II. Augustines Confessions

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II. Augustines Confessions

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Introduction to the Confessions

• A new genre --
• Introspective autobiography, but based on popular
  lives of martyrs
  
• A biographical prayer
• A pastoral purpose --
• Seeking to convince his parishioners that he was
  as sinful as they were
  
• The keynote --
• The way to truth is an inward one

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Introduction to the Confessions

• What about Books 11-13?
• A personal application of Augustines
  catechetical style?
  
• Indications that Augustine meant to write a much
  longer work?
  
• Augustines final refutation of Manichaeism?

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II.A. The Young Augustine

• Confessions, Books 1-4

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II.A.1. Biographical Details

• Augustines childhood in Thagaste
• School days in Madaura
• The year at home at age 16
• Studies in Carthage
• Taking a concubine and fathering a son
• Teaching rhetoric in Thagaste and Carthage

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II.A.2. Key Issues

• Augustines understanding of God
• At the time the events took place --
• At the time he writes --

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II.A.2. Key Issues

• Augustines portrayal of sin
• Individual sin --
• Social/corporate sin --

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II.A.2. Key Issues

• Augustines journey back to God

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II.B. Augustine and the Thought World of Late
Antiquity

• Confessions, Books 5-8

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II.B.1 Manichaeism

• Mani (ca. 216-276) --
• He was born in Persia of a Jewish-Christian
  family.
  
• He transformed Christianity into a gnostic
  scheme.
  
• He began teaching in 240, and was driven to India
  by persecution from Zoroastrians.
  
• He returned to Persia two years later, where he
  first gained support from the Emperor and was
  later attacked and put to death.

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II.B.1 Manichaeism

• Manichaeism was established ...
• in Egypt by the end of the 3rd century.
• in Rome by the beginning of the 4th century.
• in North Africa by the end of the 4th century.

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II.B.1 Manichaeism

• The Teachings of Manichaeism --
• Primeval conflict between light and darkness
• Two worlds the world of light and the world of
  darkness
  
• Human beings are composed of darkness (body) and
  light (spirit).
  
• The object of religion is to release the
  particles of light.
  
• OT God is the God of darkness and matter NT God
  is the God of light.
  
• Christ is the representative of the God of light,
  and he is fully spirit (light matter).

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II.B.1 Manichaeism

• The Practice of Manichaeism --
• Various castes or levels, including the elect
  (wholly light) and aspirants or hearers (who
  serve the elect)
  
• A continual process of purification, including
  ...
  
• astrology
• severe asceticism
• gaining access to secret Manichaean teaching
  (gnosis).

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II.B.1 Manichaeism

• Augustine and Manichaeism
• The Attraction
• It explained the struggle he felt within
  himself.
  
• It ridiculed the literal sense of the OT.
• It offered a convenient explanation of evil.
• The Problem
• It forced him to see God in physical terms.

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II.B.2. Platonic Thought

• Plato (428-348 B.C.) --
• Intelligible World (forms) is divine.
• Sensible World (material universe) is one of
  becoming.
  
• Man realizes himself fully only as he attends to
  the reality of the forms.
  
• The human nous or mind is the link between the
  two realms.

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II.B.2. Platonic Thought

• Platonism and Middle Platonism -- (ca. 300 B.C.
  - 200 A.D.)
  
• Belief in a transcendent reality (the forms) and
  degrees of reality
  
• Later, forms as ideas in the mind of God
• Removal of God from world and filling the void
  with intermediate divinities (daimones)
  
• Logos begins to be understood as separate from
  and lower than God

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II.B.2. Platonic Thought

• Neoplatonism (ca. 250-400 A.D.) --
• Three divine hypostases
• Evil is the absence of good.
• Evil is not a substance, not an entity in itself.
  
  
• Good diffuses itself, and salvation is the march
  of the soul back to the One.
  
• The One takes no interest in us.
• Our true self is eternally saved, and we need
  only to wake up to this fact.

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II.B.3. Biographical Details

• Augustines disillusionment with the Manichees --
  383
  
• His deceptive flight to Rome -- 383
• The Altar of Victoria incident -- 384
• Appointment to the professorship in Milan -- 384
• The influence of Ambrose and Simplicianus
• The siege of Milan -- Feb. 386
• Augustines conversion -- Aug. 386 (age 31)

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II.B.4. Key Issues

• Manichaeism and Augustines journey back to God
  --
  
• Augustines disappointment with Faustus
• The problem of dualism

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II.B.4. Key Issues

• Neoplatonism and Augustines journey back to God
  --
  
• A non-physical way of understanding God
• A non-substantive way of viewing evil

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II.B.4. Key Issues

• Questions regarding Neoplatonism --
• Is Neoplatonisms view of sin/evil biblical?
• Is Neoplatonisms view of God biblical?
• Has Neoplatonism really helped Aug. come to
  Christ, or has it distorted his view of
  Christianity?
  
• To what degree do we want to use Neoplatonism to
  explain Christianity?
  

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II.B.4. Key Issues

• Other key factors in Augustines return to God --
  
  
• Intellectual factors
• Emotional/spiritual/volitional factors
• Gods guidance

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II.B.4. Key Issues

• Augustines conversions --
• The intellectual conversion
• The volitional conversion

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II.C. Augustine the Young Christian

• Confessions, Books 9-10

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II.C.1. Biographical Details

• Augustines baptism in Milan -- Easter 387
• Augustine sets out for Thagaste, but Monica dies
  at Ostia. -- Fall 387
  
• ___________________________________
• Augustine returns to Thagaste. -- Spring 388
• Augustine is ordained in Hippo. -- 391
• Augustine becomes bishop of Hippo. -- 397

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II.C.2. Key Concerns

• Augustines pastoral purpose
• Why write of his life before his conversion?
• Why write of his life as a believer?

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II.C.2. Key Concerns

• The freedom of a Christian

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II.C.2. Key Concerns

• The vision of heavenly life

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II.C.2. Key Concerns

• The ascent to God

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II.C.2. Key Concerns

• The believers struggle with sin

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III. Augustine and Biblical Interpretation
On Christian Doctrine, Books 1-3
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III.A. Early-Church Interpretation

• The Prevailing Opinion --
• Alexandria Antioch
• Allegorical exegesis Literal exegesis
• Philosophy, metaphysics History
• Denigration of OT Faithful to OT
• No concern for historical Historical Jesus as
• Jesus starting point

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III.A. Early-Church Interpretation

• School of Alexandria School of Antioch
• Clement of Alexandria Paul of
  Samosata
  
• Origen (Alexandria) Eustathius of
  Antioch
  
• Athanasius (Alexandria) Diodore of
  Tarsus
  
• Didymus (Alexandria) Chrysostom
  (Antioch)
  
• Cyril of Alexandria Theodore of
  Mopsuestia
  
• Dioscorus (Alexandria) Nestorius
  (Antioch)
  
• John of Antioch

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III.A. Early-Church Interpretation

• Problems with this Opinion --
• There was no school of Antioch.
• There were two very distinct strands of thought
  in Alexandria.
  
• The allegorism of Alexandria was actually
  christocentrism.

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III.A. Early-Church Interpretation

• Another View --
• The exegesis of the early Church consisted of
  reading Scripture with a dominant concern in
  mind.
  
• It was theology that was influencing exegesis,
  not just exegesis producing theology.

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III.B. Augustines Canon

• New Testament Canon --
• 27 books
• Hebrews ascribed to Paul
• No mention of any disputes

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III.B. Augustines Canon

• Old Testament Canon --
• Books missing that are in our canon
• Ezra, Nehemiah, Lamentations
• Books added to our canon
• Tobit, Judith, 1 and 2 Maccabees, 1 and 2
  Esdras
  
• Wisdom of Solomon, Ecclesiasticus
• Does Augustine accept the Apocrypha?

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III.C. Augustines Interpretation

• Preliminary Matters --
• Understanding is not a mechanical process.
• Understanding Divine and human
• Teaching the Bible vs. teaching others how to
  read the Bible
  

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III.C. Augustines Interpretation

• The Overriding Concern --
• Enjoyment, Use, and Abuse
• Only God is to be enjoyed for his own sake.
• What does this have to do with hermeneutics?
• Double love

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III.C. Augustines Interpretation

• Steps to Understanding --
• 1) Fear of God
• 2) Meekness through piety
• 3) Knowledge
• 4) Fortitude
• 5) Counsel of mercy
• 6) Cleansing of the eye
• 7) Wisdom

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III.C. Augustines Interpretation

• The Literal and the Figurative --
• Things and Signs
• Literal Signs and Translation
• Figurative Signs
• Why does the Bible use figurative language?

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III.C. Augustines Interpretation

• The Bible and Pagan Thought --
• All truth is the Lords truth.
• What we reject in the pagan world
• Idolatry
• Occultic practices
• What we accept from the pagan world
• Social customs
• Philosophical thought
• Logic

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III.C. Augustines Interpretation

• The Bible and Christian Thought --
• The Rule of Faith
• Context
• Scripture interprets Scripture.

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III.C. Augustines Interpretation

• Tyconius Rules --
• 1) Of the Lord and his Body (the Church)
• 2) Of the Bipartite Body (Church) of the Lord
• 3) Of Promises and the Law
• 4) Of Species and Genus
• 5) Of Times
• 6) Recapitulation
• 7) Of the Devil and his Body (the impious)

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III.D. Concluding Issues

• Micro- and macro-levels of Augustines
  interpretation
  
• Does ones overriding concern necessarily
  influence exegesis?
  
• Should that influence be overcome?
• Can that influence be overcome?

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IV. Augustine and Biblical Preaching
On Christian Doctrine, Book 4
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IV.A. Eloquence and the Truth

• Eloquence is indifferent in itself.
• Those who defend falsehood are eloquent.
• How much more then should those who defend the
  truth be eloquent and persuasive.
  
• Use the eloquence of Scripture, not our own
  eloquence.

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IV.B. Communication

• Are we seeking to communicate, or simply to
  impress?
  
• Be clear, not necessarily elegant.
• Pay attention to signals from the hearers.
• Love the truth, not the words.

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IV.C. Speaking Purposes/Styles

• Educate, please, AND persuade
• Subdued, moderate, and grand styles

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IV.D. Essentials of Communication

• Pray!
• Live the truth!
• A surprising piece of advice