Title: Augustine of Hippo 354430 CE
1Augustine of Hippo 354-430 CE
- Autobiography Confessionsaemulatio of the Aeneid
by Virgil. - 13 books (one more to suggest addition of
Christianity). Plagiarized in his writings - Friendships important
2Beliefs
- Sex is an interior state of mind
- Transmission of original sin
- Eve, biological mother of humanity, is a type for
Mary, spiritual mother (typology- - Greek tupos type, example)
- Evil is a deficiency of good
- World view is dualistic
3Augustine City of God and City of Man
- A new reality, two planes (dualism)
- Gods world--eternal truth existing before and
after creation - Physical world of sense-apparent objects
- Believed the world follows a linear progression
from darkness to light - From body to soul
- From evil to goodness
- From doubt to faith
- From blindness to understanding
4- Gods time timeless instant
- Temporal world all things flow upward
- God allows free will
5Group Work
- Read Book 2. Why do you think Augustine wrote his
Confessions? - What do you learn about his beliefs from reading
from Book 2? - Think of an example of something similar that you
or your friends have done. What was the
motivation? Any connection with Augustine?
6Egyptian and Southwest Asian influence on
Christianity
- Roman emperors were theocratic monarchs
(Augustine wrote the City of God to condemn Roman
divine emperors) - Growing social, political, economic unrest
- Distrust of reason
- Growing impulse toward mysticism
7Mystery Cults
- Greece, Egypt, Southwest Asia
- Less intellectual than neoplatonism
- More personal than religious philosophy
- Promise of personal immortality
- Cult of Isis Egypt
- Cybele in Phrygia
- Dionysus in Greece
- Mithra in Persia
8- Heritage back to Neolithic times
- Agricultural
- Birth, death, rebirth of gods and goddesses
associated with regeneration of crops - Initiates acted out symbolic rituals
- Spiritual death and rebirth
- Ritual baptism
- Communal meal of flesh or blood of the bull in
spring - Cult of Isis Queen of Heaven and Earth Mother
9Cult of Mithra (Persia)
- Associated with sun and forces of Light and
Goodness - Man-god Mithra released forces of cosmic life and
energy by slaughtering Bull of Fertility - Mithras followers
- Sought regeneration and personal attachment to
this hero-god
10- Celebrated Mithras virgin birth on December 25
(after suns rebirth at winter solstice) - Seven stages of initiation, one of which was
ritual baptism, fasting, death and resurrection,
communal meal of bread and wine representing the
flesh ande blood of the bull (his origin), and
deliverance from evil - Favorite religion of Roman soldiers
11Isis and Horus Enthroned
12left Virgin and Child Enthroned, 6th Century CE,
Monastery of St. Catherine, Sinai, Egypt
13Byzantine Empire at Height
14Iconography symbolic forms
15Few Early Christian Images Remain (Islamic
Iconoclasts)
- Jonah and the whale
- Jonah is a type or example for Christ
- Prefigures death
- Third Century CE
16Jonah Regurgitated
- Entry to Dom St. Peter
- Worms, Germany
- 12th Century
- Type prefigures Resurrection
17Sarcophagus of Junius Bassus 359 CE Vatican
Abraham St. Peter Christ Arrest
Trial
Job Adam Eve Entry Daniel/Lion
St. Paul
18Symbols
Luke/ox John/eagle
Chi rho
Greek word ichthys Acronym Jesus Christ, Son of
God, Savior
Matthew/angel
Mark/lion
19The Good Shepherd 300 CE
- Jesus is the good shepherd
- Symbol of promise to the departed to join flock
in heaven - Also lamb as sacrificial offering
20Neoplatonists
- Plotinus 3rd C (neoplatonist)
- Union with One ascent through series of levels
of spiritual purification (Dante) - Soul is eternal and divine
- Universe is layered in ascending degrees of
perfection
21Roman Empire
- Octavian tried to restore old Roman values of
duty and civic pride - Germanic tribes invaded
- Oppression and poverty
- Constantine 313 CE
- Edict of Milan (by end of 4th C. Christianity is
official religion) - Council of Nicea 325
22Christianity
- 36 books in Hebrew Bible
- Sadducees Jewish aristocrats cultural and
religious solidarity denied that soul survived - Pharisees more influential Jewish teachers
interpreters of Hebrew law believed in advent of
messianic redeemer (a shepherd) human soul is
imperishable wicked will suffer eternal
punishment
23Essenes
- Monastic communities near Dead Sea
- Renounced worldly goods
- Practiced asceticism
- Believed in immortality of the soul
- Anticipated coming of teacher of truth
- Dead Sea Scrolls (Essenes lived near Dead Sea)
- forecast final apocalyptic age
24Jesus 0-33 CE
- Gospels 40 years after his death
- No biography, no writings
- Jewish rabbi
- Ethical concerns moral lessons
- Pacifistic message
- Antimaterialistic message
- Temptations of temporal world distract
25Cimabue Madonna Enthroned
26(No Transcript)
27- Evils of material wealth (classical world was
materialistic) - Faith over ritual
- Spirit of Hebrew law, not the letter
- Love of God and neighbor
- God was stern, but loving
- Taught cultivation of compassion, righteousness,
trust in God
28Sermon on the Mount
- Blessed are the poor, the gentle, the mourners,
the seekers of goodness, the merciful, the pure
in heart, the peacemakers, the persecuted because
of their belief in Jesus. - His followers are the light of the world
- Jesus came to fulfill the laws
- Believers should follow his commandments
- Followers should not judge others
- The golden rule
29- Rewards in heaven
- Moral intention is more important than outward
behavior
30Paul
- Best known of apostles (d. 65)
- Jewish tentmaker from Tarsus in Asia Minor
- Greek and Hebrew language
- Never met Jesus
- Wrote 10-14 of 27 books of New Testament
- Universalized Jesuss message
31- Jesus taught Jews Paul wrote to people of
Greece, Asia Minor, Rome - Apostle to the Gentiles
- Laid basis for Jesus as New Adam
32Pauls Teachings
- Salvation by faith
- Jesus son of God
- Jesus, sacrifice for human sin
- Sin had entered world through Adam and Eves
defiance of God - Jesuss death was act of atonement
- Jesus was New Adam
33The Bible
- Old Testament
- 39 books in the King James Version)
- written in Hebrew (with a little Aramaic) from
11th to 2nd century BCE. - The New Testament
- 27 books in the King James Version)
- written in Greek from 40 AD to as late as 150 AD)
34Faith vs. Reason