英國神學家根頓曾對奧奥古斯丁展開持久的批判。對於根頓責難的重心——奥奧古斯丁承襲了柏拉圖主義對多與物質的貶低——尚未有人給出充足回應。本文論證，在創造論的框架下，奥古斯丁發展出有別於柏拉圖主義的思想，即多並非「一」的對立面，因此肯定「一」並不意味著否定多。同樣，奥古斯丁強調，惡的最終源頭不是身體而是靈魂。在此意義上，奥古斯丁並沒有如根頓指責的那樣貶低多，而是最終肯定了多與物質的價值。

Colin Gunton is known for his sustained criticism of Augustine. No adequate response has yet been made to the heart of his accusation, namely that Augustine adopted the Platonic denigration of “many” and matter. This article will argue, however, that in the framework of creation, Augustine developed a theory that differed profoundly from Platonism. According to this theory, “many” is not the opposite of “one,” and hence the affirmation of “one” does not entail the denial of “many.” In addition, Augustine emphasized that the ultimate source of evil is not the body/matter but the soul. It can thus be argued that Augustine did not despise “many” or matter, as Gunton accused, but actually affirmed their value.