Augustine's teachings on human nature

Question 1

Augustine

Answer 1

From Hippo and believed that humans are not good and our own efforts will never let us achieve happiness/perfection we need God

Question 2

Background pluralism

Answer 2

Augustine grew up in an atmosphere of religious and philosophical pluralism that Emperor Constantine established when he converted to Christianity

Question 3

Background Manichees and his old lifestyle

Answer 3

As a young man he followed the thinking of a group called the Manichees who believed the world engaged in cosmic battle between good and evil , He had a mistress and a baby as well as an alcohol addiction.

Question 4

Background plato and plotinus

Answer 4

. A was also very interested in Platos ideas and the thoughts of Plotinus .. particularly how he was ashamed of living in a human body

Question 5

Background St Ambrose

Answer 5

One day he went to hear the teachings of St Ambrose this renewed his interest in Christianity but he still was not entirely convinced .

Question 6

Background Religious experience

Answer 6

His Religious experience A heard the voice of a child saying Take and read on repeat and the child handed him the Bible this changed his life… he became celibate and eventually a Bishop. Furthermore his works were heavily influenced by Romans and Genesis

Question 7

Romans 3

Answer 7

” Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin”
“ There is no one righteous , not even one”
“ This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe “
For Augustine Romans summarises the story of humanity and Christianity

Question 8

Imago Dei

Answer 8

humans are made in the image of God . “so God created mankind in His own image “

Question 9

Eve the temptress

Answer 9

Eve is the cause of the fall , she tempts adam and is responsible for the evil in the world

Question 10

Mary Daly

Answer 10

criticized Augustine’s interpretations of biblical texts, arguing they contributed to the subjugation of women particularly in the western world . She saw Augustine’s theology as reinforcing male dominance and reinforcing patriarchal structures within Western Christianity. Daly believed the traditional Christian view of God as a patriarchal figure was a foundational element of a sexist culture

Question 11

Adam and eve before the fall

Answer 11

lived in a spirit of loving friendship , lived in harmony with other living creatures and most important they lived without sin

Question 12

Concordia

Answer 12

easy , comfortable and understanding relationship that good friends have with one another

Question 13

explained evil

Answer 13

humans misuses free will and thus evil is not the fault of God

Question 14

( after the fall humans are driven by 2 types of love )

Answer 14

Cupiditas -love of earthly and changing things
Caritas - generous love of others leading to spiritual happiness

Question 15

The Fall

Answer 15

adam and eve sinned an it caused seperation between mankind and God

Question 16

original sin

Answer 16

Original sin is the doctrine that all humans are born in a state of sin. Original sin is not an action, but it is part of our nature. Original sin says we are born corrupt, damaged, broken and disharmonious.
It begins with the sin of Adam and Eve, but is now passed on through sexual intercourse down the generations

Question 17

Pelagius

Answer 17

disagreed with augustine - people could live morally , adam had just set a bad example, but it is not one everyone has to follow

Question 18

Grace of God through Jesus

Answer 18

we can be saved from sin via Jesus , Pelagius downplays the role of christ

Question 19

divided human will

Answer 19

people have God given ability to reason and recognise right from wrong but they still do wrong

Question 20

Romans 7

Answer 20

” I do not understand my actions … For I do not do good I want but the evil I do not want is what I do”

Question 21

Cupiditas

Answer 21

is love of earthly impermanent things, selfishness and love of self.

Question 22

Caritas

Answer 22

the Latin version of the Greek word Agape. It means love of others due to virtue as an expression of God’s will.

Question 23

Concupiscence

Answer 23

idea that our natural perfected state has been wounded so that we are not bad but always inclined towards sin.

Question 24

Evolution and human nature

Answer 24

-Evolution seems to suggest that human nature is moving away from the primitive

Question 25

original sin and society

Answer 25

-Humans needed proper authority to control them and their rebellious wills -Only earthly peace can be achieved, this is temporary and based on earthly material interests. We have become corrupt and selfish, and this is a danger to other people. The lack of harmony is a problem for society since we only think of ourselves, and not the needs of the population. St. Augustine argued that we need strong, forceful political leadership to establish boundaries. This would enforce control over human behaviour.

Question 26

Human Nature

Answer 26

the set of dispositions that humans are born with Augustine claims that there is a human nature which is corrupted by original sin.

Question 27

The scientific evidence is against the fall

Answer 27

Geneticists claim that the evidence we have of genetic diversity means that it’s not possible for all of humanity to have descended from two people. This, plus the other evidence for evolution, suggests that we evolved and were not created. The story of Adam and Eve is unscientific.

Question 28

Augustine could be defended

Answer 28

That his views on human nature being corrupted by original sin can still be derived from the evidence of his observations of himself and his society (such as the story about stealing pears). He could still be right that human nature is corrupted by original sin, even if he’s wrong about the Fall being the exact means by which that came to be.

Question 29

Pelagius: Augustine’s observations reflect his society, not human nature.

Answer 29

it might appear that we have strong forces within us that incline us toward evil, Pelagius argues that could simply be because of the way we are raised and it only appears to be our nature because of how thoroughly corrupted we are by our upbringing, which Pelagius refers to as being “educated in evil”.

Question 30

Sex after the Fall

Answer 30

Since the Fall, every act of sex is tainted with lust. Sex is infected with concupiscence, and so the results of sex, children, are also tainted. ‘. . . even infants, not personally in their own life . . . have all broken God’s covenant’.

Question 31

God’s Grace

Answer 31

St. Augustine argued that God's grace allows us to overcome sin and achieve the greatest good.