¶ … Augustine, Anselm and Aquinas
Question #1 from "Augustine Confessions 2nd edition. Translated by F.J Sheed: Please explain Augustine's theory that evil is the privation of good, and argue for its relevance to at least one other main theme in the confessions.
Rather than subscribe to the prevailing theory that evil represented the polar opposite of good -- acting as a necessary counterbalance within the realm of human morality -- Augustine proposes a radically divergent viewpoint in his "Confessions," asserting that "evil has no existence except as a privation of good, down to that level which is altogether without being" (VII, [XII], 18). This conclusion is reached after Augustine poses one of the most challenging theological conundrums ever constructed, postulating that if God is both supremely good and omnipotent, evil should have no reason to exist. The fact that evil is so clearly manifested by human behavior suggests that God is not all-powerful, but instead represents a facet of creation that has strayed from its original intent. By recognizing the paradox inherent in a wholly religious worldview, Augustine neatly solved this dilemma by proposing a truly novel solution in his theory that evil is simply the privation of good.
According to Augustine, a person's choice to commit a crime is not a manifestation of evil, but rather the purposeful distancing of themselves from the glory of God's grace. This sentiment is evidenced in Book II of his Confessions, when he confesses to the youthful indiscretion of theft, saying "I stole that, of which I had enough, and much better. Nor cared I to enjoy what I stole, but joyed in the theft and sin itself. A pear tree there was near our vineyard, laden with fruit, tempting neither for colour nor taste" (II: [IV] 9). For Augustine, his decision to commit the crime of theft was not evidence of his innate propensity for evil, but instead a sign that he had chosen to ignore and reject the inherent goodness of being which has been instilled in all creation by God himself.
Question #2 from "Augustine Confession 2nd. Translated by F.J Sheed: Identify at least three of the major people and/or event that led to Augustine's conversion at any point in his pre-Christian life and discuss how each plays a distinct role in the process of salvation, connecting the narrative to the theological.
The conversion of Augustine has been lauded by scholars and theologians alike for centuries, with the event standing as confirmation that even the most rigorously logical and intelligent minds could become enamored with spirituality and faith. It is said that the catalyst for Augustine's embrace of Christianity came in the summer of the year 386, when he heard the story of Placianus, a Christian man who told him the inspirational story of St. Anthony of the Desert. Upon hearing Placianus' story and reflecting on its true meaning, Augustine claims to have been compelled by an internal, childlike voice which commanded him to "take up and read," a directive he interpreted to mean the pursuit biblical studies.
There were other impetuses for Augustine's eventual conversion to Christianity, however, including the steady mentorship provided by St. Ambrose. Attempting to placate his devout mother, who prays daily for her son to turn towards God's divine light, Augustine states in his Confessions that "but to Thee, Fountain of mercies, poured she forth more copious prayers and tears, that Thou wouldest hasten Thy help, and enlighten my darkness; and she hastened the more eagerly to the Church, and hung upon the lips of Ambrose, praying for the fountain of that water, which springeth up unto life everlasting" (VI: [I] 1). Under the tutelage of St. Ambrose, Augustine began to recognize the moral messages embedded within scripture, but he still found himself unable to fully comprehend their meaning....
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