Augustine, Aquinas, and Southwell
zdr351660321
Lecture_Augustine.pptxSaint Augustine of Hippo
Life
Born in 354 C.E. in Thagaste (in what is now Algeria).
His family were part of the influential class, and they and those around Augustine were catechumans (early Christians).
He was educated in Greek and Latin though the traditional pagan educational system.
Around 370 Augustine’s father sent him to Carthage to further his education.
In 372 his first son was born to a woman with whom he had a monogamous relationship until 385 (this sort of relationship was one step below marriage in legal terms, but still an acceptable union in society).
Although perceived as an honorable student during this time, Augustine’s writings reveal that his time in Carthage was one of deep spiritual dissatisfaction.
Sometime during his studies in Carthage, Augustine converted to Manicheaism.
Manicheaism spread rapidly throughout northern Africa and the Middle East during these years, and it was a competitor with Christianity.
Manicheaism taught that there are two great powers: one of good and one of evil.
Augustine was faithful to Manicheaism for nine years, which overlapped with his return to Thagaste.
His mother disapproved of his Manicheaism.
By 380, Augustine was losing his conviction for Manicheaism.
Around 382 he went to Rome, and by 385 he took a post in Milan teaching rhetoric.
He became a dedicated Neoplatonist while in Milan, but he remained dissatisfied with his life.
Conversion
In 386, Augustine, feeling hopeless and despairing, threw himself under a fig tree. There he heard a voice imploring him to read, and so he took up St. Paul’s Epistles and was inspired by the line, “Let us walk honestly as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness.”
He decided to give up his “sensual” life and embrace Christianity. He left his post and took to writing in relative solitude. He wrote to Ambrose (another prominent Christian theologian) and asked for baptism. By 387 he was baptized.
In 388 Augustine returned to Thagaste a changed man. There he continued his writing and studies.
In 391 he, with the help of a friend, established a monastery in Hippo.
Augustine spent the rest of his life in devotional activities and writing.
He died in 430 of an illness, and was canonized by Pope Boniface VIII in 1298.
The Confessions
This work is an autobiographical account of Augustine’s conversion to Christianity.
It is deeply personal and laments an early life of sensuality and incorrect belief.
The Confessions (13 books long) are also an example for others who might convert to Christianity.
It’s emphasis on the faults of Manicheaism suggest a big portion of his intended audience were other Manicheans Augustine personally knew.
Key Theological Ideas
Predestination and free will: Augustine’s writings demonstrate that Jean Calvin did not create the idea of predestination. But Augustine was concerned about the interaction of predestination with free will, believing humans are morally responsible for their actions.
Sacraments: Augustine argued that sacraments must be performed within the scope of the Catholic Church to be effective (likely an argument against the popular Donatist sect). He also insisted upon infant baptism.
Conclusions
Saint Augustine of Hippo was a direct precursor to much Early Modern religious thought. He remains extremely important within Christianity today.
That one of his greatest works is so personal in nature demonstrates the individual undercurrents of Christianity – that despite large institutions, the most privileged aspect of devotion and religious experience is the individual experience.
