Although St. Augustine was born about six hundred years before Plato and Aristotle, he nevertheless encountered the great thinkers through their works. Consequently, a plenitude of themes seen throughout the Ancient Greek philosophers’ books are scattered across saint’s letters and sermons. Because Augustine was a Catholic, however, there exist stark differences between the men’s ideas. Therefore, after naming and briefly describing several of St. Augustine’s writings, I argue that the Christian bishop’s viewpoints find some common ground with the ancients, but, at the same time, they portray a mode of thought unique to Augustine himself.
In his first work, Letter 91, Augustine writes to Nectarius, a government leader, about an attack on a church in a nearby town. The assault occurred “on a pagan feast day,” and, rather disturbingly, “no one prevented it” (Augustine 5). Hidden within this letter exist …show more content…
St. Augustine mentions the necessity of “simplicity and restraint, along with faithfulness to the marriage bond, and behavior that is chaste and honorable and upright” (Augustine 3). Only when these virtues are copious among the citizens can a city call itself “flourishing” (Augustine 3). For Aristotle, a regime must hope for leaders and citizens who embody the traits of a good man, such as those mentioned in Book III and Book IV of the Nicomachean Ethics: courage, moderation, gentleness, truthfulness, and the like. The thriving city “is happy and acts nobly” (Politics 198). In both Augustine and Aristotle’s case, flourishing is akin to the performance of some kind of virtue, because it conforms man to his true identity (i.e. a rational creature who has the ability to do things well). Virtue also contributes to the preservation of society, because it ensures that all parts of the regime are functioning according to their
In his first work, Letter 91, Augustine writes to Nectarius, a government leader, about an attack on a church in a nearby town. The assault occurred “on a pagan feast day,” and, rather disturbingly, “no one prevented it” (Augustine 5). Hidden within this letter exist …show more content…
St. Augustine mentions the necessity of “simplicity and restraint, along with faithfulness to the marriage bond, and behavior that is chaste and honorable and upright” (Augustine 3). Only when these virtues are copious among the citizens can a city call itself “flourishing” (Augustine 3). For Aristotle, a regime must hope for leaders and citizens who embody the traits of a good man, such as those mentioned in Book III and Book IV of the Nicomachean Ethics: courage, moderation, gentleness, truthfulness, and the like. The thriving city “is happy and acts nobly” (Politics 198). In both Augustine and Aristotle’s case, flourishing is akin to the performance of some kind of virtue, because it conforms man to his true identity (i.e. a rational creature who has the ability to do things well). Virtue also contributes to the preservation of society, because it ensures that all parts of the regime are functioning according to their