St. Augustine_C. Stephen Evans - A History otmodernism-IVP Academic (2018)

Combined Aristotelian knowledge with Neoplatonic metaphysic.
Human knowledge emerges from sense experience.
God's essence cannot be comprehended through human intellect or senses.
We can acknowledge God's existence and some divine actions but rely on mystical contemplation for true knowledge.
Via Negativa (Way of Negation): Describes God without positive language, emphasizing the limits of human comprehension.
Our objective is unity with God, attainable only through divine grace.

Born in Tagaste, North Africa (354-430) to a pagan father and a Christian mother, Monica.
Monica greatly influenced Augustine's faith journey, dying content that her son converted to Christianity.
His studies in Carthage ignited a passion for philosophy through Cicero's works.
Initially adhered to Manichaeism, a dualistic belief system proposing competing divine beings.
- Manichaeism explained evil's existence through two principles, one good and one evil, relying solely on reason.
Ultimately disillusioned with Manichaeism's inability to resolve moral struggles after nine years.
Briefly engaged with Skepticism before succumbing to a life of license and fathering a child.

Chastity imposed by Christianity posed significant hurdles for Augustine’s faith commitment.
In Confessions, he describes a divided heart: wishing for chastity but not ready to commit.
In Milan, impressed by Bishop Ambrose’s sermons, particularly his Neoplatonic integration with Christianity and allegorical interpretations.
Ambrose helped Augustine perceive Christianity's answers to questions posed by Manicheism.
Influenced by Platonic philosophers (likely Plotinus and Porphyry) as he returned to Christianity.

Augustinian conversion described in Confessions, where he hears a child's voice urging him to read the Scriptures.
Interpreting it as divine command, he reads Paul's epistle to the Romans (13:13-14).
This brings Augustine immense conviction regarding the truth of Christianity and its moral demands.
Ultimately ordained as a priest and later bishop in Hippo while producing prolific theological writings.
Key works include Confessions, City of God, and On the Trinity.

Augustine's approach blurs the lines between philosophy and theology.
Works addressing Skepticism: De beata vita (On the Good Life) and Contra academicos (Against the Skeptics).
Emphasizes the significance of valuing knowledge in the pursuit of truth.
Argues true seekers of knowledge must possess the desire to find, contrasting with the argument of knowing without intention.
Famous phrase: "Believe in order to understand."
Responds to Carneades' claim that humans can only attain probability rather than knowledge, asserting knowledge inherently comes with understanding.

Proposes that knowledge of Universals is possible through divine illumination, contrasting with Platonic recollection.
Humans are seen as made in the image of God, allowing some understanding of divine truths.
Sense perception acknowledged as a tool for grasping these truths.

Critiques the dualism of Manichaeism and its influence on the concept of evil.
Defines evil not as a corresponding force to good but as privation (the absence of good).
Creation as a deliberate act of God, out of nothing (ex nihilo), not as a reshaping of preexistent matter.
Posits that matter is created by God, hence considered good, rejecting the inherent evil of physical existence.
God is transcendent yet immanent, reflecting divine nature in the created order.

Ethics are discussed holistically; Augustine does not fit neatly into any one category of modern ethical theory.
Shares an eudaimonistic perspective where happiness is rooted in a relationship with God.
Emphasizes the necessity for love of God as the foundation for all moral actions, encapsulated in the idea: "Love and do what you will."
Critiques human love as disordered when prioritizing material over spiritual.

Engaged in dispute with Pelagius over the nature of original sin and human free will.
Defends the idea that post-Adam humans are naturally inclined to sin without divine grace.
Rejects human rationality as a basis for salvation, affirming that divine intervention is necessary.
Introduced concepts of predestination and the transmission of original sin, complicating the understanding of human nature.

Context of the declining Roman Empire and its impact on perception of Christianity.
In City of God, Augustine responds to critiques attributing Rome's fall to the rise of Christianity.
- Describes a metanarrative of history’s purpose in God’s redemptive plan extending from creation to the eventual fulfillment.
Differentiates between the City of Man (earthly) and the City of God (heavenly), rooted in love for self versus love for God.
Although earthly systems are flawed, they are part of God’s overarching providence.
Advocates for justifiable warfare under specific moral conditions, beginning a dialogue on just war theory.

Considered a pivotal figure bridging ancient philosophy and medieval thought.
Recognized as a saint and doctor of the church, significantly influencing both Catholic and Protestant traditions.
Prominent in discussions of original sin, love, ethics, and the relationship between faith and reason.
Remains relevant in contemporary philosophical debates, with a lasting fusion of Christian thought and Platonic philosophy.