Augustine

Who: one of the biggest influences on orthodoxy and Catholicism; North African with Christian mother and polytheistic father; started as teacher of rhetoric in Carthage, had son with mistress

What:

• Background: Empire, at the time, was Christian with a split church beset by heresies and organized heretical sects.

• Converted from Manicheanism to Christianity because of mother’s influence (386 C.E.)

• In 395, Bishop of Hippo

• Works include City of God-negated Christianity’s role in the loss of Rome’s power (sacking of Rome in 410) and discussed that Christianity and earthly success were not necessarily compatible

-Christianity is the ideal state; true struggle between earthly pleasure and spiritual purity

-one should have love for God only; there is no value for life on earth, and only God’s city is meaningful

-order is essential so people should follow government, but no capital punishment or torture because government is meant to maintain social order through moral order

-only God knows meaning of events, although Augustine tries to discern purpose

• Popularized doctrine of original sin and asceticism – self-denial of all pleasures

• Augustine sees individuals as children wandering in ignorance capable of reclamation only through the divine mercy that waits eternally for them to turn to it.

• Confessions discusses his struggle with sexual desire and religion; also proclaims the value of the human soul and the importance of its relation with God.

• Sexual abstinence is best because the Fall threw human passion and will out of balance, and sexual desire is a corrupting force and a punishment for original sin; marriage is acceptable but only for procreation

From philosophy book:

• Question of evil is very central- it is the absence of good

• Evil occurs because of the human will valuing things improperly

• Free will meant to do good, and God is not at fault for men’s sin or moral evil

When: 354-430 C.E. and influential for a 1,000 years later Confessions was begun in the year 397 BCE

Where: Roman Empire

Significance: His work influenced western Christianity heavily, especially Catholicism. Stance on abstinence made it one of the highest virtues; congregations expected celibate priests. He probably influenced monasticism with his advocation of asceticism. Augustine was brought up in the literary and philosphical tradition of the classical world and because of him and his assimilation of classical literature and method of Christian training, classical literature survived when the Empire fell. Augustine combines the intellectual tradition of the ancient world and the religious feeling that was characteristic of the Middle Ages.