1,720,962 research outputs found
Reception of Augustine during His Lifetime
No full textThis contribution pays attention to the way in which Augustine's views on Scripture, fall, grace and free will were received by leading scholars of his time: Jerome, the Donatists, Julian of Aeclanum, Orosius, Paulinus of Nola and John Cassian. This study makes clear that both friends and opponents of Augustine could hold substantially different doctrinal positions. In other words, the contribution sheds light on the rich diversity of the positions as held by Augustine's contemporaries on several topics, so important for the bishop of Hippo.status: Publishe
Latin Christian Literature I (polemical and theological writings)
Full text linkThe chapter is part of an edited volume that aims at providing a literary context and background to Augustine of Hippo's authorial activities. It surveys polemical and theological Christian literature in Latin which Augustine of Hippo may have used or to which he may have been exposed when writing his own works. It is divided into three sections: 1. From Tertullian to Lactantius, 2. Milestones of the Latin Fourth Century, 3. Theological and polemical writing during Augustine's own flourishing. The chapter concludes that although Augustine may not have been "a great reader of his Christian contemporaries" (Williams), the literary output of his own time and of the centuries before him is still mirrored in his work to a surprising degree
God
No full textWhether Augustine is eager to increase knowledge of God in his “Confessions,” to refute heterodox ideas – even ideas that he himself once espoused – about God the creator of matter, space, and time, or whether his aim is to heighten a particular awareness of God, he always tries to convince his readers that God is present in creation and in themselves (cf. Books 1–10), and is close to humankind (cf. Books 11–13). But as a person who is incomprehensible to human beings, God is always as much hidden as he is near
"Through Humility the Path to Godliness Ascends on High": St. Augustine's Challenge to Modern Thought on Humility and Greatness
No full textDegree awarded: Ph.D. Systematic Theology. The Catholic University of America"Through Humility the Path to Godliness Ascends on High": St. Augustine's Challenge to Modern thought on Humility and GreatnessJoseph John McInerney, Ph.D.Director: Joseph E. Capizzi, Ph.D. "Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted" (Lk 14:11). Few thinkers in the Christian tradition place greater emphasis on this Gospel principle than Augustine of Hippo. Augustine asserts that humility is the key to one's salvation and is the foundation of a person's greatness. Humility plays no such role, however, in the thought of classical or modern philosophers. The moral theories of Aristotle, Plotinus, Hume, and Nietzsche espouse little relation between humility and moral excellence or propose a view of that relationship in which humility is opposed to greatness. The purpose of this study is to detail the moral principles various thinkers use to approach the ideas of humility and greatness, thus demonstrating the manner in which each author comes to a particular conclusion regarding the relationship between the two principles. The focus of the study will be upon Augustine's conception of humility and greatness, as his understanding is unique in the positive value it attributes to humility in its relation to human excellence. Following an introductory chapter, the second section of the study describes classical conceptions of humility and greatness, investigating the views of Aristotle, the Stoic school of thought, Cicero, and Plotinus. The following three sections are devoted to the principles in which Augustine grounds his view of humility and greatness and a description of the relationship itself. Section three examines the scriptural and philosophical presuppositions that form Augustine's view of the relationship. The fourth section investigates the relation of humility to Augustine's understanding of morality. Section five details Augustine's explicit presentation of the relationship between humility and greatness. Following the description of Augustine's thought the sixth section examines the presentation of humility and greatness in the works of David Hume and Friedrich Nietzsche. The seventh and final section provides a concluding analysis on the basis of Alasdair MacIntyre's methodology for comparing rival theories of moral enquiry. The study concludes that Augustine's position regarding the importance of humility to human greatness provides significant resources to the understanding of greatness lacking in authors who neglect or repudiate that importance.Made available in DSpace on 2012-11-01T17:08:16Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1
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Adrian's Isagoge and the dianoia of scripture
Full text linkA fifth-century handbook on Scripture and its interpretation, Adrian’s Isagōgē in sacras scripturas, is the only known and extant introductio in Greek which represents the Antiochean exegetical tradition. This treatise, which is available in two recensions, is largely an explanation of the stylistic idiosyncrasies of Scripture’s God-talk. Although Adrian acknowledges the fact
that Scripture uses allegory to say various things (i.e., the compositional allegory), he discourages the use of allegory for interpreting that which Scripture says (i.e., interpretative allegory). This paper provides a critical assessment of Adrian’s hermeneutical advice and argues
that the proposed disambiguation methods are not really sufficient for addressing the question of adequate interpretation of Scriptur
Nikaia usutunnistuse 1700. aastapäevaks
Full text linkFor the 1700th Anniversary of the Nicene CreedThis article focuses on the Nicene Creed of AD 325, which is the basis for the „Nicene“ Creed of AD 381 that is used for baptism and in liturgy. Despite being such a momentous phenomenon, the story of the birth of the Nicene Creed is shrouded in mystery. Historians have at their disposal only very few fragmentary, polemical and contradictory accounts. Hence the difficulty of saying what exactly happened at Nicaea. This article presents the little evidence there is, discusses some possible historical scenarios and deconstructs some later myths about the birth of the first ecumenical creed. It hopes to demonstrate the particularity of the creed of 325 and assign it a proper place in the history of creeds
Summus deus Konstantyna i nicejski unus deus: cesarska i kościelna koncepcja Boga
No full textCesarz Konstantyn Wielki w zachowanych listach i mowach wielokrotnie odnosił się do Boga. Odniesienia te jednak rzadko przybierały postać rozważań teologicznych na temat Jego istoty; zwykle ograniczały do wykorzystywania pewnych ambiwalentnych Jego tytułów. W niniejszym artykule przeanalizowano cesarską koncepcję Boga przy pomocy tak zwanej „małej teologii”. Wygląda na to, że konstantyńskie rozumienie Boga rozwinęło się z zamkniętego pogańskiego henoteizmu w zaawansowany chrześcijański monoteizm, mimo że zachowało rys wiary w istnienie wielu postaci Boga. Niejasność kwestii teologicznych służyła ustanowieniu możliwie najszerszego kompromisu teologicznego w Cesarstwie Rzymskim. W tym samym czasie owa zamierzona niejasność wpłynęła na różne sposoby interpretowania konstantyńskich wypowiedzi teologicznych i – być może – w pośredni sposób oddziaływała na trynitne spory w łonie Kościoła. Porównanie konstantyńskiej i nicejskiej koncepcji Boga pokazuje zarówno ważny kompromis, jak i istnienie różnorakich, leżących u jego podstaw czynników
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