Lesson 7 Flashcards
When was Augustine’s Confessions
397 ad
When was Augustine’s City of God
426 AD
When was Council of Orange
529 AD
Who was Augustine of Hippo and what significant contributions did he make to the church?
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* Born in 354 to African Parents
* Baptism delayed in 387
* Lectured in retoric at Carthage
* wrote the Confessions
* prior to his conversion was a follower of the Gnostic religion of Manicheism for 9 years
* learned to appreciate Christianity as an intellectual faith through Ambrose of Milan
* Came to faith by reading Rom 13:13-14 in Milan in 386
* In 396 became bishop of Hippo
* Best known for his writtings: Confessions and The City of God.
* Best known for his opposition to Palagianism
* Did not agree with rebaptism
* Against Pelagianism, developed further his doctrines of the fall and original sin, necessity of grace, predestiantion and perseverance of the elect
What is the significance of Augustine’s City of God?
Two cities within the Roman Empire that were interwined (the City of God - true Christians living according to God’s law, and the City of Man - pagan society), so the sack of Rome was not a disaster. The City of God is alone eternal. Caused the church to focus it’s attention on the heavenly “City of God” and encouraged neglect of the “City of Man”
How did Augustine respond to the Donatist schism in North Africa?
- Church was a mix of believers and unbelievers
- Christ is the chief administer of the sacraments so there is no need for rebaptism, sacraments remained true even if adminstered by unworthy people
- Sacraments brought no benefits to those living outside the fold of the Spirit’s unity and love
Summarize the life and theology of Augustine
- Also known as Saint Augustine, he was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo.
- His writings influenced the development of Western philosophy and Western Christianity, and he is viewed as one of the most important Church Fathers of the Latin Church in the Patristic Period.
- His many important works include The City of God, On Christian Doctrine, and Confessions.
- In his youth he was drawn to the Manichaean faith, and later to the Hellenistic philosophy of Neoplatonism. After his conversion to Christianity and baptism in 386, Augustine developed his own approach to philosophy and theology.
- he helped formulate the doctrine of original sin and made significant contributions to the development of just war theory.
- Augustine tried to talk the Donatists back into the church arguing that the validity of the Sacrements depends: “Not on him to gives them but on what is given and not on him to receives them but on what is received.”
- He was an opponent of Palagious and developed the doctrine of original sin, election, and the need for God’s grace - FIRST - as a prerequisite for faith in Christ.
Describe the spread and theological controversies of Christianity in North Africa
- Donatism = They believed that they were the true church. They focused on moral behavior and they separated themselves from the rest of the Christian Churches. They re-baptised because they believed that the sacriments depended upon the morals of the on administering the sacriments and therefore were not valid outside of the Donatist religion.
They spread throughout the region due to separation from Christian churches and the focus on moral behavior.
Augustine encouraged them to come back into the Christian church. - Manicheism = Believed in a mean God of the OT and a new (grace) God of the NT.
Manicheism appealed to Augustine for approx 9 years.
Manichein spread by appealing to remnant Gnostic religions and by intellectuals such as Augustine - Palagianism = Palagius did not believe in original sin nor that man needs grace before he can accept God. He believed that each person could resist sinning and we are only sinful after we have committed sin.
- All of these heresies spread throughout Africa until the anti-heredical legistlation started in Africa.
Explain Augustine’s view of grace and his battle against Pelagianism and Semi-Pelagianism
- Augustinians believe that human beings are incapable of saving themselves, and that salvation is a work of God’s grace from beginning to end.
- This view is in contrast to Pelagianism and Semi-Pelagianism, which hold that humans have the ability to initiate salvation and/or cooperate with God’s grace.
- Augustine argued that human beings cannot attain righteousness by their own efforts and are totally dependent upon the grace of God.
*Explain Augustine’s response to the Donatists
- He used the retorical, political and legal power to suppress the Donatist church.
- From his point of view, however, this was his attempt to compel the Donatists to come back to the Christian Church.
- It is important to note that he never called for the Donatists to be tortured or executed as heretics.
What was Augustine statement on the Human Will when humans were in a state of Innocence?
Posse Peccare = Able to Sin
Posse Non Peccare = Able not to sin
What was Augustine statement on the Human Will when humans were in a Fallen State?
Non Posse Non Peccare = Unable to not sin
What was Augustine statement on the Human Will when humans were in a State of grace?
a. Posse peccare (able to sin)
b. Posse non peccare (able not to sin)
What was Augustine statement on the Human Will when humans were in a State of Glory?
Non Posse Peccare = Unable to sin
Who were the merchants from Syria that spread gospel to Ethiopia ?
Frumentius, and Aedesius
