Human Nature

Question 1

Who was St Augustine?

Answer 1

St Augustine of Hippo was a Christian theologian, philosopher and Bishop who lived in the 4th and 5th centuries.

Question 2

Caritas

Answer 2

Caritas is a selfless, outward, generous love.

Question 3

Concordia

Answer 3

Concordia is a relationship that is comfortable, easy and understanding.

Question 4

Cupiditas

Answer 4

Cupiditas is a selfish, inward love of temporary, earthly things.

Question 5

Concupiscence

Answer 5

Concupiscence is not only sexual lust but a lust for the material and the earthly.

Question 6

What does Augustine use to point out the fact that Cupiditas had taken over?

Answer 6

In the City of God, St. Augustine argues that the shame felt over sex is evidence of how Cupiditas has taken us over.

Question 7

What was the relationship with God, pre-lapsarian?

Answer 7

There was harmony between humanity and God. This harmony was seen in the complete obedience of Adam and Eve and the fulfilment of their God-given duties in the world.
For example, naming the animals (Genesis 2:19) and in tilling and keeping the garden (Genesis 2:15).

Question 8

What was the relationship with God, post-lapsarian?

Answer 8

The harmony between God and humanity has broken. Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden and are now separated by an epistemic distance in knowledge from God.

Question 9

What was the relationship with each other humans, pre-lapsarian?

Answer 9

Before the Fall, Adam and Eve’s friend-like relationship was in a state of Concordia, which exemplified the ideal Christian lifestyle.

Question 10

What was the relationship with each other humans, post-lapsarian?

Answer 10

Adam and Eve’s friendship is now marked by jealousy and pain. Augustine believed that women should be ruled by men in the home, despite being no less equal to men.

Question 11

How was sex seen as, pre-lapsarian?

Answer 11

Sexual activity was at the command of the will and purely rational. In City of God, Augustine wrote that, ‘nakedness was not yet shameful, because . . . those members [did not move] without the will’s consent.’

Question 12

How was sex seen as, post-lapsarian?

Answer 12

The rationality of sex is now replaced with concupiscence. In the City of God Augustine says that ‘lust requires for its consummation darkness and secrecy . . . even when he innocently copulates with his wife.”

Question 13

What was free-will like pre-lapsarian?

Answer 13

Humans were made in the image of God, which means that they have the capability to be rational, moral and have free will.

Question 14

What was free-will like post-lapsarian?

Answer 14

Free will is corrupted, humans are now powerless of their fate. Augustine believed in predestination, where specific people will only be saved through salvation.

Question 15

What was the punishment towards women, men and all humans?

Answer 15

Women face painful childbirth, and will be ruled by their husbands.
Men will have to work hard to produce crops and survive.
All humans are now mortal, and will die.

Question 16

Line of Argument for Augustine’s interpretation of Genesis

Answer 16

Augustine’s overall message and the concept of Original Sin can still remain valid even without his literal interpretation of the Genesis account.

Question 17

How does Augustine view the Genesis account?

Answer 17

Augustine believed that Adam and Eve were the first humans who sinned against God by disobeying his command and consuming the forbidden fruit in order to attain knowledge equal to that of God. This act of disobedience resulted in the creation of Original Sin, which all humans now inherit.

Question 18

Why is Augustine’s literalist approach unsatisfactory to a scientific perspective?

Answer 18

It disregards the theory of evolution and the fact that the Garden of Eden cannot be geographically located anywhere on Earth.
Augustine believed that we were ‘all seminally present in the loins of Adam’ which geneticists claim can not be biologically possible.

Question 19

What does textual analysis of Genesis suggest?

Answer 19

A textual analysis of Genesis 1 to 3 suggests that different authors were involved in writing it, which raises doubts about the authenticity of the account.

Question 20

Problem of perfect creation in Genesis

Answer 20

One of the most challenging aspects of the Genesis account is the question of how a perfect world can be subject to sin or any form of evil. Additionally, how did the serpent enter the Garden of Eden if it was a perfect paradise? Many argue that if Adam and Eve were perfectly made by God, they should not have been able to disobey him.

Question 21

What is wrong with science?

Answer 21

Science can be dismissed due to its inconsistencies, such as the Problem of Induction posed by David Hume.
Just because the general belief of society is based on science, it does not necessarily mean it is true. Examples of this in history could be the belief in a geocentric world was known around 380 BCE.

Question 22

How would Fundamentalist interpret the Bible and what supports this view?

Answer 22

Some perspectives, such as fundamentalists argue that the Bible is the inerrant word of God and reject the theory of evolution. Support of this view comes from 2 Timothy which states that ‘God has breathed life into all Scripture.’

Question 23

How could you counter-argue the issue of perfect creation?

Answer 23

Our view on perfection may differ from that of those of the past when the Bible was written.
The Genesis account states that everything was “very good” and not explicitly perfect.
Augustine said perfection was something containing variety and diversity, with different levels of gradation. It would be more appropriate to infer that a perfect world is one of freedom and variety, not pure goodness.

Question 24

How can Augustine’s view on Original Sin and a corrupted human nature still be held without a literalist approach?

Answer 24

Augustine’s view on Original Sin and a corrupted human nature can still be held without a literalist approach, we can see this from the evidence of his observations of himself and society (such as the story about him stealing pears).

Question 25

Where do we see similar ideas of a corrupted human nature?

Answer 25

We see this viewpoint that human nature is drawn towards concupiscence and sin has already been explored by St Paul in his letters to the Romans chapter 7:
‘For I do not do the good that I want to but the evil I do not want is what I do.’
This presents logic in Augustine’s understanding as it has already been explored and noticed by others.