Philosophy of St Augustine of Hippo

"Confession and City of God"

              Augustine had no system in confession--but he did have a stable and coherent Christian outlook. Moreover, he had an unwearied, ardent concern: man's salvation from his hopeless plight, through the gracious action of God's redeeming love. To understand and interpret this was his one endeavor, and to this task he devoted his entire genius. The City of God is the masterpiece of the greatest genius among the Latin Fathers, and the best known and most read of his works, except the confessions. It embodies the results of thirteen years of intellectual labor and study from A.D. 413-426. It is a vindication of Christianity against the attacks of the heathen in view of the sacking of the city of Rome by the barbarians, at a time when the old Graeco-Roman civilization was approaching its downfall, and a new Christian civilization was beginning to rise on its ruins. It is the first attempt at a philosophy of history, under the aspect of two rival cities or communities, the eternal city of God and the perishing city of the world. (http://bible.christiansunite.com/augindex.shtml)

              In Nov 13,354, Augustine was born at Tagaste and Augustine died in Aug.28, 430. Augustine had a one brother and one sister, he seems to have been the only child sent off to be educated ( James O'Donnell https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Augustine). In Tagaste, he studied first in the nearby university town of Madauros and finally at Carthage, the Great city of Roman Africa. After his teaching in Tagaste, he returned to Carthage to teach rhetoric, the premier science for the Roman gentleman, and he was evidently very good at it. While still at Carthage, Augustine wrote a short philosophical book aimed at displaying his own merits and advancing his career. The confessions and The City of God is the best known of St. Augustine. He has probably been the most influential Christian writer, The greatest of the latin Fathers of the Church. During a period in the Roman Empire, Augustine lived in deep decline and Christianity was taking root as the official religion. (http://biography.yourdictionary.com/st-augustine)

Augustine created a theology of the self in The Confessions, and in The City of God he initiates a theology of history. He uncovers a wide-ranging explanation of history that begins with creation itself, moves through the turmoil and upheaval of man-made states the City of the World, and continues to the realization of the kingdom of God (the City of God). In effect, The City of God is a completion of the project he began in The Confessions, where he traced the progress of the self toward completion in God. Likewise, human society finds completion in the realm of God. Along with a theology of history, Augustine seeks to put together a Christian philosophy of society. In other words, he gives the various areas of philosophical inquiry, such as ethics and politics, a unity in the universality of divine revelation. History completes itself in divine law. The philosophers of the past, such as Plato, had all said that a person does not owe full and absolute loyalty to any earthly society, and Augustine rigorously critiques this concept in the light of Christian doctrine.

He states that the Scriptures alone can instruct human beings about the highest good and the highest evil and that without this guidance, human endeavor has no purpose.

              Augustine presents the four essential elements of his philosophy in The City of God: the church, the state, the City of Heaven, and the City of the World. The church is divinely established and leads humankind to eternal goodness, which is God. The state adheres to the virtues of politics and of the mind, formulating a political community. Both of these societies are visible and seek to do good. Mirroring these are two invisible societies: the City of Heaven, for those predestined for salvation, and the City of the World, for those given eternal damnation. This grand design allows Augustine to elaborate his theory of justice, which he says issues from the proper and just sharing of those things necessary for life, just as God freely distributes air, water, and light. Humankind must therefore pursue the City of Heaven to maintain a proper sense of order, which in turn leads to true peace. (http://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/augustine/section2.rhtml)

             In sum, the state is an institution imposed upon fallen man for his temporal benefit, even if the majority of men will not ultimately benefit from it in light of their predestination to damnation.  However, if one can successfully set aside Augustine’s doctrine of predestination, one finds in his writings an enormously valuable descriptive account of the psychology of fallen man, which can take the reader a very great distance toward understanding social interactions among men and nations.  Although the doctrine of predestination is indispensable for understanding Augustine’s theology, its prominence does not preclude one from reaping value from his appraisal of the state of man and his political and social relationships in the fallen “earthly city,” to which all either belong or with which they have unavoidable contact.(http://www.iep.utm.edu/aug-poso/#H4)