Augustine's teaching on human nature.

What is human nature, and how did Augustine explain its corruption by Original Sin?

-Human nature is the set of dispositions humans are born with - how the mind is “naturally,” without cultural influence or socialisation.

-Augustine claims this nature exists but is corrupted by Original Sin. He developed this idea by reflecting on the origin of sin, noticing humans’ natural tendency to sin, and concluded that humanity itself is to blame.

-To explain this, he referred to the Genesis story, since God’s goodness means He wouldn’t create sin.

What was life like before the Fall according to Augustine, especially regarding human rationality and sex?

-The Garden of Eden was perfect, with Adam and Eve in harmony with nature and each other. God told them to multiply, implying a sexual relationship.

-Augustine believed that before the Fall, human rationality perfectly controlled the body, so sex was a purely rational act—not driven by desire.

What happened during the Fall and what were its immediate consequences?

-Adam and Eve disobeyed God and were banished from Eden to this fallen world. This event is called ‘the Fall.’

-After their sin, Eve was told she’d have pain in childbirth, and Adam would have to toil the land to get food.

How does Augustine explain Original Sin and its inheritance?

-Human nature is corrupted by a tendency to do evil due to Adam and Eve’s disobedience. This corruption causes an irresistible desire to sin and is inherited by all humans.

-Augustine said all humans were “seminally present in the loins of Adam,” meaning we existed in him and share his fallen nature.

What are Cupiditas and Caritas in Augustine’s understanding of the human will?

-Augustine said the human will is based on love: Cupiditas is selfish love of earthly things, leading to ignorance and unhappiness; Caritas (Agape) is selfless love of others, expressing God’s will and virtue.

What is concupiscence and why is it important in Augustine’s theory of Original Sin?

-Concupiscence is when bodily desire overpowers reason.

-Augustine thought sexual desire is the clearest example — sexual organs can be active when the mind does not want them to be, showing how desire can overpower rational control.

Why does scientific evidence challenge the idea of the Fall?

-Geneticists argue that genetic diversity proves humanity couldn’t have descended from just two people. Along with evolution evidence, this suggests humans evolved rather than were created.

-Thus, the Adam and Eve story is unscientific.

What was Augustine’s misunderstanding about biological reproduction?

-Augustine admitted procreation was a mystery but claimed all future generations were “in the loins of the father.” He wrongly believed in the homunculus theory—little people inside men—so he thought Adam’s sin infected all humanity biologically, which is false.

How can Augustine’s view on human nature still be defended despite scientific errors?

-Augustine’s idea that human nature is corrupted by Original Sin could still be valid based on his observations of himself and society, like his story about stealing pears.

-He might be wrong about the Fall’s literal truth but right about a corrupted human nature.

What was Pelagius’s criticism of Augustine’s view on human nature?

-Pelagius argued Augustine’s observations reflected his corrupt society, not human nature.

The strong forces towards evil might be from upbringing, “educated in evil,” not inherited sin. He called it “the long habit of doing wrong” that feels like nature.

What modern evidence challenges Augustine’s doctrine of Original Sin?

-Historical and sociological progress challenges Augustine: Martin Luther King said “the arc of the moral universe... bends towards justice,” and Steven Pinker shows violence has decreased.

-If Original Sin caused irresistible temptation, moral behaviour wouldn’t have improved, yet it has.

What is Augustine’s view on exclusivism and the role of grace?

-Augustine’s exclusivism says humans are so corrupted by Original Sin that genuine faith in Jesus is only possible through God’s gift of grace, which predestines some people to be saved as the ‘elect’.

How does Augustine describe grace and election?

-Grace is what saves humans and allows entry to heaven. Election is God choosing who receives grace.

-Grace is a “gift” we cannot earn, meaning salvation isn’t something humans can achieve alone due to Original Sin.

What is predestination according to Augustine and St Paul’s teaching?

-Predestination means our eternal fate—heaven or hell—is fixed.

-Augustine argued that because we cannot save ourselves, God predestines some for heaven and leaves others to damnation (double predestination).

How did Pelagius criticize Augustine’s idea of predestination?

-Pelagius said predestination makes punishment unjust.

-He argued it’s unfair to blame humanity for Adam’s sin and that free will is necessary to make sense of God’s judgment and punishment.

How does Augustine defend predestination and the justice of punishment?

-What problem does Original Sin raise about God’s omnibenevolence, and how does Augustine respond?

-Augustine said humanity is corrupted by Original Sin as a consequence of Adam’s sin, not God’s blame. Thus, punishment and predestination are just, and if people go to hell, it’s deserved.

Why does Augustine say God’s justice might seem unfair but is still just?

-Augustine called God’s judgment “secret yet just” and beyond human understanding.

-He pointed to Psalm 25:10, saying God’s paths are mercy and truth, so God’s grace and justice cannot be unjust or cruel.

What problem does Original Sin raise about God’s omnibenevolence, and how does Augustine respond?

-It seems unfair that innocent beings (like sick children) deserve punishment due to Original Sin, challenging God’s goodness.

-Augustine responded that God’s justice is beyond human understanding and shouldn’t be judged by limited minds.

Why does Pelagius argue that humans must be capable of moral goodness?

-Pelagius says God commands moral actions in the Bible, so humans must have the free will to obey.

-If Original Sin made us unable, trying to be good would be pointless and lead to laziness. God wouldn’t demand what humans cannot do.

What is Pelagius’s conclusion about free will and doing good?

-Pelagius concludes: “We can do good because God gave us free will, but actually doing good is our choice.”

-Humans deserve praise for choosing and doing good, while God is praised for granting free will.

How does Augustine respond to Pelagius regarding free will and good actions?

-Augustine says humans can only will and do good through God’s grace, not by free will alone.

-He cites Paul: “it is God who works in you to will and to act” (Philippians 2:13), meaning good acts come from God’s power, not human power.

Why does Augustine argue that love, not free will, is key to doing good?

-Augustine says good acts come from love, which Paul calls greater than knowledge (linked to free will).

-Since love is a gift from God, our good loving actions actually come from God, not from human free will as Pelagius claims.

What was Pelagius’s response to Augustine’s criticism about divine help?

-Pelagius wrote that humans have free will but are “always assisted by divine help” when choosing good.

-Augustine called this explanation “inadequate” because Pelagius didn’t clarify what divine help means exactly

How does Augustine interpret ‘divine help’ compared to Pelagius?

-Augustine argues biblical evidence shows divine help is God directly intervening in our will, giving us the love needed to do good.

-Pelagius might have meant divine help is just the gift of free will, which Augustine thinks isn’t enough.