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354-430 CE
Christians have stopped being persecuted, are growing in influence
From a middle class family
Had a nagging Christian mother
Educated in the 'Liberal Arts'
Converted to Manichaeism 386 CE
Originally put off Christianity by the poor literature of the scriptures
Left Manichees for various reasons, was inspired by Plotinus (Neoplatonist) and Ambrose (Bishop of Milan)
Taught Rhetoric in Carthage/Rome, held municipal chair of rhetoric in Milan |
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Grammar
Rhetoric
Dialectic
Arithmetic
Music
Geometry
Astronomy or Philosophy |
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Speaking to God (dialogue? monologue?), confessing thoughts/sins, witness/testimony (G. Wills)
Autobiographical but not academic or historical
religious, philosophical, personal search for wisdom.
Inspired by Cicero's 'Hartensius' (exhortation to philosophy) - internal wisdom, pointed him towards Platonism and Christianity |
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Founded by Mani (b. 216 CE)
Universal, missionary religion
Gnostic
Syncretism (reconciliation of multiple points of view)
dualistic (good vs. evil, Gnostic mythology - Demiurge responsible for evil etc)
The 'Elect' knowers of wisdom
Claimed to be the authentic Christians
Criticised the scriptures (literalist interpretation, didn't like the contradictions
Claimed to possess the Truth
Reason > faith/authority
Rejected OT and elements of NT derived from it- influenced by Demiurge
Had both Literature and Liturgy
a Fellowship/community
Ascetic, no procreation (creating more evil matter)
Answered questions for Augustine regarding good/evil etc
Was not the sort of Christianity espoused by his nagging mother |
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| Augustine's disillusionment with Manichaeism |
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Contradicted by contemporary science
Impotence of Good God
Hypocrisy (in asceticism)
Teacher (Faustus) was unable to answer his questions |
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Neoplatonism:
Transcendent spiritual Reality
-countered Manichean materialism
-overcame problems with literalism/anthropomorphism
-evil as the PRIVATION (lack) of good - everything that is is good |
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Educated, eloquent Christian
image of god in man is spiritual, not bodily
evil originates in the will, not matter
allegorical/spiritual/metaphorical exegesis
Use of philosophy (including Neoplatonism)
Quoted from books of the Platonists |
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| Christianity for Augustine |
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Singe minded pursuit
Struggle to give up women ("Give me chastity, but not yet!"
Concubine, mistress, fiancee (waiting to come of age)
conversion meant celibacy
Conversion of will: opened bible randomly to Romans 13:13 (let us behave decently..." - instructions against lax moral standards), took as divine voice. |
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Baptised 382 by Ambrose
388 stuck in Rome due to Meditteranean blockade. Witnessed Monastic lifestyle
390 joined religious community (Thagaste), called themselves 'servants of God'
391 Went to Hippo to speak to a prospective convert. Was detained and forced into Ordination (performed by Valerius) due to the elderly nature of the Bishop there. Resigned himself to it. Established a monastery in the garden of the Basillica
397-401 Writes Confessions |
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397-401 CE
13 Books
1-9 Augustine's conversion: Hartensius (childhood), Manichees, Scepticism, Platonism, Ambrose, St. Paul (converted him) ALL ABOUT HIS CONVERSION OF WILL
11: 'In the Beginning' - commentary on Time and contingency
12: 'God created the heavens and the earth' - commentary
13: 'Seven days of creation' - an allegorical interpretation with regards to the church/sacraments |
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| Why sudden commentary on creation? |
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L.F. Pizzolato - creation as allegorical of conversion/the formation of the converted Augustine
6 ages of man: infancy, childhood, adolescence, youth, middle age, old age
6 days of creation (7th day of rest). CREATION = CONVERSION
Christian doctrine -> creation ex nihilo/journey to God:
Aversion - conversion
Deformation - formation
Outwards - inwards
Created reality - spiritual reality
Life comes from turning to God. We are formed/re-formed (reformed?) when we turn to Him, and are thus remade. If we turn away from Him, we are made less (deformed).
Creation calls us to God, to be formed, which leads us to creation... (cyclical)
Before the fall, we were close to God. Returning to God is greater and fuller than just being close to Him (a happy fall). |
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| Augustine's debt to Neoplatonism |
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Cyclical descent and ascent to Truth (the Form of the Good derives mind (reason), which derives soul, which derives body, which apprehends the soul, which allows it to apprehend the mind, which allows it to apprehend the Form of the Good
Emanation and return narrative
Link between ascent and introversion
Moral and intellectual purification linked
Soul as driver of the body (bodily resurrection)
Cohesion of mind, soul and body - soul drives body, mind regulates soul.
Purpose of life is to return to God
Plotinian ascent in confessions 7.10.16-16.22 - creation-soul-mind-That Which Is. however, completion of ascent required Christ.
Confessions 9.10.23-25: creation-soul-beyond soul-wisdom ascent. Apprehension of God as glimpse of life to come.
Confessions 10.1.1-27.38: Ascent of soul to God, God as revealed through creation. The beauty and order of creation implies God |
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The soul
Memory
Awareness of God and Grace
Analysis of present state
Augustine's flaws
The fall and condemnation/grace |
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Immortal (close to God)
Identified with mind/reason
contains rules/laws/seeds of truth |
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Sense perceptions imprinted from outside
Eternal truths present within (liberal arts (Meno's slave boy), desire for happiness)
A store house/treasury
Forgetfulness and the unconscious
God reveals himself in the memory - we would not search for Him if we did not remember Him. However, he transcends the memory (not totally within it) |
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| Awareness of God and grace |
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| God makes himself known through the beauty of the world. Awareness of God comes from grace |
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| Analysis of present state |
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God requires single-minded devotion (continence)
Everything comes from God (even continence) - "Give what you command and command what you will" |
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food
women
music
light/beauty
scents
curiosity
"lust of the flesh/eyes"
Praise
"the pride of life"
Start to distract him from God, enjoying for their own sake. He is sick and needs to be tended to. |
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Original Sin - we are all guilty and justly condemned
Will is subject to OS, needs Grace to do good.
Grace is an operation of God's love, galvanises our will, turns our love to God |
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| Augustine is preoccupied primarily with the ascent. The fall is discussed in relation to it. (van Fleteren/ Schlabach/Torchia) |
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Didn't do much
Mostly derived from trinitarian Christology
Christ as symbol of God's "victorious and wholly unmerited grace"
Human nature belongs to Son of God, not God
Grace at heart of divine personhood: Christ born with grace, unmerited (human nature). Grace became "so natural to the human form" that there was no room for the "entrance of sin". |
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