Augustine’s City of
I.
Historical
Background
A.
Rise of
Christianity in the
1. Early diffusion
2. Christian teachings
a. If unfamiliar with these, see Gospel of Luke, Acts of
the Apostles, Letter of Paul to the Romans, Gospel of John.
b. Core value:
3. Particular values differ from those of the
a. Worship
i.
Polytheism (with
emperor worship) vs. monotheism
ii.
Manipulation of
gods vs. communing with God
iii.
b. Sociopolitical ideals
i.
Patriarchy
ii.
Sexual liberty
iii. Poverty
c. Art
i.
Visual
ii.
Literary
4. Persecutions end in 313 with Edict of Milan
5. Christianity gradually supplants the old religions
B.
Pagan philosophy
in the early centuries of the Christian era
1. Influence of Plato
2. “Platonists” – philosophers grounded in Plato’s ideas
3. Also prominent: Stoicism, Epicureanism
C.
Augustine of
Hippo (354-430 AD)
1. Originally a teacher of “rhetoric” well versed in
philosophy
2. Turbulent personal life
3. Conversion
4. Leadership in the church
5. Sermons, theological works, philosophy
6. The City of
a. Reply to pagans who blamed Christianity for successes
of barbarian invaders
b. Basic framework: contrasting the “city of man” to the
“city of
II. How The City of
God uses Platonism to promote and explain the Christian faith
A.
Audience
B.
Platonism’s Three
“Parts” (as Augustine presents them)
1. Natural Philosophy: God is the author of being
a. Against materialists: the example of memory
b. Against pantheists: the mutability of the soul
c. God is immutable and simple, creator of the forms from
which all things derive
2. Rational Philosophy: God is the light by which we
perceive truth
a. Vs. Epicureans and Stoics, who said truth is measured
by bodily sense
b. Our judgments assume an immutable standard, which
nothing bodily can be.
3. Moral Philosophy: Man is blessed only by “fruition in
God”
C.
Christian
happiness: Moving ahead from Platonism
1. “Possession of the good” comes only from latreía
2. There cannon be a latreía of intermediate beings
a. I.e. gods or what Plato called “daemons”
b. If they love you they could not want you worshiping
them
3. The soul is not its own light, needs to be illumined
by “the true Light”
4. Christian latreía means making a sacrifice of oneself
a. Sacrifice of love: “Love God, love your neighbor as
yourself”
i.
“Works of mercy
directed to God”
ii.
As yourself:
leading neighbors to their/your greatest good
b. Sacrifice of the body
c. Sacrifice of the soul
d. The universal sacrifice
i.
The whole
“redeemed city” offered to God by Christ the High Priest
ii.
Experienced in
the “sacrament of the altar”