Augustine's Teaching on Human Nature Flashcards
What is Augustine’s overall claim?
There is a human nature which is corrupted by original sin.
How does Augustine describe Adam and Eve’s relationship?
Adam and Eve had a harmonious relationship with nature and each other. God commanded them to go forth and multiply, which implies they had a sexual relationship. However, Augustine thought that our rationality must have had perfect control over our bodies before it became corrupted by original sin.
How has human nature been corrupted?
This is due to Adam and Eve disobeying God causing a corruption in their nature which causes an irresistible desire to sin. This corruption has been inherited by every human.
What does Augustine say which depicts the inheritance of corruption?
According to Augustine all humans were ‘seminally present in the loins of Adam’.
What is the definition of cupiditas?
Love of earthly impermanent things, selfishness and love of self. Ignorance and usually unhappiness results from this.
What is as the result of original sin?
The result of original sin is that humanity is massa damnata (the mass of the damned).
What is the definition of caritas?
Caritas is the Latin version of the Greek word Agape. It means love of others due to virtue as an expression of God’s will.
What is the definition of concupiscence?
It is when bodily desire overpowers reason. Augustine thought the most obvious case of this is sexual desire. The sexual organs can be active when the mind does not want them to be and not active when the mind does want them to be.
What is homunculus theory?
Popularised in the sixteenth century, believes that a man contained, in his sexual organs, large numbers of little people.
What did G.K. Chesterton say?
Chesterton agreed with this point, arguing that you could see evidence for original sin ‘in the street’,
Why does Pelagius object to Augustine’s view of human nature?
Pelagius argues that could simply be because of the way we are raised and it only appears to be our nature because of how thoroughly corrupted we are by our upbringing, which Pelagius refers to as being “educated in evil”.
What is Augustine’s exclusivism?
We are so corrupted by original sin that genuine persevering faith in Jesus is only possible with God’s help: his gift of grace, which predestines some people to have and keep faith in Christ and thus be one of the ‘elect’ who will be saved.
What is grace?
Grace is what saves humans and thereby allows them into heaven.
What is election?
Election refers to God’s choosing to grant grace.
What does St Paul refer to grace as?
St Paul calls grace a “gift” which we cannot ‘take credit’ for earning (Ephesians 2:8). That suggests that getting into heaven is not something that human beings have the power to achieve.
What is predestination?
The view that our fate in the afterlife, i.e. whether we will go to heaven or hell, is already unalterably fixed.
Why does Augustine believe in double predestination?
This view of election followed logically from the doctrine of original sin and grace. If we cannot get ourselves into heaven then God has either predestined us for heaven, or he hasn’t and our original sin damns us to hell.
Why does Pelagius disagree with predestination?
Pelagius argued that if we have original sin and are thus completely unable to avoid doing evil, it would surely be unjust for God to punish us for our sinful behaviour. It’s not ethical for all humanity to be blamed for the actions of Adam and Eve.
What is the indefensible of moral responsibility?
People can be responsible for actions committed by others which is of special absurdity in this case since the action occurred before they were even born.
How does Augustine defend God against Pelagius?
Augustine is not actually arguing that God himself blamed all humanity for Adam’s sin, he’s merely pointing out that it was a consequence of Adam’s sin that all future humanity, in Adam’s loins, became infected with original sin. It’s not God’s fault. So, Augustine argues that predestination is not unjust of God, since we are corrupted by original sin and so if we go to hell it is deserved.
What does Psalms 25:10 state about God’s judgement?
‘All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth,’ and concludes: neither can his grace be unjust, nor his justice cruel”.
How is original sin incompatible with omnibenevolence?
It seems unfair and thus incompatible with omnibenevolence to suggest that we deserve punishment for it. Especially when considering cases like a child with cancer, it’s difficult to maintain that a child deserves cancer because it has original sin.
Why does Augustine insist on God’s reasons?
Augustine insists that God’s reasons and justice are beyond our understanding. We should not try to use our limited human minds to judge God.
What contradiction does Pelagius point out within the Bible?
Pelagius points out that the bible is full of cases of God commanding humans to do morally good actions and avoid morally bad actions. It’s difficult to see why God would make these demands if original sin meant that humans did not have the ability to obey those commands.
Why is Augustine’s argument of original sin fatalistic according to Pelagius?
It’s hard to see what the point of even trying to be good is, if we are so corrupted that we are unable, which Pelagius thought led to a fatalistic and lazy attitude towards morality.
What does Philippians 2:13 state about free will?
“For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfil his good purpose”
