Category: Augustine

The differences between Augustine and Freud on their understanding of what constituted human being’s ability to make independent choices, free will, whether it is consciously or subconsciously points to their influence in psychology. While Augustine focuses on the spiritual and mythical realms that push human beings to act, Freud highlights how their conscious minds direct them to do what is right. The contradicting approaches highlight the essence of understanding why individual choices are connected to the awareness of their environment and repercussions that can emerge from their behaviors and actions. Group thinking and actions tend to be connected to an emotional and psychological appeal that directs the actions and behaviors of people, which influences their character. Augustine focused on the two wills and how free choices can become necessities in a person’s life because they influence their love and understanding of God. Freud’s libido and identification capture the understanding of human behavior when they are faced with different choices that bring gratification and self-identity either as individuals or groups.

Augustine’s understanding of free will showcase his connection with understanding theology and God’s power over his people who are directed to act according to his wish. Augustine’s narrative and argues that the mind commands a person on what they are supposed to do, but it is God’s will that determines their outcome. According to Augustine, the functions of the mind were to ensure that they coordinated body movement and other actions that were brought by free will. ‘The mind commands the hand to move, and it is so easy that one hardly distinguishes the order from its execution (Augustine, 147). From this excerpt, Augustine does not connect the psychological impact used to ensure that the mind controls the body, either consciously or subconsciously. The mind-body dualism is a concept that takes place within the world of the mind, and there are contrasting results to how the body reacts in a chain connection that shows great intrigue.

Freud created a psychological understanding of how the mind of a person works and what influences human behavior when they are faced with varying options. Freud noted that ID was the driving force of all behavior, and it tapped to the conscious mind on what was considered right or wrong. ‘As to the origin of the sense of guilt, the analyst has other views from other psychologists, but even he does not find it easy to give an account of it (Freud, 84). The ability of a person to recognize what they want to do or have done is wrong is connected to the subconscious part of their mind. Therefore, any decision to do something contrary to what is expected shows the ID had contemplated the consequences of the actions. In essence, the ID had created different scenarios of what will occur. In this regard, Freud notes that the ability to commit sin or doing good is wired in an individual as their conscience knows right or wrong, and the consequences of those actions.

The Freudian and Augustine view of free will, conscience, and decision-making show there are psychological influences that determine human action, and they are not spontaneous but deliberate. In this regard, both individuals created different arguments on what constituted to free will and the conflict that emerges when a person wants to make any decision. Augustine noted that there exist two wills in a person, and they were always in conflict with one another where one wants to do good and the other to commit evil. ‘Accordingly, when they note two wills in one person in conflict with each other, let them no more say that two conflicting minds are derived from two rival substances and that two conflicting principles are in contention, one good the other evil’ (Augustine, 149). Through this excerpt, it points to how human beings are controlled by their freewill, which determines whether they will be good or evil. In following the same analogy, Freud notes that the go determines how a person perceives something to be good or bad. ‘What is bad is not often bad at all what is injurious or dangerous to the ego; on the contrary, it may be something which is desirable and enjoyable to the ego’ (Freud, 85). In this excerpt, it points to how the ego, as one of the three determinants of human behavior, affects them to act to its best interest. Therefore, it does not matter whether it is right or wrong; the ego pushes people to act for its benefit because it does not provide the conscience with an option.

The willingness of human beings to do and act according to their status and desires in life shows how they are conditioned by a psychological and emotional undertone whether they act as a group or individuals. ‘In my own case, as I deliberated about serving my Lord God which I had long being disposed to do, the self which was willed to serve was identical with the self which was unwilling’ (Augustine, 148). Augustine notes that his service to God was inhibited by his desires, which pushed him to do what was on his best interest without considering the repercussions of his behaviors. Augustine notes that the ‘self’ had different inclinations, which was directing his thoughts, and it limited his ability to make the right choice. Freud notes that dreams play an effective role in human conduct and how they react to different situations. ‘I had a feeling that I was trying in that way to shift the blame from myself. Psychological treatment could not be held responsible for the persistence of the diphtheritic pain’ (Freud, 137). Through this excerpt, Freud highlights how his status as a psychologist made him misinterpret dreams that were connected to his practice. The unwillingness to accept those results shows that he had allowed his emotional and psychological factors to influence his decisions rather than his experience as a psychologist.

The concept of groupthink shows that Freud had been effective in challenging how the religious factions operate and how they react when they are faced with challenges among them. Most religious decisions were made as a group, and people are conditioned to judge others based on their religious sects. Freud showed that the religious judgments that were made by believers were unsubstantiated because they had no basis for professing one thing and acting contrary to that. ‘Therefore, a religion even if it calls itself the religion of love, must be hard and unloving to those who do not belong to it’ (Freud, 39). According to this excerpt, Freud challenges believers to note that their behaviors and actions towards believers and non-believers determined their status. The identification that emerges from this concept is that believers have the right to judge those whom they deem as unreligious while they take themselves as holy and pious on the eyes of the Lord. These differences were also supported by Augustine, who notes that God offers redemption to those who believe in him despite their status, but they require to have some form of identity. ‘No one who considers his frailty would dare to attribute to his own strength his chastity and innocence so that he has less cause to love you’ (Augustine, 32). Through this excerpt, Augustine challenges those who feel that their strengths and abilities are derived from themselves because they fail to give thanks to the Lord. Therefore, their actions are frail because they lack the power of knowing the importance of God in their lives.

The ability of a person to make a conscious decision is determined by their free will, and it does not matter where it comes from as long as it impacts their behaviors and actions. While Augustine noted that free will was connected to a person’s religious belief and understanding of God, Freud pointed to the power of the conscious and unconscious. The different approaches between Augustine and Freud highlight that they understood how personal identity mattered in determining the cause of action that a person makes in their lives. The psychological influences that determine human behavior showcase that they are part of their conscience when it comes to their decision to do right or wrong. The differences between one’s nature or being are determined by their ability to control their behaviors and actions as it has been presented by Freud and Augustine.

Augustine was a Roman African who lived from 254 – 430 AD, he is renowned as a great theologian, philosopher, and writer. Throughout his life Augustine composed dozens of works, the arguably most influential being Confessions, an autobiography that outlines the spiritual journey Augustine had in his life. Throughout Confessions, Augustine constantly references his relationship with God, and the mysterious and beautiful ways in which one can connect to God. Through analysis of the text it becomes apparent of the strong influence that Neoplatonism had on Augustine’s idea of God. Neoplatonism is a derivation of Platonic philosophy that originated in the 3rd century AD, it was initially developed by Ammonius Saccas and is thought to be influenced by ideals outlined in Gnosticism (early religious ideas that promoted personal spiritual connections over public teachings and traditions), and the Israel ideation of God ‘Yahweh’. This paper argues that Neoplatonic themes molded Augustine’s idea of God, and the significant effect it had on his conversion from a dualist Manichaeism thinker, into a member of Christianity.

Neoplatonism takes a high order on the origin of the human soul. They believe that all human souls emanating from a singular source, which is often referred to as God, the One, Yahweh, etc. In Latin this source is referred to as the anima mundi, which translate to the world soul. Within Confessions Augustine struggles with understanding why and how God stood by when he was an imperfect soul littered with vices. Augustine states “What was it that I delighted in, if not loving and being loved?” (pg. 770). Here Augustine is referring to the insignificance ¬of worldly pleasure in comparison to the eternal joy that is brought by the connection to the eternal source of the soul, God. For what does one love, if not the salvation of all things pure, but instead the vices of the physical body. Augustine then goes on to explain that “There was no path from soul to soul, no luminous links of friendship” (pg. 770). This statement is explaining the world of ego, in comparison to the world of spiritual enlightenment. When one is enthralled in their ego, they perceive other people as either a threat, utility, or some form of pleasure. All of which make for a faulty connection from themselves, to all things that surround them, it becomes ‘me vs. them’ and leaves no room for unity. To be specific, Augustin defines true friendship as “luminous links of friendship”, here the word luminous could be attributed to the formless entity of God that ‘links’ together all things, as well as the moment in which the luminescent luster of God shines from the firmament and into one’s mind. These quotes display a pull from Manichaeism towards Christianity. For Manichaeism believes in a God that embodies a physical entity, one that possesses mass. However, within these quotes what Augustine refers to is much larger than an entity in the form of man, for Augustine is referring to a God that is much more akin to the Anima Mundi. In the article Augustine’s Moulding of the Manichean Idea of God in the Confessions by Therese Fuhrer she states “Augustine has chosen to make his protagonist ‘Augustinus’ develop his own, new account of the ‘one’, omnipotent, create God …. he [Augustine] critiques the Manichaeans and their doctrine…. Their materialist idea of God and the religious practice that corresponds to it” (pg. 532). Here Fuhrer states that Augustine is creating his own depiction of God, which can be said to be true for all who create a connection with God. However, it should be noted of the similarities that Augustine’s God must that of the Neoplatonist’s God. In addition, Fuhrer further explains how Augustine’s God, is contradictory to the beliefs of the Manichaeans.

As you read further into Confessions it becomes clear that Augustine is immensely interested in the source of evil, or wickedness in the world. In book II Augustine speaks of an evening, on his 16th year, where he went to steal pears, from a pear tree. Augustine tosses back and forth attempting to understand why God would allow such discourse to be so apparent in one’s life. Augustine states that “every disordered soul will be its own punishment” (pg 768), here Augustine is acknowledging the idea that the punishment of one’s actions, will be the repercussions they face not only on earth, but within their soul. For if one chooses to not walk with God, then they will never know the feeling of true joy. Augustine then goes onto recognize the lessons learned from this Godless life, he states “I recall my past impurity and the carnal corruptions suffered by my soul, not because I love them, but so that I may love you, my God” (pg 268). This statement shows a moment of great development in Augustine’s spiritual journey, one in which he recognizes that one must suffer immensely, in a life driven by the wants of man, in order to see the light that emanates out of all things in eternity. To put it simply, one must experience darkness, to desire light. Here it can be seen that Augustine recognizes the good in the evil. To be more specific Augustine is beginning to merge good and evil into a singular entity, rather than two separate things. Going back to Augustine’s Moulding of the Manichean Idea of God in the Confessions by Therese Fuhrer, we can see that the Manichaeans viewed good and evil in a dualistic light. Fuhrer states “a ‘cosmic drama’ (this refers to the battle between good and evil) in which two principles or powers struggle against each other” (pg. 533), this is the ideology that Augustine is slowly moving away from. As Augustine sunders from Manichaean beliefs he finds himself once again thinking in a manner akin to that of Neoplatonic ideals. Augustine begins to view evil as the loss of good (a privation of good), yet there is not a point of loss in which good turns to evil. For it is an idea of perception, in which one cannot see the ‘bigger picture’ and sees a small bad, rather than the large good. Just as in Augustine’s midst of suffering, he did not see the road of light that it led him to. This thought process is one of difficult comprehension, for the realm of good exists outside of the realm of space and time in which we are bound. For good exists purely in the heart of God, the eternal now. Within Christianity, good and evil exist in the same manner as Augustine had defined, it is even theorized that Augustine’s answer played in influential role in the development of Christianity’s’.

An intrinsic aspect of Augustine’s Confessions is that it takes on the form of an autobiography, which inevitably points towards a personal experience being told. Neoplatonism was a philosophy, one in which enlightenment was met through philosophical thought. Augustine contradicted this idea and promoted the idea of a personal God, an argument made clear by the very fact he writes of his personal spiritual journey. Furthermore, as Augustine developed these stronger and stronger ideas/answers, he leaned closer towards Christianity. In his treatise On Christian Doctrines Augustine states “Let every good Christian understand that wherever truth may be found, it belongs to his Master”. Here it becomes obvious that Augustine believes that, regardless of how accurate Neoplatonism was, the ideas it obtained belongs to the one true Master, the God of Christianity. In the article Spiritual Exercises in Augustine’s Confessions by Andres G. Nino, Nino explores the practices Augustine followed to walk closer to God. Nino states “Writing his Confessions about himself [Augustine] and the way he found God was a personal endeavor…. Augustine takes off from the ordinary level of attention…” and engages in “’solitary disengagement … an opportunity for self-discovery, emotional catharsis, and encounter with God’” (pg. 90). Here Nino emphasizes the importance of isolation, and silence in order to strengthen one’s connection with God. An aspect that Augustine has learned from the Gnostic traits littered throughout Neoplatonism. Nino goes onto to quote “Augustine ‘wants us to picture life as a way of inquiry … exercised not simply in contemplative interiority but in ecstatic communion with others in the world’” (pg. 91), here Nino is proving Augustine’s indirect dedication to the expansion of Christianity, and the importance to Augustine of that luminous link amongst all individuals, for experiencing it is a pathway to God. Additionally, this statement sheds light on the beginnings of Augustine’s great influence among the people of the time. For his fame as a spiritual preceded him in his later years. This achievement of influence is one spoken of in Confessions when Augustine once again questions God, and asks why he was given the innate ability to be a great and wise orator. This influence begs the question of whether Augustine converted to Christianity or if they met halfway. By this I mean that it is not entirely clear that Augustine had switched to Christianity and began following its Word, or if Augustine himself contributed to the Word. I believe that it is fair to say that each follower of Christianity, deserves a personal relation with God, which in part ties one closely to God, allowing one to respect their own thoughts and follow the Word faithfully. In part, meaning most conversions of faith, carry traits like that of Augustine’s.

Beneath all of the works Augustine had created is a continuous existence of a desired truth, the Word(referring to the word of God). Within Augustine’s Confessions he confronts this truth in text and explains to us, the reader, how he became familiar with the Word. Because of this relationship he establishes it gives the reader and innate ability to view his work in a tremendous hindsight, considering the time of its publication. By this, I have analyzed and concluded that Augustine was tremendously influenced by the ideals expressed in Platonism. Most notably, the transference of God from the Manichaean belief of a physical mass, to the Platonism belief of an eternal word soul that is bound by no physical entity. This, along with many other pivotal eureka moments, propelled Augustine from the word of men to the Word of God within Christianity.

Works Cited

1. Fuhrer, Therese. “Augustine’s Moulding of the Manichaean Idea of God in the ‘Confessions.’” Vigiliae Christianae, vol. 67, no. 5, 2013, pp. 531–547. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/42003526. Accessed 3 Apr. 2020.
2. Niño, Andrés G. “Spiritual Exercises in Augustine’s Confessions.” Journal of Religion and Health, vol. 47, no. 1, 2008, pp. 88–102. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40344425. Accessed 3 Apr. 2020.
3. Puchner, Martin, et al. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. W.W. Norton & Company, 2018.

In the Confessions of Saint Augustine Book VIII begins with an immediate praise and worship to God thanking him for allowing Augustine to be converted. Throughout the book we see a major shift of Augustine’s faith, where all doubt of God’s work has been completely stripped and Augustine is fully ready to be devoted to the Lord. In his confession, it is mentioned that God does have “a spiritual substance”. This means that unlike everything on Earth God is not limited and never will be. Finally realizing this, Augustine is now able to sacrifice not only his ambitions but his desire to marry in order to fully commit to God as well as improve his practices.

For a while Augustine struggled to fully embrace the fact that he wanted to convert to God. When both him and his friend Alypius was visited by an African man named Ponticanius, Ponticanius told them about the officials in the Emperor’s court who’s scrolls caught on fire while reading them. Ponticanius decided to tell his friends that he will be converting to the Lord. His friends decide to support him in this decision, congratulating him. Meanwhile Augustine while hearing this story felt great uncomfort because he is still conflicted in his relationship with God. After Ponticanius visits him, Augustine looks back on his prayers, disgusted by the fact that his desire for lust is what is stopping him from fully committing. He says “ Grant me chastity and continence, but not yet” (145). This shows that Augustine is still fighting between himself ; fighting between his devotion of God and his ambitions.

Clearly upset with his own reactions, Augustine turns to Alypius and shouts “ What is wrong with us?….. Is it because they are ahead of us that we are ashamed to follow?” (146). To where Alypius responds in complete silence. Deciding to cool off, Augustine takes a walk in the garden. Like most, he begins to cry out to God, questioning where he was when he needed him the most. His “madnesses” got so bad to the point where he began not only tear at his clothes but rip his hair and beat himself up. He begins to use a paradox of will to will, mind to body . He indicates that by beating himself up, his body follows the will of his mind even though his own mind does not even obey itself. Augustine begins to get haunted by his inner voice nagging that continued to hold him back asking the daunting question “Do you think you can live without them?” (151). Agustin is then “approached” by Lady Continence who stretched out her hands and embraced him with knowledge. There she talks to him about the many women and men who are virgins. She encourages him to take a chance and put his trust in the Lord for he “will catch you and heal you” (151).

Feeling overcomed, he decided to weep on the bench when suddenly he hears a child’s voice who says “pick up and read, pick up and read” (152). Opening his bible, beginning to read the Book of Paul. As he begins to read his eyes quickly to a passage that says “Not in riots and drunken parties, not in eroticism and indecencies, not in strife and rivalry, but put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provisions for the flesh in its lust” ( Romans 13, 13-14). In this passage Paul encourages those to change the way we live. He begins to go on about human appetite and desire to get what we want. Though these things are not wrong, if not careful these “cravings” can become sinful. We must follow Jesus’ footsteps and not only put our trust in God but put others first.

After reading the text, a great deal of emotions washed upon Augustine, one of these is feeling at peace with himself. After calming down he decided to share everything he went through with his friend Alypius, who also decided to join Augustine in converting. Filled with great joy Augustine decides to tell his mother about his decision for she expressed great joy and triumph. In the end Augustine is fully converted and willing to put all his trust in God as well as give up his desires to marry.

Augustine who is deeply admired today is a prime example that he too is like many of us who battle between faith and desire. Before him converted, he constantly questioned God and went out his way to search for answers on his own despite the nudges that encouraged him to convert in the first place. Today, Augustine is greatly admired for his integrity for his process along the way was genuine and relatable to many.

The word antisemitism means hatred of Jews. The Holocaust, the state-sponsored persecution and murder of European Jews by Nazi Germany between 1933 and 1945, is history’s most extreme example of antisemitism . St. John Chrysostom was born 347 CE in Antioch Syria and died September 14, 407. He was an early church father, biblical interpreter and was known for being the archbishop of Constantinople. Chrysostom is known as a vehement critic of the Jews . Chrysostom was brought to Constantinople after twelve years of priestly service in Syria. John Chrysostom found himself the reluctant victim of an imperial ruse to make him bishop in the greatest city of the empire. St. Augustine was born November 13, 354 in Tagaste, Algeria and died August 28, 430. St. Augustine is also known as Saint Augustine of Hippo and his original Latin name is Aurelius Augustinus. Augustine was a Christian at 33, a priest at 36 and a bishop at 41. Many people are familiar with the biographical sketch of Augustine of Hippo as a sinner turned saint. In his day, Augustine providentially fulfilled the office of prophet. He was hard-pressed but could not keep quiet. Martin Luther was born November 10, 1483, Eisleben, Saxony and died February 18, 1546. He was a German theologian and religious reformer who was the catalyst of the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. Luther precipitated a movement that reformulated certain basic tenets of Christian belief through his words and actions, and resulted in the division of Western Christendom between Roman Catholicism and the new Protestant traditions,. These mainly include Lutherism, Calvinism, The Angelicin communion, the anabaptists and the Antitrinitarians. He is one of the most influential figures in the history of Christianity.

John Chrysostom expresses similar theories to Hilary and Eusebius but with much greater violence. John Chrysostom’s writings on the Jews have been called “the most horrible and violent denunciations of Judaism” to be found in the writings of a Christian theologian. This judgement is based on a series of sermons preached in the city of Antioch where Chrysostom was a presbyter. His eight sermons against the Jews were delivered during his first two years of preaching activity in Antioch. Chrysostom attacks the teachings of Judaism, the way of life and the view of contempory Jews in his writings. This was in comparison to Augustine’s vision of the Jews as a living witness to Christian truth was both original and compared with his attitude toward pageons and non- catholic Christians, uncharacteristically tolerant. Unlike other groups, contemporary Jews had a continuing positive role to play in the story of redemption. Augustine’s struggle is to read the bible led him to a new chronological vision, one that countered the anti-Judaism not only of his Manichaean opponents but also of his own church. The Christian empire that Augustine held, was right to ban paganism and to coerce heretus. The source of ancient Jewish scripture and current Jewish practice and of the church. Accordingly he urged Jews to be left alone. Conceived as a vividly original way to defend Christian ideas about the Old Testament, Augustine’s theological innovation survived the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, and it was ultimately served to protect Jewish lives against the brutality of the medieval crusades. This is compared to Martin Luther who at the beginning of his career, was apparently sympathetic to Jewish resistance to the catholic church. However, Luther expected Jews to convert to Christianity. When they did not convert, he turned violently against them. In the Post-holocaust world, Luther’s anti-Jewish teachings and their use in the Nazi terror needs to be remembered and examined in raw daylight. It is clear that Luther’s anti- Jewish building blocks of his theology cannot be excused or be kept separate from his much celebrated doctrine of Justification or sacramental theology. Luther had to make up his mind to write no more either about the Jews or against them. He since learned that these miserable and accursed people do not cease to lure the Christians. The Lutheran Church called Missouri Synod holds Martin Luther in high esteem for his bold proclamation and clear articulation of the teachings of scripture. It deeply regrets and deplores statements made by Luther which expresses a negative and hostile attitude towards the Jews. In 1983, the Synod adopted an official resolution addressing these statements of Luther and making clear its own position on anti-Semitism.

John Chrysostom, Saint Augustine and Martin Luther all had their own views on Jews. Some parts of their views were similar to each other while some parts were different. John Chrysostom was extremely anti-Jewish. Johns sermons are only a compendium of many of the themes that emerged in the Christian anti- Jewish phenomenon. they have also had an excessive influence on later attitudes towards the Jews. Chrysostom’s amti-Jewish homiles are marked as a crucial moment in the churches polemics against Judaism, but they seem to have exercised an influence which went far beyond any specific occasion or local situation. Chrysostom’s views are similar to Augustine’s. Augustine is quite similar to Chrysostom although he was a bit more lienent towards the Jews at the start. Augustine and his families believed that the jews must be allowed to survive but never to thrive. Their public misery would broadcast their proper punishments for their refusal to recognize the truth of the church claims.

Our underlying problem, according to Augustine, has to do with affection. Our problem is misplaced tenderness. We love the unfit things, or we love the correct stuff in the unsuitable way. For specimen, we wrongly tenderness power, fame, wealth, presence, and many other stuff that are unworthy of our pet. We also fondness stuff that are virtuous of love, such as other individuals, but if we do this in an monstrous air, putting others into a place reserved for God, we become a serious mistake and undermine our own happiness.

If we love God first and first, expect Augustine, this will product itself out in our lives as all of our other loves will turn properly logical. We will still fondness others, the creation, and other excellent things in life, but in the rightful distance and to the rightful extent. So, for those who share Augustine’s credence in God, he would say that in custom to be truly ready we need fitly logical loves, which we can only execute as we hug the heavenly-minded life in deeper ways. “What is a life of happiness? Surely what everyone wants, absolutely everyone without exception. … It is understood to everyone, and if they could all be interrogate in some national tongue whether they invoke to be happy, they would doubtlessly all reply that they do. … Thus all agree that they want to be happy, upright as they would, if questioned, all agree that they poverty to enjoy life, and they guess that a animation of happiness consist of of this luxury. One one pursues it in this passage, another in that, but all are striving for the same goal, satisfaction.’

Revelation is at the center of Augustine’s thought, for it functions in the order of knowledge as fortune functions in the order of action, and right cognition and becoming action are insuperable without revelation and loveliness. Hence at every turn in Augustine we observe that the formal model correspondingly to which he interprets the circle of appearances derive instantaneously from his knowledge of the passage God’s Word works in the circle. So Christian Doctrine is the necessary preliminary to everything else in Augustine. When we respect his view of what we may somewhat whimsically call ‘macrotheology,’ this is especially real.

To hear the relationship between Christianity and society is nothing more and nothing less than to artless the discussion of the relation between competing interpretations of the naturalness of devotion. Human societies that evolve without Christianity differ among themselves helter-skelter the meaning of understanding-acquaintance and the naturalness of reality; but Christianity, wherever it look, cause special maintain on the belie of nations. Civil societies form themselves as the macroscopic revelation of generally held moral code. Taken at this level, Christianity bestow a essentially dissimilar determine of ideas about the nature of the earth and the highway one owned to dwell within it.

“The Confessions of Saint Augustine’ is an autobiography that is divided into 13 books based on his journey into Catholicism. The first nine books are based on his life from birth up until he converted into Catholicism in 368 AD. The last four books are no longer about his life, but rather the interpretation of the Book of Genesis, religious and philosophical issues of memory, time and eternity. St. Augustine was a philosopher before his conversion into the Catholic faith. As a philosopher, he criticized Christianity because he thought it was too simplistic and unintelligent. Although at first he struggled with the existence of God, St. Augustine has become a role model for society today. Augustine focuses on redemption and the creation of God in that all things in the world begin with God. The purpose of this essay is to explore “The Confessions of Saint Augustine”. First, this essay will discuss the life St. Augustine lived prior to his conversion. Next, it will examine why St. Augustine is a great role model for all humanity. Lastly, this paper will shed light on St. Augustine’s understanding of the nature and substance of God.

St. Augustine was born and raised in Thagaste, in Eastern Algeria. Augustine came from a lower class, but with family sacrifices he was able to study and have opportunities that his parents did not have. His father did not practice religion but his mother Monica was a faithful Catholic. She was very influential in his life encouraging him to embrace the Catholic faith and have a good education. At the age of 12, Augustine moved to the town of Madauros where he learned more about Paganism. At the age of 16, when he returned to his home, he learned rhetoric and at this point of his life he encountered the great sin of lust, “Upon his returning home, Augustine was of age to marry, but his parents had nothing arranged, so he began to seek out and indulge in sexual activity outside of marriage” (Gafford, 16). He blames his parents for having committed these sins because they have not arranged a marriage for him. This was his first time encountering this greatest sin within the Bible:

And then he added, ‘It is what comes from inside that defiles you. For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you’. (Mark. 7:20-23)

Augustine admits that he started to sin since he was child, “But my sin was this, that I looked for pleasure, beauty, and truth not in him but in myself and his other creatures, and the search led me instead to pain, confusion and error” (Hipponensis, 20). It is evident that Augustine was looking for pleasure for himself and with others. As a teenager and student, Augustine had desires for sexual adventures and materials items rather than having a relationship with God. His behaviour, especially when he was in the company of his friends, was geared towards committing a sin and behaving in a rebellious manner as opposed to embracing spirituality. An example of this is when Augustine and his friends went to the neighbours home to steal pears from the orchard. The only reason they wanted to steal the pears was because they were more fascinated with committing a crime such as theft:

Yet I lusted to thieve and did it, not compelled by hunger or poverty but because I had my fill of well-doing and was a glutton for evildoing. I stole things of which I already had enough, and of much better quality. And I did not care to enjoy what I stole but took pleasure in the theft and in sin itself. (Hipponensis, 42)

Augustine was not stealing the pears because he was hungry or wanted to provide food to those less fortunate but rather it was a mischievous act to enjoy the pleasures of sin. He committed the act of theft not for necessity but for the act of his own pleasurable desires. Throughout his life he thought about God, which resulted in him becoming a devoted Christian. Augustine looked at events in his life and tried to understand why human beings commit acts of evil and sin. His struggles and sins led him to finding his real truth and bringing him closer to God.

Before his conversion, Augustine felt that if God was the creator of all things and He is good, there should be no evil. Although he struggled with the meaning of the word God, once he found the truth of the word God, it set him free. This devotion to God makes him a great role model for all humanity. Once he embraced his faith in God, he realized that people should contemplate their actions before doing something, “He emphasizes God’s providential plan, and he notes the importance of contemplation, reflection on God, and meeting the needs of the poor” (VanderVeen, Porter 1). Reflecting on God such as showing devotion by going to church, praying and asking for forgiveness is essential in finding one’s truth. St. Augustine also provided assistance to individuals who lived in poverty and in desperate need of help. Helping those who are less fortunate is an excellent example of the great role model he is to society today. There is a connection to St. Augustine and society today because some individuals are only concerned about the material objects around them as opposed to finding their own spiritual truth or path. For St. Augustine, finding his truth in God led him to salvation and a place where he could feel at peace with himself to rejoice and praise God. St Augustine did his best to provide support and assistance to those who needed it. Christianity advocates for an individual to be humble and that one should avoid wealth and power if it is associated with sin. Humility can be viewed as a weakness however; not all weaknesses are negative, “Let the strong and mighty laugh at men like me: let us, the weak and the poor, confess our sins to you (Hipponensis, 72). St. Augustine does not refer to weakness as a negative aspect but rather a positive one. In essence, this weakness is portrayed as a strength that encourages an individual to abstain from sin that encourages power and wealth and to be humble with oneself and those around them. The Beatitudes states, “blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew, 5:5). St. Augustine’s conversion to Christianity was genuine and he realized that God is present in everyone. Finding truth within oneself as did Augustine will benefit and enrich one’s spirituality in the Church. Being compassionate, devoted and dedicated to God, exhibits the qualities to make him an excellent role model to all humanity.

St. Augustine was a philosopher before turning to the Catholic faith. He imagined God “to have the shape of the human flesh” rather than a spiritual entity. It was when he learned the Neoplatonic philosophy that the notion of God was that of a spiritual being. Once St. Augustine had the realization that God is a spiritual being rather that of human form, he became a faithful Catholic and embraced his faith:

My God, you mercy on me even before I had confessed to you; but I now confess that all this was because I tried to find you, not through the understanding of the mind, by which you meant us to be superior to the beasts, but through the sense of the flesh. (Hipponensis, 56)

St. Augustine was only able to think of how things and objects were of a physical form until his conversion. In his early life, as a philosopher, he was only interested in proving theories, meaning that when he searched for answers, he wanted certainty. He later came to realize that the wisdom of God is not a physical one and that the search for God is in oneself as opposed to a human form in the world. St. Augustine struggled with the existence of God. Once he realized that God was not material, but instead He is everywhere and is present everywhere through all things and that God is in the universe. St.Augustine also struggled with the existence of evil and sin and often questioned if everything in God is good than why did evil and sin exist? Through his conversion, he came to understand that God and His wisdom is not in one place at one time but rather He is everywhere, “And while we spoke of the eternal Wisdom, longing for it and straining for it with all the strength of our hearts, for one fleeting instant we reached out and touched it” (Hipponensis, 215). Humanity can affect one’s understanding of everything, however; understanding one’s spirituality can bring forth great wisdom in the understanding of God rather than the general idea of wisdom itself. St. Augustine’s spiritual enlightenment truly helped him understand the nature and substance of God.

In conclusion, “The Confessions of St. Augustine” not only tells the story of Augustine’s sins and desires but focuses on his conversion to becoming a faithful follower of God. St. Augustine uses the word “confession” not only to confess his sins, but to also find his way to praise God. Although doubtful with the notion of God at first, he came to realize that God is within him and was able to find inner peace. St. Augustine’s devotion to God and helping those in need portray him as an excellent role model to all humanity today. If society would take the time to allow spirituality to enter their lives and hearts, less evil and sinful temptations could possibly exist. His philosophical search for the truth in the true meaning of God was pivotal in his conversion. His realization that God is not of human form further proves his understanding of the nature and substance of God. Always searching for justifiable answers may not necessarily be a solution to challenges that one may face today, however, searching for one’s truth and feeling connected to God may guide an individual in finding their own salvation.

Works Cited

1. Augustine of Hippo, and E. B. Pusey. The Confessions of Saint Augustine. Whitaker House, 2019.
2. Barron, Rev Robert. “Joseph and Edith Habiger Endowment For Catholic Studies”. Augustine’s Questions: Why the Augustinian Theology of God Matters Today, University of St. Thomas, 2006. https://www.stthomas.edu/media/catholicstudies/center/habiger/misc/ Barron_spring2006.pdf. Accessed 20 Feb 2019.
3. Gafford II, Joe A. “Tenor of Our Times”. The Life and Conversion of Augustine of Hippo, vol.4, no. 4, Harding University, 2015. https://scholarworks.harding.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi? article=1050&context=tenor. Accessed 19 Feb 2019.
4. Grabowski, J. Stanislaus. St. Augustine and the Presence of God, Catholic University of American, http://cdn.theologicalstudies.net/13/13.3/13.3.2.pdf. Accessed 21 Feb 2019.
5. “Saint Augustine.” Christian Research Institute, Christian Research Institute, 9 Apr. 2009, www.equip.org/articles/saint-augustine/. Accessed 20 Feb 2019.

Augustine believes that God had intended for man to obey God and woman to obey both God and man. He also thought that God intended there to be a hierarchy between body and soul. The soul, being rational, moral and capable of understanding was to be the ruler of the body and govern the spiritual part of a human. Prior to his conversion, Augustine follows the Manicheans beliefs that physical matter is an evil force distracting the pure soul. However, post- conversion, he believes that both body and soul are created by God. Our mind is programmed to direct our body’s actions, but our sexual organs hold a strong weight in how we act. While marital sex is an exception, sex is always linked to a higher desire of pride and power. The mind is superior to the body, however; the body is easily corruptible, particularly with lust. Augustine believes that our sexual organs, therefore our disobedience, can be attributed to Adam and Eve’s passionate acts as after the fall, sexual desire is no longer under the control of human reason. Augustine indicates that as the bodily part of a human submits to the passions and desires, the intellect is then clouded. Augustine believes that all humans, both male and female, act consciously through their given mind and body, with the exception of our genitals; he argues that the nature of original sin is rooted through desire.

Augustine did not think sex was inherently sinful, recognizing that God creates Adam as a male and Eve as a female and therefore he intended for our different sexual organs to serve a divine purpose. Therefore, it is only the lust and desire that makes sex sinful. Augustine takes an interesting approach to Adam and Eve’s sin in the garden, believing the fault lie in sex. The “forbidden fruit” was truly the idea of sex, something that humanity should stray from, but Adam and Eve did not. The image of Eve conceiving and boring children in pain is because sex is sinful and this desired lust brings pain. (Genesis 3:16) Adam and Eve’s original sin infected all humans with this same longing for pride and lust. Thus, sexual desire is an innate human feature, marking the beginning of human disobedience. In our fallen state, our sexual desires, and thus our bodies, are never fully under our control. Augustine attributes sexuality to an interior state where the carnal will (cupiditas) rules over the spiritual will (caritas). He writes “The truth is that disordered lust springs from a perverted will; when lust is pandered to, a habit is formed; when habit is not checked, it hardens into compulsion. And so the two wills fought it out- the old and the new, the one carnal, the other spiritual- and in their struggle tore my soul apart.” (144) Augustine’s carnal will influences sinful actions, while the spiritual will is a self-less love with the notion of being united with God.

Sin is like a cycle of addiction; the pleasure brings upon lust, and the lust leads to pride and the cycle continues with very little guilt, if any at all. The idea that humanity does not feel guilt by lust is our own fault. We are all innately untrustworthy, as the original sin affects all of us because of Adam and Eve. “I thus came to understand from my own experience what I had read, how the flesh lusts against the spirit and the spirit strives against the flesh… I was enduring them against my will rather than acting freely. All the same, the force of habit that fought against me had grown fiercer by my own doing.” (144) Here, Augustine recognizes these cycles as purely our own actions- not those of God. Augustine views conception as an immense moment of pleasure inferring that Adam and Eve would similarly find pleasure in sex. There was no biological change post-Fall, therefore the difference between Pre and Post Fall is solely how we react to pleasure. Therefore, sex is not a sin of pleasure but rather the desire for sinful things, that are always present in us, such as pride,

Throughout Augustine’s childhood, he falls into temptation, discerning the root of his sin as disordered desire. This love and desire is not an attempt of rebellion, but rather the perverted desire to imitate God. It a desire to be in control of one’s body and mind. St. Augustine demonstrates that lust and pride are the ultimate forms of sin. He battles sexual lust and worldly ambition at the center of his persona. Augustine confesses “I had been extremely miserable in adolescence, miserable from its very onset, and as I prayed to you for the gift of chastity I had even pleased, “Give me chastity and self-control, but please not yet.” I was afraid you might hear me immediately and heal me forthwith of the morbid lust which I was more anxious to satisfy than to snuff out.” (149) While Augustine’s sexual impulses were a great source of anxiety to him, he still battles greatly in order to remove them from his life. The only way for him to overcome these desires is through the power of God; his conversion serves as a sense of ripping his habits away from him. Augustine begins the journey away from carnal indulgence and worldly ambitions to his conversion in being a Catholic, like his mother Monica.

Lust, in itself, is a disordered desire that humanity struggles to control. Pride disorders our desires, as Augustine claims “From the mud of my fleshly desires and my erupting puberty body belched out murky clouds that obscured and darkened my heart until I could not distinguish the calm light of love from the fog of lust.” (33) This lust causes humanity to lose sight of what is truly important; this happiness can only be found through loving God. After the Fall in Eden, we are geared towards seeking this love in others, opposed to just God, for our own pleasure. With this mindset, our will is weakened as we fall into lustful passions, experience, and pleasure- bringing us to sin. While receiving pleasure is often the soul’s justification for the sin, the sin of sex is really just the pride. However, humans tend to believe that the pleasure is an immanent virtue. These pleasures extend beyond just sex, including eating, drinking, power, and more. However, these desires can all be limited and controlled. In comparison, during the act of sex, humans strive for an ultimate end goal: an orgasm. This orgasm is not a matter of having control, as biologically, it is something to be achieved and will happen without one wanting it to.

Throughout Confessions, Augustine attributes his sexual impulses to images of disorder, pain, and discomfort. Holding such a negative perspective on the entailments of lust influence his definition of original sin. Augustine slowly began to see, after his conversion, the beauty of chastity alongside Christ. Augustine uses the creation story of Adam and Eve to amplify that the desire for pride and lust, through sex, is an inherent feature in us all. The action itself is not sinful, but rather the desire to gain something greater- something we can achieve through God himself.

In this paper I will discuss St. Augustine’s argument against suicide, a Calvinist’s view of suicide, as well as my own view of suicide, which is the Arminian view. Suicide, even if it is for saving our honour, is a sin because the Bible says, “Thou shalt not murder”, and that includes yourself.

Suicide is the act of ending one’s own life, but it gets much more complex than that. So complex that we are only able to judge from a biblical perspective. People sometimes commit suicide as a way to escape pain, suffering, or depression. Suicide accounts for two percent of all deaths in America. Essentially, it is caused by the division of the will.

St. Augustine wrote the book The City of God in the fifth century, making it Christianity’s first work of condemnation of suicide. He wrote it to protest the Roman conception of suicide as a matter of heroism and virtue. Rome held that suicide was a noble act to commit for political reasons, to protect chastity, and to avoid personal trouble. Rome believed that those who have committed this crime against themselves are to be admired for greatness of spirit. St. Augustine disagrees and finds that quite on the contrary the one who killed himself lacked strength to endure hardships or another’s wrongdoing. In short, his argument is this: suicide violates the divine law against killing (Exodus 20:13) and the command to love one’s neighbor as oneself. For Augustine, suicide is an effort to control uncertainty and escape suffering. He believes that anyone who kills himself is definitely a merderer. He strongly holds and repeatedly brings up in his book that the fifth commandment “Thou shalt not kill” applies to oneself as it does to one’s neighbor. He discusses only one exception: that only suicides directly commanded by God are permissible. Otherwise, there is absolutely no way to justify it. In The City of God, St. Augustine examines five possible justifications for suicide. They list as follows: to escape temporal troubles; to avoid another’s sin (for example, rape); out of despair for past sins (for example, Judas Iscariot after betraying Jesus); to reach a better life after death; and to avoid falling into sin out of fear or pleasure. He carefully and thoroughly examines all these, but in the end, justifies none of them. He offers an intriguing argument against people committing suicide in order to avoid sinning in the future. He states that by committing suicide, the person commits a worse sin than any he avoided by killing himself.

I will now talk about suicide as seen from a Calvinist’s view. In answer to the question “If a saved man commits suicide, what happens to him after death?” a Calvinist would simplysay he would still be saved. He does believe that it is a sin but Jesus died for all sins, so the man was forgiven. An Arminian could then argue that the sin was an unrepented sin since the man died immediately and had no time to repent of his suicide. Again, the Calvinist would use Romans chapter 5-6 to argue that when we commit a sin, grace abounds – where sin runs deep, His grace is more. He would insist that us humans, Christians and unbelievers of course, have an absurd amount of unrepentant sins and Jesus covered even the sins we are not aware of; our self awareness is very weak. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). ( …) The Calvinist’s safe haven here would be in saying that, fortunately, God keeps no record of sins against us. Even though a person commits the sin of suicide, he is under grace, fully clothed in Christ’s righteousness, and no longer under law. The man did not repent, he will still be saved nevertheless because our daily repentance for our sins is not for our justification, but for our sanctification. According to the fifth point of Calvinism – preservation of the Saints – God preserves His people so they can never be lost, meaning, we are forever secure in His righteousness. In other words, once you are saved, you are always saved. Calvinism’s foundation for this is John 10:28-30 “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one”(ESV). A popular Calvinist preacher named Rick Warren preaches the perseverance of the Saints and he spoke out on this topic especially after his son took his own life in 2013. He encouraged families of suicidal people, saying that they can have hope of meeting their loved ones in heaven. Warren preached that it is very tragic that they were led to take their own lives because of depression or a mental illness, but there is no need to fall into despair because if they were saved in this life, they remain saved. He supports his stance with Philippians 1:6, “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (ESV)

Ultimately, Calvinists do condemn suicide but if someone commits this sin, he still has hope of spending eternity with God. I will now offer my argument against suicide, which is the Arminian view. Some believe that Jesus’ death on the cross is considered as a suicide because He said to Judas “what you do, do quickly” (John 27:13) while Judas already knew that he would betray Jesus. The early Christian scholar and theologian, Origen, said, “Jesus killed Himself in a more divine manner”. We know this is wrong, first, because Jesus cannot sin even i n the form of a man. The second reason we know this is wrong is because the Bible says “Thoushalt not kill”and the Bible does not contradict itself. Some could possibly interpret that Moses meant you are prohibited to kill others, while it is also possible to interpret that he prohibits the killing of any living things.

Works Cited

1. The Bible . Authorized English Standard Version. Wheaton, III. Crossway Bibles, 2007. Print.
2. Augustine, Aurelius. The City of God . New York: Penguin Classics, 2003.
3. Gritters, Rev. Barry. T.U.L.I.P. or, The Five Points of Calvinism. 16 July. 2000. http://www.prca.org/pamphlets/pamphlet_41.html
4. https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2019/09/29/saint-augustine-contra-suicide/
5. Ortiz, Dr. Jared. The Catholic World Report: Saint Augustine Contra Suicide. 29 September, 2019. https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2019/09/29/saint-augustine-contra-suicide/