Augustine Flashcards
Give a brief account of Augustine’s life
He was born to a pagan father, and a Christian mother
Idleness led him into indulgence and sexual adventure
Had a group of friends called ‘the wreckers’- sinful adolescence
Was a Manichaeist- fundamental concept of the duality of light and dark- nothing was his fault and therefore allowed for him to escape responsibility for his sins
He became disillusioned with Manichaeism while studying philosophy in Milan
He repeated his sin, but wrestled with the demands of his flesh (he struggled with celibacy)
He heard a child say ‘pick up and read’, which lead to him reading a passage of the Bible and converting to Christianity
What passage of the Bible lead to Augustine’s conversion?
‘not in riots and drunken parties […] but put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh in its lust’
Define caritas
self-interested will and love of self
Define cupiditas
Good will/ love of God
How did Augustine believe the prelapsarian world was?
No killing or death
Animals were not killed for food, they lived in harmony
Adam and Eve had dominion
Sex wasn’t desirable and purely to reproduce
There was no shame or embarrassment, A + E’s nakedness was a symbol of their purity
A+E lived in full union with God, they freely walked and talked with him, served him without any questions, strong cupiditas
Give some useful quotes from Genesis 1 to describe the prelapsarian world
'God created the heavens and earth' 'God saw that it was good' 'Rule over [...] every other living creature' 'Be fruitful and increase in number' 'God created mankind in his image'
How did Augustine believe the postlapsarian world was?
Adam hid from God and kept secrets
They were ashamed, of their betrayal and nakedness
They were now like God because they knew good from evil
E only has desire for her husband, and her purpose is to have children (a process that God made painful)
A rules over her, and provides food by working hard
They used animal skins for clothing
Give some useful quotes from Genesis 3 to describe the postlapsarian world
‘You will be like God, knowing good from evil’
‘I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid’
‘Your desire will be for your husband and he will rule over you’
‘God banished him’
What happened during the Fall/ what caused it?
The snake tempted Eve to eat from the tree of knowledge, so that they can be like God and know good from evil
They were then punished, and banished from Eden
Child birth was made painful, tensions were formed between the snake’s and the humans offspring, man has to work the land to produce enough food, things now died
Define original sin
A state which refers to the distance and separation between God and humans caused by the Fall
Everyone lives in a state of Original Sin, born with this burden due to being product of concupiscence
Define akrasia
the divided will- the state of mind which someone acts against their better judgement due to weakness/ lack of self-control
Define concupiscence
sexual desire
What Latin phrase for OS did Augustine use?
Peccatum originale
quote from Augustine about the passing of OS
‘Every human was present in Adam’s seed’
What did St Paul believe about human nature?
It is paradoxical. There is an internal battle between how we know we should live and the temptation of sin. He said our good will is weak due to our separation of God
Although we know what is right, we usually choose to sin
