 Arnauld had a scholarly knowledge of the history of philosophy and theology, and was certainly aware of the important differences among Augustine, Aquinas, and Descartes on such issues as the role of sense perception in human knowledge, the relation of the mind to the body, and the nature of human freedom. But Arnauld wanted to emphasize the continuity of Descartes with the Christian past. Arnauld feared that Descartes’ philosophy would be made into a weapon against the Christian tradition. Emphasizing those elements in Descartes’ philosophy that are in continuity with Augustine and Aquinas was part of Arnauld’s effort to make of Cartesianism an ally, rather than an enemy, of the faith.