Augustine lived from 354-430 and was indisputably the most important theologian in the first millennium of the western church. He shaped the Western Church’s thinking on salvation, the church, baptism, sin, the Trinity, the Christian state, sex – in short, almost everything.For this week's discussion read and post any information about Augustine that you find interestingly significant.
Augustine's teaches that Salvation is not self-help. Because Adam's fallen nature had been transmitted to the people therefore man could not enter into a relationship with God.However, according to Augustine, God intervened in mankind's dilemma through the life, death, and resurrection of the God-Man, Jesus Christ. For him, salvation is a gift of God from first to last. What human beings cannot do for themselves because of sin, God had accomplished through the grace of Christ.
ReplyDeleteSource: http://www.reasons.org/blogs/reflections/theologian-of-grace-st.-augustine-part-8
Augustine condemned PELAGIANISM views which are : (1) Adam died beacuse he was mortal and not because of his sin; (2) there is no original sin ; (3)infants are without sin, as Adam was before his fall; (4) man can live without sin through his own effort.
ReplyDeleteIn his works he wrote thirteen letters from 412 until the end of his life. In his anti-pelagian works he affirmed that (1) Adam had immortality before his fall; (2) original sin is transmitted from Adam to all his descendants; (3) infants needs baptism and remission of sin; (4) the grace of God id sovereign, and the will of man does no to overcome the will of God; (5) every good work of man is the gift of the grace of God; and (6) perfection is not reach in this life- even that saints must confess their sins (John 1:8).
Reference: Douglas, J.D. 1992. Who's who in the Christian history. Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
Augustine condemned PELAGIANISM views which are : (1) Adam died beacuse he was mortal and not because of his sin; (2) there is no original sin ; (3)infants are without sin, as Adam was before his fall; (4) man can live without sin through his own effort.
ReplyDeleteIn his works he wrote thirteen letters from 412 until the end of his life. In his anti-pelagian works he affirmed that (1) Adam had immortality before his fall; (2) original sin is transmitted from Adam to all his descendants; (3) infants needs baptism and remission of sin; (4) the grace of God id sovereign, and the will of man does no to overcome the will of God; (5) every good work of man is the gift of the grace of God; and (6) perfection is not reach in this life- even that saints must confess their sins (John 1:8).
Reference: Douglas, J.D. 1992. Who's who in the Christian history. Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
this is indeed an informative comment towards Augustine. Certainly he was the man who criticize the teaching of Pelagianism. He must have work hard just to reprove the teaching of Pelagianism. Thanks to this info.
Deletethis is informative. however there are those that are not biblical. this is sad about the beliefs of Augustine. good that we already know the truth.
DeleteIndeed, he was able to refute some of the very dangerous false teachings that were destroying the church before. However, he has some teachings or belief that is against to what the Bible is saying. Yes, we must be thankful that we already know the truth and we must continue to know the Word of God and not just listen or depend to what the leaders of the church are saying.
DeleteAugustine made a great contribution in our Christian Doctrine. Because of his contribution, many churches especially those in the West was shaped with the correct teaching of the Scriptures. The way he emphasized the grace of God made me think of how much he experienced this truth in his life.
DeleteAugustine was a prolific writer. He is best known for his Confessions, a personal account of his life, and City of God, written to encourage Christians after the sack of Rome by the Visigoths in A.D. 410. He remains one of the most influential thinkers in history. His ideas of memory and the nature of time formed the framework for our modern understanding of those concepts, including the theological idea that God exists outside of time, in eternity.
ReplyDeleteAugustine, who was himself heavily influenced by the works of Virgil, Cicero, and Aristotle, also exerted an influence on secular philosophers, such as Kierkegaard and Nietzsche. Also, his works strongly affected the ideologies of such church figures as Thomas Aquinas and Bernard of Clairvaux. Later, Reformation leaders such as Martin Luther and John Calvin looked to Augustine for inspiration. Many modern Reformed theologians still look to him as a key source for their own writings. Much of Reformed doctrine, especially in relation to predestination, original sin, the bondage of the will, and efficacious grace, has been attributed to the work of Augustine.
Read more: http://www.gotquestions.org/Saint-Augustine.html#ixzz3MCy6R6OI
i found it interistingly that Augustine holds that continence is best. marital fidelity is good in that it brings lust under control. to have children is a great good so intercourse for purpose of generation is without fault. sex 'for the purpose of lust' is a venial sin, but sex outside of marriage (fornication and adultery) is a moral sin. in the north african capital, carthage, he found sexual temptation irresistible. he fell in love with a girl and have son. but augustine always felt that sex was his defiling passion. it colored his conseptions of sin, and marked the depravity from which he later felt himself rescued by God's grace.
ReplyDeleteanother interisting matter is that augustine rejected the Donatist's view of a pure church. until the day of judgment, he said, the church must be a mixed of multitude. both good and bad people are in it.to support this idea he appealed to Jesus' parable of the wheat and tares (matt. 13:24-30), overlooking the fact that Jesus was not speaking of the church but of the whole world.
and last i found interisting about my reading is that augustine's view about adam's sin that had large consequences. his power to do right has gone. in a word, he died, spiritually- soon,. physically. but he was not alone in his ruin. augustine taught that the whole human race was in Adam and shared his fall. mankind become a mass of corruption, incapable of any good act deserving damnation.
_Shelley, bruce l.2008. church planting in plain language. nashville, tennessee: thomas nelson
The life of Augustine was a testament that man is not saved by works but by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Yes, he has done many things in the name of Christ and has taught battled the heresy of his time but all this happened because he was saved by God. If he is still alive, I believe that he will preached salvation by faith in Jesus Christ.
DeleteSt. Augustine: Saved by Grace
ReplyDelete“The great North African was born on 13 November 354 in Tagaste, a little town in the hill country of Numidia, a region we know as Algeria. His father, Patricius was an easy going heathen; his mother, Monica, an eager Christian. Inspite of their limited resources, the couple was determined to give Augustine the best education available. Thus, he went to school, first near home and then in the North African capital, Carthage. In the capital, he found sexual temptations irresistible. He fell in love with a girl who gave him a son, Adeodatus. They lived together for thirteen years, but Augustine always felt that sex was his defiling passion. It colored his conceptions of sin, and it marked the depravity from which the later felt himself rescued by God’s grace.
He callously separated from his mistress, Adeodatus’ mother, to become engaged to a young woman of wealth and position; but he could not master his passions. He found himself in a whirl of vicious love-making. “There’s nothing so powerful,” he observed, “in drawing the spirit of a man downward as the caresses of a woman. While lliving in Milan, however, Augustine came under the powerful preaching of Bishop Ambrose. He went to church first to study Ambrose’s preachiing style, but before long the message reached his soul. In Ambrose he discovered that Christianity could be both eloquent and intelligent, and that the troublesome stories in the Old Testament could be interpreted as allegories. The final stimulus to Augustine’s conversion seems to have been the personal example of the monks. When a friend told him the story of Anthony and the Egyptian hermits- how they withstood the temptations of the world- Augustine felt a burning sense of shame. How could these unlearned men win such spiritual victories when he, with all his education, knew only defeat? His sense of sin and his powerlessness were profoundly stirred.
Matters came to a head as he walked through his garden in agony. He heard the singsong voice of a child saying, “Take it and read it.” He picked up a New Testament. His eyes fell on the words perfectly suited to his mood:”Not in rioting and drunkenness, not in strife and envying; but put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof”(Rom. 13:13-14 KJV). “Instantly.” Said Augustine, “as I reached the end of this sentence, it was as if the light of peace was poured into my heart, and all the shades of doubt faded away.”On the eve of the following Easter, 387, Augustine, with his son, Adeodatus, and his friend, Alypius, was baptized by Ambrose in Milan. (Shelley, Bruce)
Title: He Could Not Be Justified, Who Had Not Heard of the Name of Christ
ReplyDeleteBut they say: “He is not condemned; because the statement that all sinned in Adam, was not made because of the sin which is derived from one's birth, but because of imitation of him. If, therefore, Adam is said to be the author of all the sins which followed his own, because he was the first sinner of the human race, then how is it that Abel, rather than Christ, is not placed at the head of all the righteous, because he was the first righteous man? But I am not speaking of the case of an infant. I take the instance of a young man, or an old man, who has died in a region where he could not hear of the name of Christ. Well, could such a man have become righteous by nature and free will; or could he not? If they contend that he could, then see what it is to render the cross of Christ of none effect, 1 Corinthians 1:1 to contend that any man without it, can be justified by the law of nature and the power of his will. We may here also say, then is Christ dead in vain Galatians 2:21 forasmuch as all might accomplish so much as this, even if He had never died; and if they should be unrighteous, they would be so because they wished to be, not because they were unable to be righteous. But even though a man could not be justified at all without the grace of Christ, he would absolve him, if he dared, in accordance with his words, to the effect that, if a man were of such a character, because he could not possibly have been of any other, he would be free from all blame”.
Title: Even They Who Were Not Able to Be Justified are Condemned
See what he has said. I, however, affirm that an infant born in a place where it was not possible for him to be admitted to the baptism of Christ, and being overtaken by death, was placed in such circumstances, that is to say, died without the bath of regeneration, because it was not possible for him to be otherwise. He would therefore absolve him, and, in spite of the Lord's sentence, open to him the kingdom of heaven. The apostle, however, does not absolve him, when he says: “By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; by which death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. Romans 5:12”. Rightly, therefore, by virtue of that condemnation which runs throughout the mass, is he not admitted into the kingdom of heaven, although he was not only not a Christian, but was unable to become one.
http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1503.htm
Augustine is a fourth century philosopher whose groundbreaking philosophy infused Christian doctrine with Neoplatonism. He is famous for being an inimitable Catholic theologian and for his agnostic contributions to Western philosophy. He argues that skeptics have no basis for claiming to know that there is no knowledge. In a proof for existence similar to one later made famous by René Descartes, Augustine says, “[Even] If I am mistaken, I am.” He is the first Western philosopher to promote what has come to be called "the argument by analogy" against solipsism: there are bodies external to mine that behave as I behave and that appear to be nourished as mine is nourished; so, by analogy, I am justified in believing that these bodies have a similar mental life to mine. Augustine believes reason to be a uniquely human cognitive capacity that comprehends deductive truths and logical necessity. Additionally, Augustine adopts a subjective view of time and says that time is nothing in reality but exists only in the human mind’s apprehension of reality. He believes that time is not infinite because God “created” it.
ReplyDeleteAugustine tries to reconcile his beliefs about freewill, especially the belief that humans are morally responsible for their actions, with his belief that one’s life is predestined. Though initially optimistic about the ability of humans to behave morally, at the end he is pessimistic, and thinks that original sin makes human moral behavior nearly impossible: if it were not for the rare appearance of an accidental and undeserved Grace of God, humans could not be moral. Augustine’s theological discussion of freewill is relevant to a non-religious discussion regardless of the religious-specific language he uses; one can switch Augustine’s “omnipotent being” and “original sin” explanation of predestination for the present day “biology” explanation of predestination; the latter tendency is apparent in modern slogans such as “biology is destiny.”
Source:
http://www.iep.utm.edu/augustin/
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ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteDuring the first three years of Augustine tenure as bishop of Hippo, he wrote the "Confessions" which is the first autobiography in Western literature. In the book, Augustine describes his early years, from his childhood to the age of fifteen. He admits that as a teenager he preferred hedonism to studying. In book II he speaks of his early pursuit of sexual pleasure. Around the age of sixteen, he gave up studying, chased women, and even became a thief. He moves through three years in book III, to the age of nineteen, when he lives in Carthage. He’s still chasing women, but he has also discovered the Manichean cult. Over the nine years of book IV, he finishes his studies and becomes a published author; one of his publications is a book on Aristotle. In book V, Augustine is twenty-nine years old. He has given up on the Manicheans and his mistress, and he is in Rome, where he has found friendship with Bishop Ambrose. In books VI and VII he describes his spiritual journey, during which he seeks personal happiness. He also considers the nature of evil. He understands God but does not understand Jesus Christ.
ReplyDeleteIn book VIII, Augustine describes his conversion to Christianity. By book IX he is thinking about giving up teaching, and tragedy strikes. Two of his close friends die, followed by the death of his mother, Monica. In book X, he meditates on what will lead him to God and bring happiness in his life. In book XI, he begins to study the Bible in earnest, which allows him to talk about the nature of time. Book XII contains a detailed examination of the first chapter of the book of Genesis, through which he outlines his view of matter. Finally, in book XIII he explains the goodness of God when he created all things. Augustine then reads the first chapter of Genesis in an allegorical manner, and he states that God works to bring happiness to those who are holy.
http://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/augustine/section1.rhtml
Its good and beneficial that Augustine took courage to imposed Biblical teachings and opposed major teachings that are not Biblical too. We have to give him credit for taking the heart to stand out and raised what really the Bible is teaching us. I believe that these are part of God's ways to preserve the truth and to fulfill His redemptive plan for humanity. Augustine's accomplishments are part of what we already have now. He is a blessing to us somehow. Still all glory belong to our Lord Jesus Christ.
ReplyDeleteAugustine's teaching that salvation is by grace is really a great blessing. He teaches that salvation is not something we can achieve on our own selves and it is God who initiates the process of salvation and not men. This is really good to hear. He even disagree with Pelagianism belief for it teaches salvation by merit which is biblically incorrect. Despite many wrong belief that arises, Augustine's belief and teachings are great contributing factors to Christianity. Though the truth now is being distorted and greatly twisted we can thank God for his life and we are able to follow what is right that only Jesus is God's provision for man's sin.
ReplyDeleteaccording to Augustine, God intervened in mankind’s desperate dilemma through the life, death, and resurrection of the God-man, Jesus Christ. For Augustine, salvation is a gift of God’s grace from first to last. What human beings cannot do for themselves because of sin, God has accomplished through the grace of Christ. Historical theologian Alister E. McGrath comments:
ReplyDeleteAugustine held ‘grace’ to be the unmerited or undeserved gift of God, by which God voluntarily breaks the hold of sin upon humanity. Redemption is possible only as a divine gift. It is not something which we can achieve ourselves, but is something which has to be done for us. Thus, Augustine emphasizes that the resources of salvation are located outside of humanity, in God himself. It is God who initiates the process of salvation, not men or women.
www.reasons.org/blog/reflections/theologian-of-grace-st.augustine part 8
Augustine really put much emphasis on his teachings about God's grace and about salvation not through works. He also believe that man was corrupted and very sinful and that it is only by God's grace we can have salvation. Salvation is not our work but God's. He made the initiative to incarnate and redeemed this sinful mankind because of His unmerited or undeserved gift which is His powerful "grace"
DeleteGod never intervened when He sent Jesus for our sins. It was planned long ago before we even existed. It was not an intervention, for me it was a well-designed plan by God to save us from sins by His grace.
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ReplyDeleteMost of the cults' false teaching is about Trinity. they don't believe in one God with three distinct persons and one of them is Arianism. Arianism was founded by Arius whom Augustine didn't agree with, because Augustine had a very strong belief and even teaching in the Trinity. He even explains the Trinity in a mathematical form:
ReplyDeletethe greatness of the father + the greatness of the son = the greatness of the hs.
the greatness of the son + the greatness of the hs = the greatness of the father
the greatness of the father + the greatness of the hs = the greatness of the son
God is the greatest Love
God is the greatest Word
God is the greatest Knowledge.
His formula really shows that He strongly believe in Trinity and this lead the Catholics to be strong also in this teaching, which is very uncommon to the cults. Augustine also agrees that it is not that simple to know God but we can know Him using our own mind. He even said, which I don't agree, "As far as we know God, we are like God.”
Augustine's teaching of the Trinity is significant for me because it really impacts a lot to the history of the church specially to the Roman Catholic Church and I believe that this is for good. Although some of his teachings are against the doctrine, Augustine' life and teaching really made a big impact to the church, adding his teaching about salvation not by works. i also believe that God used this certain man, Augustine for the His preservation of the church.
https://henryimler.wordpress.com/2006/11/16/augustine-and-the-trinity/
History tells that Augustine carried a name in his time by all his writing, his theology and philosophy. Augustine fight against paganism teaching about salvation of man.he used all his writings even in poets. he explain that salvation is not by giving your money and possession to the religious leader to have it. the churches used this teaching to gain money from people. the time come that the Roman empire was attacked and people find refugee they demand answer from Augustine. His answer is the "city of God" He used the term "city of God" the citizen of heaven, that was found in God alone through Jesus. because people are finding hope. he explain that God humble down himself by sending Jesus to have human flesh here on earth, he wanted to teach the boastful leaders that humbleness is what Jesus had done on coming here on earth. not only city of God is being found in his book but the city of earth as well which he aimed to explain both pagan and Christian question about theology.
ReplyDeleteAugustine protect the Christian teaching, he argued distorted philosophy that contradicts the Biblical approach to the city of God teaching. however, leaders misused the city of God to support the Roman Church as a powerful city of God on earth. this claim was propagated and many followers deceived not knowing that it is not what Augustine really means.