Augustine 2

Augustine's Teaching on Human Nature

  • Focus on the human will and its condition before the Fall of Man.

The Human Will Before the Fall

  • Examines the state of humanity prior to sin entering the world.

Recap

  • Key Questions:

    • Why did Augustine reject Christianity in his youth?

    • What led him to embrace Neoplatonism?

    • What were the reasons for his eventual conversion to Christianity?

Pelagian Controversy

  • Pelagius's Teachings:

    • Asserted that humans have the freedom to choose between good and evil.

    • Believed sin to be a voluntary act.

    • Jesus serves as a model of how Christians should act, emphasizing human freedom to follow his example.

    • His views maintained that the condemnation of sin is universal.

Augustine's Disagreement with Pelagius

  • Arguments against Pelagius:

    1. Sin's effect on the human will.

    2. Humans are not merely capable of choosing good, but rather are enslaved by sin.

Original Sin

  • Augustine's Position:

    • Humans are inherently enslaved by sin from birth.

    • Original Sin as the condition that everyone is born into and cannot escape alone.

Questions from Genesis 1-3

  • Key Questions to Explore:

    • What was the relationship between God and humans before the Fall?

    • What constituted the first sin?

    • What were the consequences that followed?

Human Will Before the Fall

  • Prelapsarian Condition:

    • Characterized by complete obedience to God and a delight in divine presence.

    • Contrasts sharply with the current postlapsarian condition of humanity.

The Will as Love

  • According to Genesis 1:26-27:

    • Humans are created in God's image, endowed with free will.

    • Free will enables the choice between good and evil.

    • Augustine aligns love with the will, highlighting two forms: cupiditas (earthly love) and caritas (divine love).

    • Both forms are essential; self-love must exist for the capability of loving others and ultimately God.

Sex and Friendship

  • Augustine's Interpretation of Genesis:

    • Suggested Adam and Eve's relationship was one of marriage in paradise.

    • Addressed the controversy of whether marriage was a post-Fall institution to control lust.

    • Asserted that friendship is integral to marital relationships—reproduction and sexual pleasure flow from friendship.

    • Friendship is prioritized above sexual intimacy, reflecting the highest form of human existence.

Friendship vs. Sexual Pleasure

  • Question of Priority:

    • Reflect on why Augustine regarded friendship as superior to sexual pleasure.

Harmony of Will Pre-Fall

  • Experience of sex was without lust; full control of body and desires in balance with will.

  • In the ideal state, procreation would occur purely based on the will, without lust's influence.

Post-Fall Complications

  • Continued Significance of Friendship:

    • Love shared among friends, even in a fallen world, expresses divine love (amor Dei).

    • Friendship becomes complex, filled with challenges.

    • True enjoyment requires a friend; genuine friendship founded in love for Christ endures beyond original sin.

    • Christ's choice of friends exemplifies humility and lack of pride, emphasizing the nature of true friendship.