| Papers [1-15] of 100 :: [Page 1 of 7] | | Go to page : 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 —> | Search results on "JOHN MILTON ST AUGUSTINE": |
|
|
John Milton and St. Augustine, 2006.
An analysis of "Confessions" by St. Augustine and "Paradise Lost" by John Milton.
831 words (approx. 3.3 pages), 0 sources, $ 29.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
This paper analyzes "Confessions" by St. Augustine and "Paradise Lost" by John Milton and explains that both works reflect conflict between humanity and God. More specifically, the paper explains the theme found in both works about rebellion against divine authority as seen through the human propensity to commit immoral actions and thoughts.
From the Paper
"Conflict is one of the main elements present in literary works that helps story development. Conflict is depicted in various situations and kinds, and one common characteristic that these various depictions of conflict have with each other is that each reflects human nature and how it confronts conflicts that come their way in life. An example of one depiction of conflict that is commonly experienced by human society is rebellion against divine authority. This theme is not manifested explicitly in daily human interaction, but rebellion against divine authority is a daily conflict that individuals have to go through. Rebellion against divine authority is evident when one contemplates the morality of his/her actions, behavior, and thoughts. It is also present when the individual experiences emotional turmoil in determining whether his/her life had been lived parallel or against the principles advocated for by the 'divine authority' that s/he believed in."
| |
|
St. Augustine and St. Francis, 1991.
This paper compares the views of St. Augustine and St. Francis (in St. Bonaventure) concerning morality, war, and property.
2,250 words (approx. 9.0 pages), 3 sources, $ 79.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
From the Paper
"This paper compares and contrasts the views of St. Augustine and St. Francis (in St. Bonaventure) concerning morality, war, and property.
St. Augustine (354-430) was born in Roman North Africa of a and a pagan father. He received his initial schooling mainly in Latin literature, and he earned his living as a teacher in Carthage, Rome, and Milan. He joined the Manichaeans for several years, but was eventually disillusioned by the movement. After a period of skepticism, he was converted to Christianity by St. Ambrose and established a monastic community. In 391, he was ordained a priest at Hippo, becoming bishop there in 395.
Augustine believed in the importance of a single, unified Christian Church. He developed a theory of sin, grace, and ... "
| |
|
Two ?Saints?: Dorothy Day and St. Augustine, 2002.
This paper discusses the commitment to God of St. Augustine and Catholic Worker Movement leader Dorothy Day as presented in the books "The Confessions of St. Augustine" translated by John K. Ryan and "Dorothy Day: A Radical Devotion" by Robert Coles.
1,430 words (approx. 5.7 pages), 2 sources, MLA, $ 47.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
This paper explains that Catholic Worker Movement leader Dorothy Day and St. Augustine may be separated by years, but they are brother and sister in their joy and passion for life, for God, and for serving their Lord to the best of their abilities. The paper relates that Day question God throughout her life but found the answers in her work, in her strong commitment, and her relationship with God. The author believes that while Dorothy Day has not been raised to sainthood by the Church, she is certainly a saint in her own right and deserves a place beside St. Augustine.
From the Paper
"By sharing their writings and really their souls with their readers, both Day and St. Augustine not only show their beliefs ? they are actually perpetuating them. Those who read their stories cannot help but be touched by these devout people and the path they chose to worship and share their worship. They are more than believers; they are doers, for they dedicated their lives to following the path of God, and leading others down that path to joy and salvation. One of the things that really stand out in their wittings is their passion and commitment to what they are doing, and their passion and commitment in life. As they share their joy with others, they not only transform others' lives, they transform their own, and that is one of the things that helps their stories ring so true, and become so influential in the eyes of readers."
| |
|
"The Confessions of St. Augustine", 2007.
A review of St. Augustine's autobiography, "The Confessions of St. Augustine".
2,169 words (approx. 8.7 pages), 2 sources, MLA, $ 67.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
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."
| |
|
Confessions by St. Augustine, 2007.
This paper discusses salvation as the path towards goodness and looks at the purpose of humanity in life in "Confessions" by St. Augustine.
1,838 words (approx. 7.4 pages), 2 sources, MLA, $ 58.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
This paper centers its discussion and analysis on St. Augustine's "Confessions," discussing in detail its dominant theme of "salvation as God's grace to humanity". The writer assumes the position that, according to St. Augustine, salvation is the path towards goodness and determines the purpose of humanity in life. The writer discusses in detail, with evidences from the "Confessions," how this thesis is proven in accordance to St Augustine's experiences and eventual conversion to being a Christian. The writer concludes that, ultimately, "Confessions" tells its readers that Salvation is the primary mover, influence, and factor that drive humanity to the path of goodness, whether this is prescribed by Christianity, or by St Augustine himself.
Outline:
Introduction
"Men are born with Sin"
Only God can save humanity from sin through good works
Conclusion
From the Paper
"For St Augustine, humanity must not only surrender itself to God's will by acknowledging its inherent sinfulness, but it must also ask for God's mercy for this reason alone (inherent sinfulness of humanity). And because humanity's sinfulness is inherent, every individual on earth is subject to God's will and mercy, in the same way that every individual becomes a sinful individual because of the original sin, and, as posited by St Augustine earlier, by humanity's propensity to commit sins."
"For this section, the thought, "Men are born with Sins" is proven as an inherent and inevitable quality of humanity: it is inherent because humans are born with sin (i.e., the original sin), and it is inevitable because St Augustine believed that humans cannot not commit sins. Thus, in order to absolve the self from this inherent and inevitable nature of humanity's sinfulness, St Augustine recommended seeking God's mercy and following His will."
| |
|
St. Thomas Aquinas & St Augustine, 2006.
A discussion regarding St. Thomas Aquinas versus St Augustine on the responsibilities of the state and the responsibilities of the ruler.
1,914 words (approx. 7.7 pages), 3 sources, MLA, $ 61.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
This paper discusses how the Hebrew Scriptures were produced from the traditions of the ancient Israeli people, and that these scriptures fused moral, along with political injunctions as to how the state should create a just as well as a holy society, and defined the responsibilities of the leaders in relation to the people, as well as defined the citizen's relationship to the state. The paper goes on to say that Christianity, which is derived from Judaism, was spawned during a different political and historical point in Israeli history. The paper reviews how both the theologians St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas, when examining the responsibilities of the state, the ruler and the ruled in the Christian world, would also offer two different portraits of this judicial relationship, in attempting to reconcile scriptural prescriptions about correct behavior.
From the Paper
"However, in the Gospel According to St. Matthew, Jesus says: "Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's" (Matthew 22:21) In other words, the purpose of religion is not to concern itself with the worldly affairs of the here and now, but the world to come. Jesus frequently implies that there is a dichotomy between the morals and values of the ruling state and the true values of a very different world above. The second beatitude of the "Sermon on the Mount" is one of Jesus' most famous: "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." (Matthew 5:4) The meek that do not rule on earth will rule later on, and the rules that govern the world will be forever altered after the Day of Judgment. St. Paul reinforces this flesh and spirit divide in his Epistle to the Galatians: "For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." (Galatians 5:14) In other words, the true law of the land is spiritual, not the formally codified laws pertaining to ruling a state found in the Hebrew Bible. This is why Paul preaches against Christians observing the rules that Jews were bound by, such as circumcision. Christ had supplanted such old, physical laws. The laws of the world were of less concern than the inner laws of one's spiritual life."
| |
|
St. Augustine, The Confessions (Book II), 2001.
This paper analyzes St. Augustine, The Confessions (Book II) from a legal and moral point of view.
1,020 words (approx. 4.1 pages), 2 sources, MLA, $ 36.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
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."
| |
|
St. Augustine: Divine Grace and Free Will, 2007.
An in-depth look at the major doctrinal dispute between divine grace and free will, focusing on the teaching of St. Augustine.
5,814 words (approx. 23.3 pages), 11 sources, APA, $ 139.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
This paper reviews, discusses and analyzes the teachings of St. Augustine. The paper reports that the teachings of St. Augustine expounded upon the relationship between the Divine Grace and human free will and the influence both have on the achievement of individual human salvation. According to the paper, Pelagius was St. Augustine's biggest rival, teaching that Divine Grace was not the sole necessity for achieving salvation.
From the Paper
"God has decreed that we are all sinners, but even this condition is a result of a free choice made by Adam and Eve when they committed the original sin. In choosing to sin, the first man and first woman were undertaking truly momentous decision. Rather than accept that which was freely given to them - a beautiful and eternal paradise - they chose to question, and therefore to sin against God. By their choice in the beginning, all humanity was condemned to a life outside Eden, one that necessarily entailed sin. It is like the case of a man who chooses to emigrate from the country of his birth knowing that, once his decision is made, he can never return. He makes his choice, takes with him his wife, and goes to another country. The two have children in that country, and forever afterwards, their descendents are now citizens of that place. Those descendents can, of course, choose to change their habitations at some future date, even possibly deciding to return to the land from which they originally came, but they can never pick up from where their ancestors left off. It is possible, in fact, that the land, or nation, from which their forebears emigrated might no longer exist. At the very least, the position of their family in that country would have changed. It is the same with humankind and the Paradise that was Eden.
"Augustine viewed his own personal conversion as an act of Free Will. All his life, he had been faced with real choices in regard to his thoughts and actions. Throughout his youth, he had chosen to ignore the Path of God, and to follow false philosophies and indulge the pleasures of the flesh. The other choice - to accept Christ's teachings - was always open to him yet, until he consciously made it, could not possibly furnish any stimulus for change in his way of living. St. Augustine explains his discovery in Against the Manicheans"
| |
|
St. Augustine of Hippo, 2006.
This paper discusses St. Augustine of Hippo (354 to 430 A.D.) and his conversion to Christianity.
815 words (approx. 3.3 pages), 4 sources, MLA, $ 29.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
This paper explains that, in 386 A.D., St. Augustine of Hippo experienced a penultimate life-changing event which resulted in his conversion to Christianity and ended his hedonistic lifestyle. The author points out that this conversion to the faith and tenets of Christianity led St. Augustine to attack a number of humanistic and secular organizations, which were very influential in Europe during the latter years of the Roman Empire. The paper concludes that the conversion of St. Augustine literally opened the proverbial door to much human experience and thought in matters of religion and theology and paved the way for many influential religious and philosophical thinkers that followed him.
From the Paper
"In Book 11, Chapter 26 of his Confessions, St. Augustine discusses the concept of time which during the early years of Christianity was viewed as an extension of God Himself. He writes that, "It would appear to me that time is simply an extension, though what it is an extension of I have no idea. I begin to wonder if it is perhaps an extension of the mind itself." It should be noted that without his conversion to Christianity, St. Augustine would never have been capable of such deep thought, for what he is attempting to say is that the power of God extends into infinity with time being a mere extension of His power."
| |
|
St. Augustine's Problem of Evil, 2002.
A discussion of St. Augustine's theory of evil and why evil exists if God does.
1,848 words (approx. 7.4 pages), 5 sources, MLA, $ 59.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
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."
| |
|
St. Augustine's "Confessions", 2005.
This paper discusses the unique way in which St. Augustine approached the relationship between memory, God and self in his classical philosophical and theological treatise, known as the "Confessions".
1,365 words (approx. 5.5 pages), 0 sources, $ 45.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
This paper explains that St. Augustine considers knowledge to be separate from senses and the meaning of concepts separately from the sound of their vocalization; he concludes that knowledge does not enter people but has always existed in people - a very Platonic idea. The author points out that, in the recent Stephen King movie "Dreamcatcher", the protagonist retreats into his memory, which visualizes the ideas, which St. Augustine discusses so poetically at the beginning of the eighth chapter of his book "Confessions". The paper challenges everyone to think about the world of memory and about the world of experiencing God, who is somehow not of the world known by people: If people find God, or love, or hope, or truth in their memories, it belongs to them, but it is not really theirs to experience.
From the Paper
"At once his thoughts return to God, and this is a very important moment because in his fear and wonderment he has a moment of ecstatic doubt -- in this infinite interior, where is God? He recalls that even animals have memories, even they must have this kind of landscape, and animals (he thinks) do not have a relationship to God. If his self is distinct from his memory self, is it possible he does not really know all the things his memory-self seems to know? Can he know God? He worries that he must transcend the barriers of memory to find God, and yet he cannot even look for God if he cannot remember what he is looking for." This leads, through association, to the idea of looking for the "happy life."
| |
|
St. Augustine, 2004.
This paper presents St. Augustine's opinion of pagan studies and how it relates to the design of the "Confessions".
690 words (approx. 2.8 pages), 1 source, $ 23.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
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 ..."
| |
|
An Examination of St Augustine's Theory of Man, 2006.
An in-depth study of the philosophies behind St Augustine's theory of man.
2,219 words (approx. 8.9 pages), 3 sources, MLA, $ 68.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
In this study the author highlights all of the thinking and opinions surrounding St Augustine's theory of man.The paper centers on the ultimate question what is evil and where does it come from? The author then elaborates on this philosophy and quotes many works, political and religious that portray different viewpoints.The paper concludes with an examination of St Augustine's self hate and how it is not in keeping with his theories.
From the Paper
"In his Confessions, Augustine characterizes his early childhood as a sinful time. "I had been extremely miserable in adolescence, miserable from its very onset, and as I prayed to you for the gift of chastity I had even pleaded, "Grant me chastity, but not yet." I was afraid that you might hear me immediately and heal me forthwith of the morbid lust which I was...anxious to satisfy." It seems that every one of his body's desires brought him nothing but self-loathing and shame."
| |
|
?The Confessions of St. Augustine?, 2002.
A review of ?The Confessions of St. Augustine?, a portrait of the inner world of Augustine of Hippo.
939 words (approx. 3.8 pages), 3 sources, MLA, $ 33.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
This paper examines the work ?The Confessions of St. Augustine? by Augustine of Hippo, who was the bishop of Hippo in Roman Africa for 35 years, during the time of the decline of Roman civilization on that continent. It discusses how the work is an autobiographical account of his life and how Augustine shows the depth of his religious belief and writes extensively about his own inner turmoil about such events in his life as the time when he was a child and stole pears from a neighbors tree, a crime that haunted him for the rest of his life.
From the Paper
"Robert J. O'Connell emphasizes the problem created for readers by the mixture of autobiography and philosophical discussion, especially in trying to reconcile the autobiographical portion of the book, covering Books I-IX, and the final four books. Augustine examines the present state of his soul in Book X. That examination begins, however, with a lengthy discussion of "memory." Some authors see Book X as a later interpolation, but this does not explain how Augustine interprets those parts of the Scripture that he includes. The meaning of the last three books has been argued for centuries, and the implication is that when the meaning is understood, their relationship to the preceding books will be made clear: "The problem of the work's unity may well be one with the problem of its meaning" (O'Connell 6)."
| |
|
St. Augustine, 2005.
An analysis of St. Augustine's character as illustrated within his "Confessions".
1,047 words (approx. 4.2 pages), 2 sources, MLA, $ 36.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
This paper examines how the character of St. Augustine (354-430) as seen within his "Confessions", which he wrote as a long epistle to God in midlife, marks a distinct turning point in the life, attitudes and values of Augustine the man. It looks at how the content of Augustine's "Confessions" itself points to personality traits of Augustine which include honesty, sincerity, humility, piety, a capacity for self-reflection, and a desire for self-improvement.
From the Paper
"In Book II [The Pear Tree] Augustine confesses to God his past carnal wickedness: "I propose now to set down my past wickedness and the carnal corruptions of my soul, not for love of them but that I may love Thee, O my God" (p. 1226). He also confesses to stealing pears from a pear tree in his youth, not because he was hungry or otherwise needed them, but because "Our only pleasure in doing it was that it was forbidden" (p. 1227). Acts like these were, however, merely idle mischief to Augustine at the time, since he had not yet learned how to serve God, or even to begin to understand the central importance, to his life, of serving God, that he understands now. "
|
|
|
