textbook evaluation of augustine Flashcards
augustine integrated too much manichean theology in his reading of genesis
the manichees believed that the universe was dualistic, there was a cosmic battle between good and evil and individuals were made up of two opposing souls: good, evil.
similarly, Augustine states in the ‘City of God’ “So great a sin was committed that by it the human nature was altered for the worse, and was transmitted also to their posterity , liable to sin and subject to death”.
while augustine does not believe directly in evil (rather it is the privation of good) he affirms, humanity has inherited a broken relationship with god and humans have lost their harmonious state of being. Augustine believed that the will is divided between what humans know they should and shouldn’t do and what they want to do; humans have inherited an innate inclination to turn away from God’s law and turn to sin.
pelagian controversy
pelagius belueved that god has equipped humans with potential (posse), volition (velle) and realisation (esse). these attributes were the building blocks for humans to attain a saintly or even a sinless life. they believed human nature was created by god and embedded in humans so that they could make their own moral decisions
the choices they make are for their own benefit, not gods. individual humans can gain perfection in this life without assistance from god
there is no predestination
there is no original sin
HOWEVER, if a person can gain merit for their own actions, is there a need for a god? does that mean they were not tainted by origional sin? if they were not in need of redemption, why would they need christ?
how does augustine respond to pelagius?
difference between the two: pelagius believed sin and evil were contingent, non necessary facts, augustine argued otherwise.
he argued adams sin is carried through all generations, as we are all humans were ‘seminally present in the loins of Adam’. redemption for the sins we inevitably commit comes from the grace of god. (only the elect)
proof of human will before the fall
We were given STEWARDSHIP in genesis 1:26-7; let us make mankind in our image, accoding to our likeness, and let him have dominion over the fish and the sea.
human body, will and reason are in complete harmony. we have caritas= a selfless generous love of others, an example of agape
proof of human will after the fall
Genesis 1-3, interpreted literally and historically.
after the fall, humans were tainted with concupiscence; uncontrolled desires/sexual lust. adam and eve chose the path of cupiditas (selfish love), and through sex, all of humanity is burdened by original sin
argument against gods omnibenevolence and augustines response:
why would an all loving god condemn humanity for the mistakes of two people?
gods grace; it “not only makes us believe what we ought to love, it makes us love it” (aigustine, on the grace of christ, 13)
god does not owe us his grace, but god was willing to offer it freely to anyone who asked for it; this is possible through the person of jesus christ.
just as the power of evil causes us to do wrong, the power of grace causes us to do good,
augustine had a concept of INTERNAL GRACE, whereby god acts WITHIN the human will, forcing them to do good and avoiding evil (similar to synderesis??) opposite to EXTERNAL GRACE- pelagius, whereby god has given us the faculties to do good and leaves us to make the decision ourselves
IN A WAY, AUGUSTINES IDEA OF GRACE ALIGNS WITH OMNIBENEVOLENCE MORE THAN PELAGIUS
PROBLEM OF GENESIS and why does this mean we cant take it literally
“oh but its unscientific… blah blah”
hick; evil and the god of love; the theory is imbplausibe because it depends on the literal interpretation, and the existence of demons and angels, which there is no proof for.
similarly, dawkins and evolution says its silly
BUTTTTTT
KEITH WARD (religion and creation) thinks that the two creation accpunts come from different tribal stories that have been placed side by side by the editor of genesis. this shows that they were not worried that if taken into account literally, they would be incompatible.
in 1:1-2:4, it shows god rests when creation is complete, whereas in 2:4-3:24, the creation of woman brings the completion of gods work.
nevertheless, it tells us god creates a perfect world with purpose and order, god created the universe ex nihilo. holistically, they tell us enough.
ALSO, G. K. Chesterton agreed with this point, arguing that you could see evidence for original sin ‘in the street’, as did R. Niebuhr who said it was the one ‘empirically verifiable’ Christian doctrine.
