Professor You Bin, Professor Wang Ai’ming; as well as our department members at Sun Yat-sen University, such as Professor Chen Jianhong, Professor Kwak Jun-Hyeok, Professor Qian Jie, Dr Luis C. Rodrigues, Dr Tim Beaumont and Dr Susanne Beiweis, among others. Furthermore, it almost goes without saying that I owe my special thanks and love to my family: my father Gao Hongpu, my mother Xu Fenxia, and my younger sister Gao Rong, who unselfishly offered sustained and powerful support during my studies.

I am grateful to the organisations that have contributed to my research: the Helsinki Studium Catholicum, the Oxford University C. S. Lewis Society, the Confucius Institute (University of Helsinki), the Chinese Alppila Church, the Suomen Kiinalaisten Allianssi, the Education Office of the Embassy of China in Finland, and Sun Yat-sen University (Department of Philosophy at Zhuhai), among others.

Finally, I gratefully acknowledge the support of the Chinese government and the China Scholarship Council, which appointed me to pursue and achieve my PhD degree at one of the most prestigious European universities, the University of Helsinki, and I am also grateful to Sun Yat-sen University, which provides one of the best international platforms for conducting the Sino-Nordic dialogue in China. I hope the co-operation between China and Finland in the field of philosophy and theology will go deeper and broader from now on.

Gao Yuan (高 源)
Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, May 2017 ← viii | 1 →

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Abbreviations

Augustine

Other Authors