RS a level DCT - augustine on human nature

content and evaluation

how does Christianity view humanity?

created by God in his image

“fallen” in nature

redeemable

three things that Genesis 1 shows about human nature

humans have a special relationship with God

dominion

stewardship

three things that Genesis 2 shows about human nature

women made after men

Adam names all the animals so he has dominion

humans are innocent and good

three things from Genesis 3 about human nature pre-fall

humans living in a “state of perfection”

special friendship with each other and God

lived without shame

what is concupiscence

human inclination to sin and be driven by lust, desires and selfishness

three aspects of post-fall human nature

concupiscence

original sin

no free will

what is caritas

agape. an expression of God’s eternal law, a respect and love for mankind. leads to spiritual happiness

what is cupiditas

love of changeable, earthly things. leads to unhappiness

what did Pelagius argue, regarding human nature

humans have the free will to be morally pure if they try to be: “that we are able to do good is of God, but that we actually do it is of ourselves”

people are “educated in evil,” not born with it

quote from Romans 7 about sin

“I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin”

what did society look like pre and post fall?

pre-fall it was harmonious

post-fall people needed a forceful political authority to prevent them from acting on their sinful desires

what was Augustine’s opinion on women

debated whether women were made in imago dei

idealised the image of the virgin Mary as an example for all women

what is earthly peace

the compromise between human’s sinful will which everyone should strive towards

an earthly society must be ruled by force, promoting self-control

what is heavenly peace

a perfect way to live, known after death through the grace of God

what is ecclesia

heavenly society

does Augustine believe in limited election

yes

what is grace

God’s love and mercy which is undeserved by humans

what is summum bonum

the ultimate, greatest good

inspired by Platonic ideas, although for Augustine this is God

how does Augustine think sin is carried down

through intercourse as everyone was seminally present in Adam

why can we now access God’s grace, post-fall?

Jesus’ sacrifice

5 limitations of Augustine’s argument

Barclay argues that we do not have free will for different reasons

arguably no distinctive nature, or other natures exist that are not defined by sin

science shows that not all humans were seminally present in Adam

Irenaean theodicy and evolution suggests humans are moving towards perfection rather than away from it

deterministic

three strengths of Augustine’s argument

gives meaning to Jesus’ sacrifice

realistic and therefore comforting

based in Genesis and Romans

Does Pelagius think sin is a free choice

yes

Why does Pelagius think that humans are not inherently sinful

because then god’s expectations for humans to be moral would be a demand for the impossible

quote from the Catechism of the Catholic Church on original sin

“contracted not committed”

What peace did Augustine argue society needs

earthly peace, which is temporary and falls around material interests

e.g. learning virtues like self control

falls short of heavenly peace

Niebuhr on original sin

the one “empirically verifiable” Christian doctrine

quote from Paul in Ephesians 2 defining grace

a “gift” which we cannot ‘take credit’ for earning

Augustine quote defending God’s justice against double predestination and original sin

“secret yet just judgement of God”

is there a distinctive human nature? give 4 arguments other than Augustine’s

evolution: moving away from the primitive

Rousseau: “man is born free and everywhere is his chains”

Aquinas: naturally good due to synderesis

Pelagius: free will to be good

what does Augustine mean by the fall being a double death

reason human’s are mortal

killed the relationship between God and humans

what does Neoplatonism mean

having roots in Platonic philosophy

what is concordia

the state of human pre-lapsarian human friendship

what does ‘imago dei’ mean

in the image of God

Kant quote on free will in morality

“ought implies can”