Augustine on Human Nature Flashcards
What is Original Sin according to Augustine?
The inherited sinful nature of humanity, caused by Adam and Eve’s disobedience. It results in a flawed human will and a tendency towards sin.
What is concupiscence?
The inclination or strong desire towards sin, particularly lust, which distorts human will and desires.
What does caritas mean in Augustine’s theology?
Selfless, generous, and pure love, often associated with divine love (agape).
What is cupiditas?
Selfish love or desire, driven by material or worldly attachments, which Augustine believed led people away from God.
What does divided will mean in Augustine’s thought?
The inner conflict within humans, where the will desires both good (caritas) and evil (cupiditas), but leans towards sin due to Original Sin.
How did Augustine view human nature before the Fall?
Humans were created with free will, rational minds, and lived in harmony with God. They experienced prelapsarian (pre-Fall) innocence, marked by a balance of desires and rationality.
How did Augustine view human nature after the Fall?
Humanity became corrupted by Original Sin, leading to a loss of harmony, a weakened will, and a tendency toward evil.
What role does grace play in Augustine’s theology?
Grace is God’s free and unmerited gift that enables humans to overcome their sinful nature and achieve salvation. Without grace, humans are incapable of being good.
What did Augustine believe about free will after the Fall?
Human free will is weakened but not entirely lost. However, without divine grace, humans will inevitably choose sin.
How did Augustine’s view of human nature differ from Pelagius’?
Pelagius argued that humans have free will and can choose good without divine grace. Augustine disagreed, claiming that human nature is too corrupted by Original Sin and that grace is essential for any good action.
What is predestination in Augustine’s theology?
The belief that God, in his omniscience, has already determined who will be saved (the elect) and who will be damned, based on his grace, not human merit.
How does Augustine’s view of human nature influence Christian ideas on salvation?
It emphasises the necessity of grace, the fallen nature of humanity, and the dependence on divine mercy for salvation, shaping doctrines of Original Sin and justification.
How did Augustine’s early life influence his views on human nature?
Augustine’s youthful indulgence in hedonism and his later conversion to Christianity influenced his pessimistic view of human nature and the struggle with sin.
How did Augustine’s engagement with Manichaeism influence his thinking?
Manichaeism’s belief in a cosmic struggle between good and evil influenced Augustine’s dualistic view of human nature (spirit vs. flesh), though he later rejected its theology.
How did Augustine’s encounter with Neoplatonism shape his ideas?
Neoplatonism, especially the writings of Plotinus, influenced Augustine’s belief in the separation of the physical and spiritual realms, as well as the idea that evil is a lack of good (privation theory).
What is privatio boni in Augustine’s philosophy?
The belief that evil is not a substance but rather the absence or corruption of good.
Why did Augustine reject the idea that God is responsible for evil?
He argued that God is perfectly good, and evil results from human free will and the misuse of that freedom, not from God’s creation.
How did Augustine explain the transmission of Original Sin?
Through concupiscence in sexual reproduction. All humans inherit a sinful nature from Adam and Eve, making them morally flawed from birth.
What is the significance of the Fall in Augustine’s theology?
It marks the moment when human nature became corrupted, resulting in a loss of innocence, distorted desires, and the need for divine grace.
How did Augustine view human society after the Fall?
He sees society as inherently flawed and driven by libido dominandi (the desire to dominate), leading to conflict, injustice, and corruption.
What is Augustine’s distinction between the City of God and the City of Man?
The City of God represents those who live by divine grace and seek eternal life, while the City of Man consists of those who pursue earthly desires and are driven by self-love.
What is the role of baptism in Augustine’s theology?
Baptism cleanses the stain of Original Sin but does not remove the tendency to sin (concupiscence), which remains throughout life.
How does Augustine describe the process of salvation?
Salvation is entirelely dependent on God’s grace, which regenerates the will, enabling humans to desire and do good.
What is the difference between operative grace and cooperative grace in Augustine’s theology?
Operative grace: The initial grace from God that turns the human will toward Him.
Cooperative grace: The grace that works alongside human will once it is turned toward God.
What is massa damnata?
Augustine’s belief that humanity is a “mass of damnation” due to Original Sin, and only a few are saved through God’s grace.
How does Augustine’s view of human nature affect sexual ethics?
He believed that sexual desire is tainted by concupiscence, making even marital sex a reminder of humanity’s fallen nature, though it is permissible for procreation.
How does Augustine’s view of human nature influence Christian teachings on free will?
It emphasises that free will exists but is corrupted, making humans incapable of choosing good without divine grace.
How did Augustine’s views influence later Christian thought?
His ideas on Original Sin, grace, and predestination shaped the theology of figures like Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther, and John Calvin.
What is liberum arbitrium?
Augustine’s term for free will- the human capacity to make choices, which remains after the Fall but is corrupted by sin.
What is Augustine’s view on natural evil?
Natural evil (e.g., disease, natural disasters) is a consequence of the disharmony caused by the Fall, part of the punishment for sin.
What is Augustine’s view on moral evil?
Moral evil stems from human free will and the sinful choices individuals make, which distance them from God.
How did Augustine interpret Genesis in his view of human nature?
He viewed the Genesis story of Adam and Eve as both a literal and allegorical account of humanity’s fall from grace and the origin of human corruption.
How did Pelagius criticise Augustine’s view on human nature?
Pelagius rejected Original Sin, arguing that humans are born innocent and have the capacity for moral perfection through free will.
How did John Hick criticise Augustine’s view of human nature?
Hick argued that Augustine’s doctrine of Original Sin is unjust, as it punishes humanity for Adam’s sin, making salvation dependent on arbitrary grace.
How did Richard Dawkins criticise Augustine’s theology?
Dawkins viewed the doctrine of Original Sin as irrational and unscientific, arguing that it is unjust to blame all humans for an ancient mythological event.
How did Plato’s concept of the Forms influence Augustine’s view of human nature?
Augustine adapted Plato’s idea of the perfect, unchanging Forms,, seeing them as eternal ideas in the mind of God, making God the source of all goodness.
How did Aristotle’s virtue ethics contrast with Augustine’s view of human nature?
Aristotle saw humans as capable of achieving virtue through habituation, while Augustine believed that human nature is fundamentally flawed and incapable of true virtue without grace.
How did Augustine justify the existence of Hell?
He argued that Hell is a just consequence of free will, as God respects human freedom even when it leads to eternal separation.
How did Jean-Jacques Rousseau criticise Augustine’s view of human nature?
Rousseau rejected the idea of Original Sin, believing that humans are inherently good but corrupted by society.
How did David Humecriticise Augustine’s theodicy?
Hume argued that the existence of excessive evil makes the notion of an all-powerful, benevolent God implausible, challenging Augustine’s view of evil as a privation.
Confessions quote
“So overwhelming was the delight I took in the act of theft”
Enchiridion quote
“No one can be delivered from evil except by God’s mercy.”
City of God quote
“The human race, so to speak, a mass of perdition.”
