Edward A. Siecienski
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195372045
- eISBN:
- 9780199777297
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195372045.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
Although a few important elements remain shrouded in mystery, the history of the filioque in the West is a relatively well documented phenomenon. Although there are a few scattered references to the ...
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Although a few important elements remain shrouded in mystery, the history of the filioque in the West is a relatively well documented phenomenon. Although there are a few scattered references to the relationship of Son and Spirit in the writings of the apologists, the story of filioque begins with Tertullian, as Latin theology began to link the understanding of God’s very nature (i.e., the theology) and the biblical revelation that the Holy Spirit is given to the Church by both the Father and the Son. Although the Latin fathers (e.g., Ambrose) increasingly used language that could be thought to support the filioque, it was Augustine of Hippo who first explicitly spoke of the Spirit proceeding from both the Father and the Son, and who later became the patristic authority for the orthodoxy of the filioque. By the seventh century not only was the filioque part of the creed in many parts of the West, but also considered part of the apostolic faith.Less
Although a few important elements remain shrouded in mystery, the history of the filioque in the West is a relatively well documented phenomenon. Although there are a few scattered references to the relationship of Son and Spirit in the writings of the apologists, the story of filioque begins with Tertullian, as Latin theology began to link the understanding of God’s very nature (i.e., the theology) and the biblical revelation that the Holy Spirit is given to the Church by both the Father and the Son. Although the Latin fathers (e.g., Ambrose) increasingly used language that could be thought to support the filioque, it was Augustine of Hippo who first explicitly spoke of the Spirit proceeding from both the Father and the Son, and who later became the patristic authority for the orthodoxy of the filioque. By the seventh century not only was the filioque part of the creed in many parts of the West, but also considered part of the apostolic faith.
A. M. C. Casiday
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- January 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199297184
- eISBN:
- 9780191711381
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199297184.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
This chapter revisits the classic (and enormously influential) argument for Cassian's incompetence — Prosper's Against the Conferencer — and finds it seriously and irredeemably defective. It advances ...
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This chapter revisits the classic (and enormously influential) argument for Cassian's incompetence — Prosper's Against the Conferencer — and finds it seriously and irredeemably defective. It advances an alternative strategy for reading Cassian: presenting him as a fifth-century monastic theologian, whose understanding of, approach to, and account of Christian redemption are permeated by the concerns, experiences, and perspectives that were his as a monk. As a monastic theologian, Cassian is compared to other monks whose theological writings have come down to us, not least Augustine of Hippo and the ‘Provençal Masters’. This interpretation of Cassian resists the temptation of anachronism that contrasts the monk-theologians of Gaul to the bishop-theologian of Africa against the backdrop of Prosper's robust Augustinianism. This chapter is important not least for debunking the recrudescent belief that monks were predisposed to squeamishness about Augustine's writings and that ‘Semipelagianism’ represented a realistic, ascetically informed working doctrine of the balance of grace and freedom in the Christian life.Less
This chapter revisits the classic (and enormously influential) argument for Cassian's incompetence — Prosper's Against the Conferencer — and finds it seriously and irredeemably defective. It advances an alternative strategy for reading Cassian: presenting him as a fifth-century monastic theologian, whose understanding of, approach to, and account of Christian redemption are permeated by the concerns, experiences, and perspectives that were his as a monk. As a monastic theologian, Cassian is compared to other monks whose theological writings have come down to us, not least Augustine of Hippo and the ‘Provençal Masters’. This interpretation of Cassian resists the temptation of anachronism that contrasts the monk-theologians of Gaul to the bishop-theologian of Africa against the backdrop of Prosper's robust Augustinianism. This chapter is important not least for debunking the recrudescent belief that monks were predisposed to squeamishness about Augustine's writings and that ‘Semipelagianism’ represented a realistic, ascetically informed working doctrine of the balance of grace and freedom in the Christian life.
Conrad Leyser
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198208686
- eISBN:
- 9780191678127
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198208686.003.0001
- Subject:
- History, European Medieval History
The moral drawn by Augustine of Hippo's early medieval readers — very different from the lesson he himself had attempted to expound — was this. The dream of reconstructing the first community of ...
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The moral drawn by Augustine of Hippo's early medieval readers — very different from the lesson he himself had attempted to expound — was this. The dream of reconstructing the first community of Christians at Jerusalem could only be sustained through an extraordinary display of episcopal authority. Acts four profferred the hope of a community that was self-regulating. However, if that was the promise of the Acts verses, it was not one they could deliver — not without the intervention of an expert on moral rhetoric. Augustine of Hippo's contemporaries and his late readers, for all that they may have respected and even required Augustinian authority, decided repeatedly that a systematic approach to the moral exercise of authority of the sort that Augustine had refused to give was the only way to preserve the hope of establishing a moral community.Less
The moral drawn by Augustine of Hippo's early medieval readers — very different from the lesson he himself had attempted to expound — was this. The dream of reconstructing the first community of Christians at Jerusalem could only be sustained through an extraordinary display of episcopal authority. Acts four profferred the hope of a community that was self-regulating. However, if that was the promise of the Acts verses, it was not one they could deliver — not without the intervention of an expert on moral rhetoric. Augustine of Hippo's contemporaries and his late readers, for all that they may have respected and even required Augustinian authority, decided repeatedly that a systematic approach to the moral exercise of authority of the sort that Augustine had refused to give was the only way to preserve the hope of establishing a moral community.
Bernard Green
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199534951
- eISBN:
- 9780191715990
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199534951.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
Leo the Great was the beneficiary of the consolidation over the course of the preceding century of the power of the papacy in Rome and the Christianization of the city. That process reveals the ...
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Leo the Great was the beneficiary of the consolidation over the course of the preceding century of the power of the papacy in Rome and the Christianization of the city. That process reveals the impact of Ambrose of Milan on the Roman Church and its policy towards the ascetic movement. Leo was heavily influenced by Ambrose and by Augustine of Hippo. His first encounters with theological debate were the Pelagian and Nestorian controversies, where he engaged Cassian as an advisor. He took an admiring though limited view of Cyril of Alexandria but misunderstood the weaknesses in Nestorius'thought. As pope, he preached a civic Christianity, accessible to all citizens, baptizing the virtues of the classical and civic past. His sermons are now dated and reveal the evolution of his thought as he worked out a soteriology that gave full value to both the divinity and humanity of Christ, especially in reaction to Manichaeism. In the crisis that led to Chalcedon, his earlier misunderstanding of Nestorius affected the content of his Tome, which was atypical of the Christology and soteriology he had developed in his earlier preaching. Its emphasis on the distinction of the two natures was an uncharacteristic attempt to respond to both Eutyches and Nestorius, as he understood them. In the light of Chalcedon, he produced a revised statement of Christology, the Letter to the Palestinian monks, which is both more accomplished and better aligned with his characteristic thought.Less
Leo the Great was the beneficiary of the consolidation over the course of the preceding century of the power of the papacy in Rome and the Christianization of the city. That process reveals the impact of Ambrose of Milan on the Roman Church and its policy towards the ascetic movement. Leo was heavily influenced by Ambrose and by Augustine of Hippo. His first encounters with theological debate were the Pelagian and Nestorian controversies, where he engaged Cassian as an advisor. He took an admiring though limited view of Cyril of Alexandria but misunderstood the weaknesses in Nestorius'thought. As pope, he preached a civic Christianity, accessible to all citizens, baptizing the virtues of the classical and civic past. His sermons are now dated and reveal the evolution of his thought as he worked out a soteriology that gave full value to both the divinity and humanity of Christ, especially in reaction to Manichaeism. In the crisis that led to Chalcedon, his earlier misunderstanding of Nestorius affected the content of his Tome, which was atypical of the Christology and soteriology he had developed in his earlier preaching. Its emphasis on the distinction of the two natures was an uncharacteristic attempt to respond to both Eutyches and Nestorius, as he understood them. In the light of Chalcedon, he produced a revised statement of Christology, the Letter to the Palestinian monks, which is both more accomplished and better aligned with his characteristic thought.
Carol Harrison
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- February 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199281664
- eISBN:
- 9780191603402
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199281661.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
Having been at the centre of a century long debate which cast doubt on the nature of Augustine’s conversion, one might assume that Augustine’s early works (386-96) have now been rescued and given ...
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Having been at the centre of a century long debate which cast doubt on the nature of Augustine’s conversion, one might assume that Augustine’s early works (386-96) have now been rescued and given their rightful place. This book suggests that these are now threatened by an equally destructive trend in Augustine scholarship, which, over the last fifty years, has become an almost unquestioned norm of interpretation. This is the idea, fatefully and poignantly depicted by Peter Brown in the chapter of his seminal biography entitled The Lost Future, that the early optimistic and philosophical Augustine was dramatically transformed into the mature, pessimistic theologian of the Fall, original sin, and grace by his reading of Paul in the mid-390s. This interpretation of the first decade of Augustine’s life has since become such an idée fixe in scholarly as well as popular accounts, leaving two very different Augustines: one, the young convert, fired to pursue Wisdom by an optimistic confidence in the rational disciplines of the liberal arts, human free will, and a glorious ideal of perfection; the other, the older and wiser bishop of Hippo, convinced of human fallen ness and of the need for grace to will or to do any good work. This book argues that in order to do justice to Augustine’s conversion, to his early theology and understanding of the Christian life, and to the early works themselves, such caricatures must be resisted. It seeks to demonstrate that there is a fundamental continuity in Augustine’s thought, which does not undergo any dramatic change when he re-reads Paul in the 390s; that there is only one Augustine, for whom human weakness and divine grace were the central axes of his Christian faith and life from the very beginning.Less
Having been at the centre of a century long debate which cast doubt on the nature of Augustine’s conversion, one might assume that Augustine’s early works (386-96) have now been rescued and given their rightful place. This book suggests that these are now threatened by an equally destructive trend in Augustine scholarship, which, over the last fifty years, has become an almost unquestioned norm of interpretation. This is the idea, fatefully and poignantly depicted by Peter Brown in the chapter of his seminal biography entitled The Lost Future, that the early optimistic and philosophical Augustine was dramatically transformed into the mature, pessimistic theologian of the Fall, original sin, and grace by his reading of Paul in the mid-390s. This interpretation of the first decade of Augustine’s life has since become such an idée fixe in scholarly as well as popular accounts, leaving two very different Augustines: one, the young convert, fired to pursue Wisdom by an optimistic confidence in the rational disciplines of the liberal arts, human free will, and a glorious ideal of perfection; the other, the older and wiser bishop of Hippo, convinced of human fallen ness and of the need for grace to will or to do any good work. This book argues that in order to do justice to Augustine’s conversion, to his early theology and understanding of the Christian life, and to the early works themselves, such caricatures must be resisted. It seeks to demonstrate that there is a fundamental continuity in Augustine’s thought, which does not undergo any dramatic change when he re-reads Paul in the 390s; that there is only one Augustine, for whom human weakness and divine grace were the central axes of his Christian faith and life from the very beginning.
Lewis Ayres
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- July 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780198755067
- eISBN:
- 9780191602788
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198755066.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
The first part of the book offers a new narrative of the fourth-century Trinitarian controversies. It takes forward modern revisionary scholarship, showing the slow emergence of the theologies that ...
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The first part of the book offers a new narrative of the fourth-century Trinitarian controversies. It takes forward modern revisionary scholarship, showing the slow emergence of the theologies that came to constitute pro-Nicene orthodoxy. Ancient heresiological categories, such as ‘Arian’ and ‘Neo-Arian’, are avoided while the unity of ‘Nicene’ theologies is not assumed. The second part offers a new account of the unity in diversity of late fourth-century pro-Nicene theologies. In particular it is argued that the Nicene-Constantinopolitan creed and the statements of unity and plurality in the Trinity, to be found in all pro-Nicene theologians and in Theodosius’ anti-heretical legislation, were intended to be understood in the context of a broad set of theological practices and assumptions. An account of the basic strategies that ground pro-Nicene theology is offered, focusing on common epistemological concerns, a common notion of purification and sanctification, and a common aesthetics of faith. Instructions are provided detailing the Trinitarian theology of Basil of Caesarea, Gregory of Nyssa, and Augustine of Hippo. Throughout the first two parts of the book, a constant concern is to show that the common acceptance of a basic division between Eastern and Western Trinitarian theologies is unsustainable. Finally, the failure of modern Trinitarian theology to engage pro-Nicene theology in a substantial manner is considered.Less
The first part of the book offers a new narrative of the fourth-century Trinitarian controversies. It takes forward modern revisionary scholarship, showing the slow emergence of the theologies that came to constitute pro-Nicene orthodoxy. Ancient heresiological categories, such as ‘Arian’ and ‘Neo-Arian’, are avoided while the unity of ‘Nicene’ theologies is not assumed. The second part offers a new account of the unity in diversity of late fourth-century pro-Nicene theologies. In particular it is argued that the Nicene-Constantinopolitan creed and the statements of unity and plurality in the Trinity, to be found in all pro-Nicene theologians and in Theodosius’ anti-heretical legislation, were intended to be understood in the context of a broad set of theological practices and assumptions. An account of the basic strategies that ground pro-Nicene theology is offered, focusing on common epistemological concerns, a common notion of purification and sanctification, and a common aesthetics of faith. Instructions are provided detailing the Trinitarian theology of Basil of Caesarea, Gregory of Nyssa, and Augustine of Hippo. Throughout the first two parts of the book, a constant concern is to show that the common acceptance of a basic division between Eastern and Western Trinitarian theologies is unsustainable. Finally, the failure of modern Trinitarian theology to engage pro-Nicene theology in a substantial manner is considered.
Conrad Leyser
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198208686
- eISBN:
- 9780191678127
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198208686.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, European Medieval History
This book examines the formation of the Christian ascetic tradition in the western Roman Empire during the period of the barbarian invasions, c.400–600. In an aggressively competitive political ...
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This book examines the formation of the Christian ascetic tradition in the western Roman Empire during the period of the barbarian invasions, c.400–600. In an aggressively competitive political context, one of the most articulate claims to power was made, paradoxically, by men who had renounced ‘the world’, committing themselves to a life of spiritual discipline in the hope of gaining entry to an otherworldly kingdom. Often dismissed as mere fanaticism or open hypocrisy, the language of ascetic authority, the book shows, was both carefully honed and well understood in the late Roman and early medieval Mediterranean. It charts the development of this new moral rhetoric by abbots, teachers, and bishops from the time of Augustine of Hippo to that of St Benedict and Gregory the Great.Less
This book examines the formation of the Christian ascetic tradition in the western Roman Empire during the period of the barbarian invasions, c.400–600. In an aggressively competitive political context, one of the most articulate claims to power was made, paradoxically, by men who had renounced ‘the world’, committing themselves to a life of spiritual discipline in the hope of gaining entry to an otherworldly kingdom. Often dismissed as mere fanaticism or open hypocrisy, the language of ascetic authority, the book shows, was both carefully honed and well understood in the late Roman and early medieval Mediterranean. It charts the development of this new moral rhetoric by abbots, teachers, and bishops from the time of Augustine of Hippo to that of St Benedict and Gregory the Great.
Bernard Green
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199534951
- eISBN:
- 9780191715990
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199534951.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
Leo preached about twelve sermons a year in a cycle through the Church's calendar. The first cycle, preached in 440-1, reveals both some of Leo's leading ideas but also the gaps in his thought at ...
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Leo preached about twelve sermons a year in a cycle through the Church's calendar. The first cycle, preached in 440-1, reveals both some of Leo's leading ideas but also the gaps in his thought at that stage. His message is that salvation is ecclesial and sacramental, sharpening the ideas of Augustine. His soteriology is an expression of an Augustinian Christology in which Christ is the mediating union of divine and human, though his appreciation of the role of the divinity in salvation needed further exploration.Less
Leo preached about twelve sermons a year in a cycle through the Church's calendar. The first cycle, preached in 440-1, reveals both some of Leo's leading ideas but also the gaps in his thought at that stage. His message is that salvation is ecclesial and sacramental, sharpening the ideas of Augustine. His soteriology is an expression of an Augustinian Christology in which Christ is the mediating union of divine and human, though his appreciation of the role of the divinity in salvation needed further exploration.
Daniel A. Keating
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- January 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780199267132
- eISBN:
- 9780191602092
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199267138.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
Aims to bring Cyril into discussion with three of his near contemporaries, Theodore of Mopsuestia, Augustine, and Leo the Great, with the aim of gaining further clarity to the Christological debates ...
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Aims to bring Cyril into discussion with three of his near contemporaries, Theodore of Mopsuestia, Augustine, and Leo the Great, with the aim of gaining further clarity to the Christological debates of the fifth century, and a better grasp of the theological similarities and differences between the East and West. In each case, a comparison is made at the level of Christology, pneumatology, and sacramental mediation. Closes with a modest appraisal of two issues commonly perceived as dividing the East and West, namely, salvation as divinization and the personal role of the Holy Spirit is the economy of redemption.Less
Aims to bring Cyril into discussion with three of his near contemporaries, Theodore of Mopsuestia, Augustine, and Leo the Great, with the aim of gaining further clarity to the Christological debates of the fifth century, and a better grasp of the theological similarities and differences between the East and West. In each case, a comparison is made at the level of Christology, pneumatology, and sacramental mediation. Closes with a modest appraisal of two issues commonly perceived as dividing the East and West, namely, salvation as divinization and the personal role of the Holy Spirit is the economy of redemption.
Bernard Green
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199534951
- eISBN:
- 9780191715990
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199534951.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
The subsequent four cycles of sermons showed the refinement and development of Leo's thought as he sought to coordinate the divine and human natures of Christ into a coherent soteriology. The ...
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The subsequent four cycles of sermons showed the refinement and development of Leo's thought as he sought to coordinate the divine and human natures of Christ into a coherent soteriology. The influence of Ambrose and Hilary of Poitiers were apparent in addition to Augustine. He was engaged in conflict with Manichaeism, which led him to stress the humanity of Christ. Sermons on the Transfiguration and the Ascension are of particular interest in showing his mature understanding of soteriology grounded in Christology.Less
The subsequent four cycles of sermons showed the refinement and development of Leo's thought as he sought to coordinate the divine and human natures of Christ into a coherent soteriology. The influence of Ambrose and Hilary of Poitiers were apparent in addition to Augustine. He was engaged in conflict with Manichaeism, which led him to stress the humanity of Christ. Sermons on the Transfiguration and the Ascension are of particular interest in showing his mature understanding of soteriology grounded in Christology.
Terrance W. Klein
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199204236
- eISBN:
- 9780191708039
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199204236.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion
This chapter takes up the biblical roots of grace, noting that grace begins its life as an act, specifically the human perception of being favoured by God. All revealed religions view their adherents ...
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This chapter takes up the biblical roots of grace, noting that grace begins its life as an act, specifically the human perception of being favoured by God. All revealed religions view their adherents as graced, or favoured by God, even if the purpose of this favouring is ultimately a more universal election for all peoples. In its encounter with non-biblical thought, specifically Neoplatonism and Gnosticism, the Galilean religion would be forced to defend what could be called ‘the emergence of history from nature’ and its proclamation of historical predilection on the part of God. St Augustine of Hippo will appear as grace's champion in this struggle, defending salvation history by recasting it as a great dialogical drama of love. It is argued that the passion driving Augustine was a personal, nuptial relationship, one inadequately expressed by the concept of nature, demanding instead that history be seen as the foundational horizon for grace.Less
This chapter takes up the biblical roots of grace, noting that grace begins its life as an act, specifically the human perception of being favoured by God. All revealed religions view their adherents as graced, or favoured by God, even if the purpose of this favouring is ultimately a more universal election for all peoples. In its encounter with non-biblical thought, specifically Neoplatonism and Gnosticism, the Galilean religion would be forced to defend what could be called ‘the emergence of history from nature’ and its proclamation of historical predilection on the part of God. St Augustine of Hippo will appear as grace's champion in this struggle, defending salvation history by recasting it as a great dialogical drama of love. It is argued that the passion driving Augustine was a personal, nuptial relationship, one inadequately expressed by the concept of nature, demanding instead that history be seen as the foundational horizon for grace.
Bernard Green
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199534951
- eISBN:
- 9780191715990
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199534951.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
The Nestorian controversy was Leo's first major experience of theological controversy. His reliance on yet disappointment with Cassian as a theological expert showed how much Leo had to learn. His ...
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The Nestorian controversy was Leo's first major experience of theological controversy. His reliance on yet disappointment with Cassian as a theological expert showed how much Leo had to learn. His knowledge and understanding of Cyril of Alexandria was partial; Cyril and Cassian gave him a misleading view of Nestorius, but through Cassian he was introduced to Augustine's Christology through the retraction of Leporius.Less
The Nestorian controversy was Leo's first major experience of theological controversy. His reliance on yet disappointment with Cassian as a theological expert showed how much Leo had to learn. His knowledge and understanding of Cyril of Alexandria was partial; Cyril and Cassian gave him a misleading view of Nestorius, but through Cassian he was introduced to Augustine's Christology through the retraction of Leporius.
Bernard Green
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199534951
- eISBN:
- 9780191715990
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199534951.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
Leo preached to a city in which the process of Christianization was effectively complete; he therefore had to describe Christianity in terms that made it accessible to the ordinary citizen. The style ...
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Leo preached to a city in which the process of Christianization was effectively complete; he therefore had to describe Christianity in terms that made it accessible to the ordinary citizen. The style and content of his sermons were intended to show that Christianity did not subvert civic values but rather made the Christian a better citizen and Rome a greater city. This was influenced by Augustine's account of Christ the Mediator mediating justice to the body of the elect, and through them, to the world but Leo offered a different account of predestination.Less
Leo preached to a city in which the process of Christianization was effectively complete; he therefore had to describe Christianity in terms that made it accessible to the ordinary citizen. The style and content of his sermons were intended to show that Christianity did not subvert civic values but rather made the Christian a better citizen and Rome a greater city. This was influenced by Augustine's account of Christ the Mediator mediating justice to the body of the elect, and through them, to the world but Leo offered a different account of predestination.
Ellen T. Charry
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195134865
- eISBN:
- 9780199853472
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195134865.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
This chapter argues that Augustine's aretegenic goal was to present the doctrine of the Trinity so that it establishes the seeker's identity as arising from the being of God. He gets his reader's ...
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This chapter argues that Augustine's aretegenic goal was to present the doctrine of the Trinity so that it establishes the seeker's identity as arising from the being of God. He gets his reader's attention by shaming, embarrassing, and exposing her weaknesses, as well as by encouraging, urging, and reassuring her that a new and better self is both called for and possible, in order to focus her energy on the search for self in God. The chastisement is persistent though never punitive. God means to form us by leading us gently to himself. Augustine's theology becomes more accessible to those who agree that spiritual formation is necessary for a happy life. The sapience of God is the core of human happiness, as far as Augustine was concerned.Less
This chapter argues that Augustine's aretegenic goal was to present the doctrine of the Trinity so that it establishes the seeker's identity as arising from the being of God. He gets his reader's attention by shaming, embarrassing, and exposing her weaknesses, as well as by encouraging, urging, and reassuring her that a new and better self is both called for and possible, in order to focus her energy on the search for self in God. The chastisement is persistent though never punitive. God means to form us by leading us gently to himself. Augustine's theology becomes more accessible to those who agree that spiritual formation is necessary for a happy life. The sapience of God is the core of human happiness, as far as Augustine was concerned.
Bernard Green
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199534951
- eISBN:
- 9780191715990
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199534951.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
Between the mid-4th and mid-5th centuries, the papacy consolidated its ascendancy in Rome; the process of the Christianization of the city depended on the building of great basilicas and pilgrimage ...
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Between the mid-4th and mid-5th centuries, the papacy consolidated its ascendancy in Rome; the process of the Christianization of the city depended on the building of great basilicas and pilgrimage centres as well as the construction of a Christian calendar, all of which Leo was to use as the basis for his preaching. Leo's own early exposure to the Pelagian controversy introduced him to the thought of Augustine of Hippo.Less
Between the mid-4th and mid-5th centuries, the papacy consolidated its ascendancy in Rome; the process of the Christianization of the city depended on the building of great basilicas and pilgrimage centres as well as the construction of a Christian calendar, all of which Leo was to use as the basis for his preaching. Leo's own early exposure to the Pelagian controversy introduced him to the thought of Augustine of Hippo.
William, S.J. Harmless
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- July 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780195162233
- eISBN:
- 9780199835645
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195162234.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
The Life of Antony’s folktale surface should not lead modern readers to underestimate its sophistication. Athanasius was not only a skilled literary artist, but also a gifted theologian and a ...
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The Life of Antony’s folktale surface should not lead modern readers to underestimate its sophistication. Athanasius was not only a skilled literary artist, but also a gifted theologian and a prominent politician on the international scene. He brought his formidable theological talents and his partisan political biases to this work, using it as propaganda against Arian and Melitian opponents. This chapter examines three theological themes that wind their way through the text: Christ’s victory over the demons, Antony as an image of deification, and Antony as a model of orthodoxy. At the close, it explores the Life of Antony’s long-term literary influence on lives of the saints and its historical influence on the conversion of Augustine of Hippo.Less
The Life of Antony’s folktale surface should not lead modern readers to underestimate its sophistication. Athanasius was not only a skilled literary artist, but also a gifted theologian and a prominent politician on the international scene. He brought his formidable theological talents and his partisan political biases to this work, using it as propaganda against Arian and Melitian opponents. This chapter examines three theological themes that wind their way through the text: Christ’s victory over the demons, Antony as an image of deification, and Antony as a model of orthodoxy. At the close, it explores the Life of Antony’s long-term literary influence on lives of the saints and its historical influence on the conversion of Augustine of Hippo.
Terence Irwin
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198242673
- eISBN:
- 9780191680519
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198242673.003.0015
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Moral Philosophy, History of Philosophy
In the City of God, Augustine of Hippo claims that Christians and pagans form two societies identified by their different shared objects of love. The ...
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In the City of God, Augustine of Hippo claims that Christians and pagans form two societies identified by their different shared objects of love. The Christian community distinguishes itself from the pagan world by its different aims and goals. One clear and important strand in Augustine's thought presents a sharp antagonism between the Christian and the Greek outlook. However, it would be one-sided to attend only to this strand and to ignore the views that place Augustine firmly in the Greek tradition. Augustine does not believe, then, that he undermines the practice of the virtues, as pagan moralists understand them; he seeks to remove the obstacles imposed by human sin, and especially by human arrogance, to the practice of the virtues. Augustine agrees with this conception of the virtues, and claims that we are in a better position to practise them if we recognize our dependence on God for our growth in virtue, and the insufficiency of the goods of this world for our complete happiness.Less
In the City of God, Augustine of Hippo claims that Christians and pagans form two societies identified by their different shared objects of love. The Christian community distinguishes itself from the pagan world by its different aims and goals. One clear and important strand in Augustine's thought presents a sharp antagonism between the Christian and the Greek outlook. However, it would be one-sided to attend only to this strand and to ignore the views that place Augustine firmly in the Greek tradition. Augustine does not believe, then, that he undermines the practice of the virtues, as pagan moralists understand them; he seeks to remove the obstacles imposed by human sin, and especially by human arrogance, to the practice of the virtues. Augustine agrees with this conception of the virtues, and claims that we are in a better position to practise them if we recognize our dependence on God for our growth in virtue, and the insufficiency of the goods of this world for our complete happiness.
David Albert Jones
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199287154
- eISBN:
- 9780191713231
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199287154.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
At least two well-developed bodies of literature have emerged on practical questions relating to death, one the concern of psychology, the other the concern of ethics. These flow from two basic ...
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At least two well-developed bodies of literature have emerged on practical questions relating to death, one the concern of psychology, the other the concern of ethics. These flow from two basic questions: how can we live well in the face of death? and when, if ever, is it legitimate deliberately to bring human life to an end? The perspective of faith can help to assess and evaluate the many, sometimes conflicting, responses to these questions of different schools of psychology and of philosophy. The method adopted by this book is to consider the distinct theological approaches to death shown by four outstanding Christian thinkers: Ambrose of Milan, Augustine of Hippo, Thomas Aquinas, and Karl Rahner.Less
At least two well-developed bodies of literature have emerged on practical questions relating to death, one the concern of psychology, the other the concern of ethics. These flow from two basic questions: how can we live well in the face of death? and when, if ever, is it legitimate deliberately to bring human life to an end? The perspective of faith can help to assess and evaluate the many, sometimes conflicting, responses to these questions of different schools of psychology and of philosophy. The method adopted by this book is to consider the distinct theological approaches to death shown by four outstanding Christian thinkers: Ambrose of Milan, Augustine of Hippo, Thomas Aquinas, and Karl Rahner.
Arnoud Visser
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780197266601
- eISBN:
- 9780191896057
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197266601.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Religious Studies
The edition of Augustine’s City of God by the Spanish-born humanist Juan Luis Vives (first published in 1522) is one of most successful pieces of patristic scholarship of the sixteenth century. ...
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The edition of Augustine’s City of God by the Spanish-born humanist Juan Luis Vives (first published in 1522) is one of most successful pieces of patristic scholarship of the sixteenth century. Produced just before the explosive escalation of the Reformation, it remained the key version of the text for over a hundred years. This article analyses the presentation of patristic knowledge in Vives’ commentary to explore how the confessional conflicts affected patristic scholarship. It argues that Vives’ work survived the confessional pressures relatively unscathed because it made Augustine’s work manageable and accessible across confessional parties. In doing so it seeks to highlight the importance of confessional silence in the Republic of Letters as a strategy to confront the pressures of confessionalisation.Less
The edition of Augustine’s City of God by the Spanish-born humanist Juan Luis Vives (first published in 1522) is one of most successful pieces of patristic scholarship of the sixteenth century. Produced just before the explosive escalation of the Reformation, it remained the key version of the text for over a hundred years. This article analyses the presentation of patristic knowledge in Vives’ commentary to explore how the confessional conflicts affected patristic scholarship. It argues that Vives’ work survived the confessional pressures relatively unscathed because it made Augustine’s work manageable and accessible across confessional parties. In doing so it seeks to highlight the importance of confessional silence in the Republic of Letters as a strategy to confront the pressures of confessionalisation.
John David Penniman
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- January 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780300222760
- eISBN:
- 9780300228007
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300222760.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
Increasingly suspicious about the efficacy of human wisdom and authority, Augustine of Hippo came to view the possibility of graduating through traditional stages of education as inconsistent with ...
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Increasingly suspicious about the efficacy of human wisdom and authority, Augustine of Hippo came to view the possibility of graduating through traditional stages of education as inconsistent with the character of the Christian life he found described in scripture. In this way, he largely abandons the original function of milk, solid food, and the Roman Family as symbols aimed at the transformation of children into their perfect form. The symbolic power of milk for Augustine, like those who came before him, was found within its capacity to transfer familial belonging and a properly formed character. But by the end of his career, the bishop of Hippo had largely emptied milk of its forming power. That is, for Augustine, the nourishment offered within the household of God was milk without growth. This chapter explores the marked process of disillusionment that Augustine’s thinking undergoes and the ways in which this process impacts his understanding of milk, solid food, and the symbolic power of nourishment in the transformation of Christian souls. It concludes by arguing that Augustine came to view milk as, first and foremost, a sign of one’s humility before God and a strategic refusal of the arrogances of intellectual development.Less
Increasingly suspicious about the efficacy of human wisdom and authority, Augustine of Hippo came to view the possibility of graduating through traditional stages of education as inconsistent with the character of the Christian life he found described in scripture. In this way, he largely abandons the original function of milk, solid food, and the Roman Family as symbols aimed at the transformation of children into their perfect form. The symbolic power of milk for Augustine, like those who came before him, was found within its capacity to transfer familial belonging and a properly formed character. But by the end of his career, the bishop of Hippo had largely emptied milk of its forming power. That is, for Augustine, the nourishment offered within the household of God was milk without growth. This chapter explores the marked process of disillusionment that Augustine’s thinking undergoes and the ways in which this process impacts his understanding of milk, solid food, and the symbolic power of nourishment in the transformation of Christian souls. It concludes by arguing that Augustine came to view milk as, first and foremost, a sign of one’s humility before God and a strategic refusal of the arrogances of intellectual development.
