Augustine of Hippo

1. Augustine of Hippo Who was he?

2. Dates and Places • Born 354 CE, died 430 CE • Spent most of his life in Roman North Africa • Was bishop of a place called Hippo when he died (now in Algeria)…

3. Augustine’s Influence • Medieval philosophy – particularly the relationship between faith and reason • Mysticism – Love of God central to his thinking. • Reformation – Both sides refered to him! Luther drew on his emphasis on grace, Catholicism drew on his insistence on free will. • Enlightenment – although Augustine’s doctrine of “original sin” was disliked at this time it still had much influence.

4. And more influence… • 18th/19th century Romanticism – drew strongly on Augustine’s interest in “feeling” and religion. In fact, we owe the use of the term “heart” in the “feeling” sense to him. • Platonism – lay the foundation stones for synthesis between Christianity and Platonism. This link is still strong today. • Philosophy of language – Clearly saw the problem of the relationship between language and the reality it describes.

5. Augustine and Christianity • Pagan father, devoutly Christian mother. • Troubled relationship with the church. • Became a Christian over many years while he grappled with the issues • Finally made his decision in 386 CE.

6. Augustine’s and Manichaeism • Manichees were dualists. The universe is a battle between good and evil – there is no omnipotent good God. Human beings are the battleground, divided between the good “soul” and the bad body. • In his early years Augustine was strongly influenced by these ideas. Some of his ideas about the nature of the world may come from here.

7. Augustine and Sex • He wrote one of the earliest known autobiographies, the “Confessions”. • In it he admits to struggling with his own sexual urges. • His own internal struggles may well have come to influence his thoughts about other things.