Augustine's Teaching on Human Nature Flashcards
Augustine
354 AD - 430 AD
Was Augustine before or after Jesus?
After
Was Augustine before or after Aquinas?
Before
Was Augustine religious?
Yes, he was a Christian philosopher
What big idea did Augustine come up with?
The idea of original sin and the Fall
What did Augustine say original sin and the Fall had done to humans?
It has prevented our ability to reason properly
Where was Augustine born?
Thagaste, North Africa
What did Augustine become?
A Manichee
How long did Augustine spend in the cult of Manichees?
9 years
When did Augustine convert to Christianity?
386 AD
What did Augustine believe about the nature of God?
- that he was spiritual, not material
- he was not present in time, space and matter (transcendent)
- he was loving (omnibenevolent)
- he was perfect (immutable)
- he did not need to create humans, for if he needed the love of humans, he wouldn’t be God
- he chose to create humans, giving them free will
Manichaeism beliefs summary
- believed that the universe was a dualistic, cosmic battle between good and evil
- believed everyone had two souls - a good soul and a bad soul, which is why we perform wrong actions, but sometimes good actions
- there isn’t good and bad things in the world, there are just lesser good things. Idea that evil is a privation, e.g., cold is not a thing, but cold is what you get when you take away the heat.
- fails to see that all things have some goodness, due to its dualistic approach
Was Augustine well-educated?
Yes
Why did Augustine travel to Italy?
To teach rhetoric
What was Augustine’s position in the Church?
He was ordained a priest in Hippo and later, became the bishop of Hippo
Around how many sermons did Augustine preach?
Between 6,000 - 10,000 sermons in his lifetime
What was it that Augustine miraculously did?
He miraculously healed an ill man
Who was the doctrine of original sin formulated in large part by?
Augustine
What is Augustine an important figure in?
Western Christianity
Platonism
By using your reason, you work up to knowing God. You can understand him through your cognitive reasoning, which appeals to intellectuals.
What do Pelagians believe?
That we are born a blank canvas with no sin and the God-given ability to be perfect
What do Pelagians believe about infant baptism?
They believe that newborn babies don’t have to be baptised, for they believe that all humans are born a blank slate and have not sinned, so therefore, don’t need to be redeemed.
What was it like before the Fall?
- humans given a unique position
- they are stewards of the Earth
- they have dominion (rule)
- they’re made in God’s image (Imago Dei)
- Adam and Eve were in complete harmony with each other
- harmony with other creatures and with God
- they lived in a loving friendship
- Eve is secondary, but necessary to him for reproduction
Cupiditas
Love of self and selfish needs
Caritas
Generous love for others
What type of love links to lust?
Cupiditas
Where does genuine love come from?
It comes out of both cupiditas (self-love) and caritas (generous love for others) that will result in love for God.
When were humans immortal?
When Adam and Eve were created and before the Fall took place, humans weren’t created to die, but original sin brought this into the world.
Was the Fall a positive or negative event for human relationships with God?
It was a negative event, for it led to a ruined relationship between God and humans.
Was the Fall a positive or negative event for human relationships?
Negative, the relationship between Adam and Eve was ruined, because they once made love out of caritas, and after the Fall, it became out of cupiditas
What did Augustine think it was that led to the Fall?
Pride
What did Original Sin mean for humans?
That they could not return to the perfect relationship with God.