Abstract Saint Augustine presented the idea that faith and understanding (in the broad and narrow senses) go hand in hand. Because of this, his teachings were that to understand life, one must have faith, and to have faith, one must pursue an understanding of life. Augustine has proved to be one of the most influential thinkers in European and western history. While still a teenager, Augustine converted, became a priest, then the leader of the Church in North Africa, and, before he became Bishop and his writing career was virtually choked off, Augustine was a prolific producer of scriptural scholarly works. The "City of God", which was written between the years 413 and 426, was Augustine's response to the criticism leveled at Christianity by the pagans after they had sacked Rome in 410. This work represents Augustine's most significant contribution to Western religious thought and, like many personalized texts, takes on the Aristotelian method of posing questions to the self in an argumentative fashion and systematically refuting and explaining away each.
Abstract This paper describes and compares two different portraits of Saint Augustine: the one drawn in his "Confessions" and the one in a modern biography of Augustine, written by Peter Brown. The paper presents the historical context for the life and work of Augustine. Then the paper examines Brown's evaluation of Augustine's place in the evolution of Christianity's spiritual content and its ecclesiastical structures.
From the Paper "The purpose of this research is to compare the portrait of Augustine of Hippo presented in Peter Brown's modern biography with the portrait that Augustine himself presents in the 'Confessions'. The plan of the research will be to set forth the historical context..."
Abstract This paper discusses St. Augustine's sin of stealing the pears and what made him do so. It details the commentary on this, what was going through St. Augustine's head, and what were the consequences of his act. It describes how St. Augustine became one of the greatest doctors of the Catholic Church and details his great achievements despite this incident.
From the Paper "St. Augustine's account of his stealing the pears is a starkly honest confrontation of his ? and man's ? wretchedness without God. He freely admits that stealing is against God's law, which is inherently etched in the heart of man, a law which not even sin can erase. Nonetheless, man steals -- and Augustine stole those pears, not out of want for something to eat or any other need for them, nor for the desire to own the fruits because of their exceptional quality, such as color or taste. Augustine writes that he stole simply because he "lusted to thieve" (p 4 par 4). He revealed that the act came out of being habituated to sin, ?a pampered ness of iniquity.? (p 4 par 4), which inclined him to no other pattern of acts but the wrong ones. He said it exactly and clearly but in repentance, that it was out of a joy for the evil that he sinned by stealing: ?It was foul, and I loved it.? (p 5 par 1). It was doing something wrong for the preference and enjoyment of evil."
Abstract This paper shows how, in his "Confessions", Augustine reflects back on his life, particularly his memories of Monica, his mother and Adeodatus, his son, and interprets their meanings as God working through daily intervention to change the way Augustine thinks and feels.
From the Paper "The Confessions is St. Augustine's reflection back on his life, and his search for God during it. He chronicles his experiences from birth until the present time, and explains the deeper meaning that he now sees in each one. Through his reflection, his is able to deeper understand the ways in which God works, and is able to unite with God in spirit. It is through this deeper understanding that in the time he was searching for God in earthly ideas and objects, God was within him all along. Augustine did not find God while searching for him, God revealed himself to Augustine through Augustine's personal history and experience."
Tags: anthropology, augustine, confessions, god, religious
Abstract Tracing the life of Augustine, this paper aims to identify the stages of conversion as noted by Augustine himself in his Confessions. The writer examines reasons for his conversion and the historical significance of the conversion itself.
From the Paper "Fourth century Rome was a time of many changes. Writers and common society alike pointed out many of the problems within the framework of the Empire. Although many writers, such as Aristides, were quick to point out the virtues of Rome, there were definite undercurrents of uneasiness throughout the empire. Many citizens, fearing the growing climate of immorality and desiring deeper spirituality, turned to a new power: Christianity. There is no work which tells better the allure of Christianity than St. Augustine's Confessions-a work in which a man tells of the stages of his conversion to the religion which was to be the most influential factor in the development of European history. Augustine's main purpose in writing the confessions was to praise God, to extol the wisdom of God and to search for God through prayer. In his Confessions, Augustine describes five stages in his conversion to Christianity: his love of philosophy, sparked by the readings of Cicero's Hortensius; his conversion to and disenchantment with Manichaenism; his meeting of St. Ambrose; his conversion to Platonism, and a final mystical experience which led to his total conversion in 386."
Abstract In St. Augustine's fourth century text, "Confessions", his mother, Monica's devoted and exemplary relationships with the men in her life ironically deny her the status of a respected individual in society. This essay uses Monica to analyze the role of the early Christian woman in her society. Additionally, it uses the works of feminist anthropologist Sherry B. Ortner to provide a framework for the analysis. Specific examples from Augustine's "Confessions" are also used.
From the Paper "Additionally, Ortner believes that women's inferiority is partially due to their association with domestic tasks such as raising children, beings far removed from culture (77-8). Augustine has very little interaction with his father, especially in regards to the cultural construct of Christianity. His religious devotion is the realm of his mother, giving her significant influence over his future societal relations. This close interaction, following Ortner's theory, degrades Monica despite its cultural nature. Thus, ironically, Monica's relationship with Augustine devalues her in the eyes of men, an opinion that Augustine also adopts. Meanwhile, her efforts in raising him to become a Christian, a cultural classification, are overlooked."
Abstract This paper examines St. Augustine's criticism of his study of classical learning. The author points out st. Augustine's disdain of classical studies because they fed his vanity, pride and ambition.
From the Paper "In Book I of the "Confessions", St. Augustine sharply criticizes his experience with what is today called classical learning. He confesses that he is not overfond of Homer but that he did enjoy Virgil. He is also fully conversant with the Roman playwrights citing ..."
Abstract The paper discusses that it is rather unusual to compare Machiavelli and Augustine, as they are regarded as utterly different theorists. Augustine's reputation is that of a saintly figure, a man who in many ways molded Christian doctrine. On the other hand, most people have very negative associations with Machiavelli, who is seen as advocating political opportunism. The paper shows that their understanding of the relationship between morality and religion, on the one hand and politics on the other hand, were just as different as we might expect.
Abstract This paper is a short discussion of Augustine's conversion of faith, towards the church and away from Gnosticism and skepticism, and how this conversion coincides with the changes in his will and sexual appetite.
From the Paper "In The Confessions, St. Augustine goes through three distinct intellectual conversions in his adult life that led to the ultimate goal of conversion of his will toward God. Augustine's method is extremely philosophical in nature. The first stage of his conversion is acceptance of Manicheism; a doctrine he continually criticized throughout the book. The second stage is somewhat of a transitional period in Augustine's life where those philosophies he accepted with the Manichee faith are challenged and rebutted. The third and final stage of Augustine's intellectual conversion and subsequent conversion of the will is his appraisal of neo-platonic philosophy. Although Augustine remains is concerned about how conversion may affect his lifestyle and sexual appetite throughout the book, his intellectual progression ultimately leads to his conversion."
Abstract In this paper, both Boethius and Augustine reflect an active memory that is acutely based on solitude for clarity of higher spiritual truths. By being untainted by outside abuses to the memory of Jesus or Socrates, silence and isolation gave these authors a pure vision of the past in their recollection of greater truths within the human condition. By actively presenting memories that are valid to understanding human nature, the present tense and the future are glorified through forgiveness and greater truths within a philosophical and religious perspective.
From the Paper "In this philosophical study the nature of memory will be examined within the 'Confessions' by Augustine and 'The Consolation of Philosophy' by Boethius. The influence of philosophy on the nature of memory affects both authors through the affect of solitude in these writings. Memory is integral to realizing the truth of human nature, and how mankind can find the greater good through interpreting the past. Boethius and Augustine both place a great deal of spiritual and philosophical value when determining the personal convictions they exhibit in their belief systems. For Augustine the nature of memory is essential in discovering his conviction in God, and how this affects his faith in mankind. In writing the 'Confessions' Augustine has become aware of the nature of his solitude in searching for forgiveness for his past sins."
Abstract This paper examines St. Augustine's doctrine on evil. St. Augustine believed that God made a perfect world, but that God's creatures turned away from God of their own free will, through different types of falls, and that is how evil originated in the world. It shows how Augustine's approach to a solution to the problem of evil has three main parts: The author explains how Augustine assumes that evil is a privation and cannot be properly said to exist at all, he argues that the apparent imperfection of any part of creation disappears in light of the perfection of the whole and he argues that moral evil, together with that suffering which is created as punishment for sin, originates in the free nature of the will of all creatures. According to Augustine, God has allowed evil to exist in the world because it does not conflict with His goodness. He did not create evil but is also not a victim of it. He simply allows it to exist.
From the Paper "In Augustine's study of the problem of evil, he argues that there are a variety of things that are good. Without this variety, he says, there can be a greater good ness of things as a whole than there would be if this variety did not exist. Augustine also argues that evil is not completely real in itself. Instead, it is dependent on something more real, like disease, which is a form of evil. He points out that disease can only exist in a body, which is a form of good. Therefore, Augustine says, God, who is the source of everything that exists, is not in contest with a positive being or a counterpart that is evil."
This paper discusses Norman R. Augustine, born in 1935, who has played an influential role in the world of engineering and in the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
Abstract This paper explains that Augustine made numerous contributions to the American Defense Department, especially his theory that the industrial base of the Defense Department would become too dependent upon foreign suppliers for essential components, such as semi-conductors and semi conductor technology. The author points out that, when he was CEO of Lockheed Martin, Augustine was in favor of mergers because he believed that they were more cost effective and that mergers between defense companies would increase productivity and save the Department of Defense millions of dollars each year. The paper relates that one of Augustine's theories asserted that products that were once used for matters of defense could not be converted to civilian work.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Norman Augustine Biography
Career Accomplishments
Theories and Augustine's Laws
Conclusion
From the Paper "Norman Augustine was born in 1935 in Denver Colorado and grew up during World War II. He was an exceptional student, entered Princeton in 1953, and received his bachelors of science in engineering in 1957. Augustine also received a master's degree from Princeton in 1959. He has also received several honorary doctorates in Engineering and Science from several institutions of learning throughout the country. In 1958, while still obtaining his masters at Princeton he worked for the Douglas Aircraft Company where he became a Chief Engineer and a Program Manager. According to the American Institute of Electrical Engineers Augustine began working at the Office of the Secretary of DefenseWhile there he served as the Assistant Director of Defense Research and Engineering. In 1970 he became part of the LTV Missiles and Space Company, where he was the Vice President of Advanced programs and marketing."
Abstract This paper explains that, by all accounts, Augustine was both a very sociable individual and a deeply committed friend; but, despite valuing friendship very highly, Augustine seems to see friendship as a potential source and expression of evil. The author points out that Augustine obviously has a great deal of interest and respect for friendship, to the point that he considered living with all his friends in something of a religious commune, and that he was willing to encourage Alypius to go against his father's wishes to remain friends with Augustine. The paper relates that Augustine sees that friendships can lead one, through peer pressure and mutual encouragement of the baser instincts, into sin; he believes that, when a relationship is based entirely on the physical, then that friendship cannot only lead one into evil, but also be evil in itself.
From the Paper "Augustine's opinions on friendship date back to his own adolescent experiences. The issue and the story from which it springs arise in the course of a meditation of the cause of evil. Plato has said, and many have since believed, that evil is something that no person pursues for its own merits -- rather, people do evil things in the pursuit of other, baser good things. For example, the evil of adultery might be committed in pursuit of the good of love and pleasure, or the evil of theft might be committed in pursuit of the good of food or the good of having physical comfort. However, Augustine suggests that people may also act in an evil fashion without hope to gain some other good."
Abstract This paper discusses the life of St. Augustine and particularly focuses on his autobiography entitled "The Confessions of St. Augustine". The paper begins by describing Augustine's life before his conversion to Christianity and his journey to God. The paper then describes St. Augustine's book as a spiritual autobiography and a series of meditations upon how the author believes he came to be led to the path of God.
From the Paper "Augustine also attempts to rationalize his devotion to the Manicheans, a competing sect, by explaining that now he knows what real love for God feels like, he sees what seemed real to be transient: "the fantasies of the Manicheans were not in any way like thee as thou hast spoken to me now. They were simply fantastic and false. In comparison to them the actual bodies which we see with our fleshly sight, both celestial and terrestrial, are far more certain." (III.VI.10) Without God's help, however, Augustine even sees all of his later success in law as meaningless, and as unguided. Even good aspects of the world before his conversion, like God's creation of human beings, were filtered through his desire for either approval or sex, rather than an appreciation of God."
Abstract This paper explains that Augustine's autobiography "Confessions" presents his youth in a much more negative light than historical studies justify. The author points out that Augustine's idea was to represent himself in such a negative light that few of his readers could see themselves being greater sinners than Augustine; therefore, if God was willing to save Augustine despite all of his sins, he would surely be willing to save the reader if he or she was truly penitent. The paper states that Augustine addresses the problem of the apparent simplicity of Scripture in comparison to classical philosophy by arguing that Scripture is actually more complex and significant than the works of classical Greece and Rome. The paper includes many quotations.
From the Paper "Throughout the text Augustine invariably refers to "you" - the addressee of his work - as being God. In this text he focuses on the sins of his youth with such passionate fervor in condemning how he "ran wild with lust that was manifold and rank" that many readers would initially be taken aback. Augustine's concentration upon these lusts and crimes is such as to cause a critical reader to wonder at Augustine's objective here. After all, it is illogical - in a prayer to God - for Augustine to go into such great detail about his lusts and sins since God would, of course, be fully aware of them."
