Augustine of Hippo

Can evil exist without good? Evil cannot exist without good because they are the structure of humanity and existence. Good and evil coexist together, and if you simply get rid of one you also take away the other. If there was only good, and no evil, it would not necessarily be considered good. Society would just view it as normal because there would be nothing to compare our actions to. The world is all about opposites. For instance, yin and yang (dark and light), one cannot exist without the…

Augustine, the author of “The Confessions of Saint Augustine”, went through different trials and triumphs throughout the course of his life. One of the most important concepts to analyze is the idea of sin and the effects of sin on Augustine’s journey of faith. Throughout the beginning of his confessions, Augustine makes a big ordeal over sin in his life and what it means to him, as a reflection of his crisis point. During Augustine’s early years his life was preoccupied with the notion of sin.…

Augustine’s confession’s recount the tale of both his path to redemption and praise of God who allowed him to start anew. Without God Augustine and many others would go astray and live a life of sins. Augustine states, “The thought of you stirs him so deeply that he cannot be content unless he praises you, because you made us for yourself and our hearts find no peace until they rest in you.” Connecting with God is one of the many ways that humans can best live their lives. If one does not…

Reflection on Vern S. Poythress “Redeeming Mathematics: A God-Centered Approach” Written by Jordan Baker, Numon Gafurov, CJ Gordon, Charlie Hubbard, and Alex Vander Stoep The Society of Brainiacs - Affiliation NWC Overview: In his book, “Redeeming Mathematics: A God-Centered Approach”, Vern S. Poythress offers a foundational interpretation for all mathematical thought. Driven by his strong love for math along with his strong love for God, Poythress argues that “God’s consistent character and…

When discussing evil and the existent of God the question “Is God a participant in this chaos?” comes up quite often. Theologians have different opinions about the answer to this question, but John Calvin has a stance on this idea of evil and God. John Calvin has clearly laid out his stance of perfect world theodicy in his writing of sdfjds,fh. Perfect world theodicy would agree that God is apart off all things in the world. His involvement would include the Creation, the Fall, everyday life,…

1. How does Augustine contrast the “City of God” and the “Earthly City”? Augustine referred to the love of God as the “City of God”, which contrasts the “Earthly City”, that revolves around the love of self that he calls “amor sui. He believed that humans are defined by what we love, and God and neighbor must be placed above all else. Any lessor focus such as wealth, pleasure, or power is in the contempt of God because love has been directed in the wrong places. This doesn’t mean you cannot…

According to the Roman Catholic doctrine, purgatory is a place or a state of mental anguish and suffering inhabited by the souls of sinners who are expiating their sins and so they undergo purification before going to heaven. These souls are waiting as they experience judgement if they can immediately enter the state of heaven or if they are to be destined for hell. Purgatory has been thought of as a physical location by others but some popes believe the opposite. In Greek mythology, Euripides’…

Since the beginning man has worshiped a God or many gods. Due to this, mankind has always wanted to become like a god. He has always wanted the knowledge of a god. Plato’s Republic, Marcus Aurelius, and Saint Augustine all had different views on whether or not it was possible to obtain or perceive absolute truth. Looking at the definition of absolute truth, you can get a glimpse of how man sees himself, and what he wishes to become. The people who wrote about who they thought could and who could…

St. Augustine of Hippo’s Confessions details his life as it pertains to his views on theology and how they were shaped. One of the views noted was his distaste for tragedy. In the first half of the Augustine and Culture Seminar, the Oresteia, a trilogy of Greek tragedies was discussed. This essay will explore why Augustine would have an unfavorable view of the work, and also why he might have some leniency toward it. Before Augustine’s view of the Oresteia can be predicted, it is important to…

faced Saint Augustine as he entered Milan in the late fourth century. Under the Manichee, Augustine was taught to imagine God as a physical mass. Catholics in Milan, however, taught that God was a spiritual presence. If God is a being with a physical mass, this puts his omnipresence and omnipotence into question. Augustine’s breakthrough occurs when he ceases to imagine God and evil as bodies. A breakthrough which is only possible when he is able to rise above the Manichee teachings. Augustine…