Augustine's Beliefs In The City Of Gods By Augustine
Romans had extreme expectations for themselves and for their territory, to the point they no longer referred to their kingdom as The Roman Empire but instead The Eternal City. Nobody believed the city would’ve collapsed they believed the city will stay standing endlessly. The falling of the Roman Empire left the citizens of Rome baffled. They lost faith in everything; the Romans believed that the Christians caused the Roman Empire to fall because they’ve brought different beliefs into their territory. Assumptions caused division between the Christians and the citizens of roman who were against them. In this essay I will briefly discuss excerpts from The City of Gods by Augustine with focus on book xix. My topic of discussion will explain Augustine’s news on how one should live and to what extent of one’s capability should one live this way by clarifying virtue, sin
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and peace.
Augustine, The City of God, book xix covers the points were Augustine response to the judgments of other philosophers such as Varro and others discussing his two cities which are known as the earthly and the heavenly. The philosophers believed in the supreme good and evil. Varro considers that there are two parts within human nature, body and soul. They wanted individuals to believe, the keys of life are based only on the body and soul. Humanity being the biggest key to human nature is nothing with out the body, meaning you can’t have one without the other. Augustine argues and uses man as an example, letting you understand that body and soul can be apart of life but it is not an essential to life. Augustine believes that you need virtue and peace in order to live a good life.
Being that the romans was not educated and did not know how to read nor write it was hard for them to learn things on their own. They looked up to those who already under stood the materials at the time because they were the only ones who could educate them on what they should do and how they should live. Various individuals tend to get virtue confused with life “For life is not the same thing as virtue”(Chapter 3).
What many don’t understand is that virtue is the goodness in life, meaning you need to find the quality within virtue in order to regulate your life. Augustine helps us comprehend the value of virtue. Virtue is not something you can wake up one day and it would be handed to you. The life that you live educates you on virtue and how it is used, because you can’t be virtue without life. You can walk the surface of the earth for eternality and still could question your purpose of living. This leads to why it is best to find yourself first before you can enjoy life. Once you understand your morals then you are able to better yourself and become good. Virtue also deals with righteous, if you don’t have respect for yourself well cause you not to have respect for others. What you need to understand is once you are good then the outcome of it will be nothing but happiness.
“Is not all its vigilance spent in the discernment of good from evil things, so that no mistakes may be admitted about what we should desire and what avoid”(chapter 4)? Augustine expresses that people tend to lack when it comes to knowing oneself. He believes that everyone has evil in them but it’s how you portray the evil. Many people don’t recognize that in order to see the evil you must first learn it instead people dwell on looking for the good in evil not realizing that it causes them to sin. Sometimes you have to go through trials to fully have the concept of how things work. You need to have prudence in virtue to become virtue without sin. Once you over come what causes the sins then you will control the evil that is already in you. Sin is looked upon as a disease that dirties the body and soul. Augustine believes that though the soul is looked as biggest advantage, but to God it is the least. So if God considers the soul to be least of an advantage then you shouldn’t either.
“ For every man seeks peace by waging war, but no man seeks war by making peace” (chapter 12).
They believed that war makes peace but in reality it cause more problems. Although virtue is one essential to life, you must also look at peace. Augustine believes that peace’s is something that you should desire and there is an order you must follow in order to find peace. Nothing can compete with how good peace could be in your life being that is part of human nature between body, soul and God. You can find peace in mortal life and in earthly life. This shows how powerful peace can be. The theory behind peace is the conformity towards God and oneself and then it lead you to have peace towards others, were people tend to lack very much in. Augustine wanted the to have belief in changing, because you need too grow in order to over come different obstacles that come your way. Peace is a great way to keep you away from the sins. The reason being that peace helps you with your sins is because you realizing what to do with your self. Now you will be well aware of your human nature. You need to love yourself
always.
In conclusion Augustine did not agree with what other philosophies pointed out about supreme good and their outlook of human nature. Instead he considers that in order for one to live you need to find the righteousness in virtue, awareness of sin and to be at peace with God, others and yourself at the extent of over coming your troubles. Augustine views are all based upon God, who he believed is the only person you should believe in being that he knows what’s best because he put us on in this world and when we leave it we all still going to be ruled by God.
and peace.
Augustine, The City of God, book xix covers the points were Augustine response to the judgments of other philosophers such as Varro and others discussing his two cities which are known as the earthly and the heavenly. The philosophers believed in the supreme good and evil. Varro considers that there are two parts within human nature, body and soul. They wanted individuals to believe, the keys of life are based only on the body and soul. Humanity being the biggest key to human nature is nothing with out the body, meaning you can’t have one without the other. Augustine argues and uses man as an example, letting you understand that body and soul can be apart of life but it is not an essential to life. Augustine believes that you need virtue and peace in order to live a good life.
Being that the romans was not educated and did not know how to read nor write it was hard for them to learn things on their own. They looked up to those who already under stood the materials at the time because they were the only ones who could educate them on what they should do and how they should live. Various individuals tend to get virtue confused with life “For life is not the same thing as virtue”(Chapter 3).
What many don’t understand is that virtue is the goodness in life, meaning you need to find the quality within virtue in order to regulate your life. Augustine helps us comprehend the value of virtue. Virtue is not something you can wake up one day and it would be handed to you. The life that you live educates you on virtue and how it is used, because you can’t be virtue without life. You can walk the surface of the earth for eternality and still could question your purpose of living. This leads to why it is best to find yourself first before you can enjoy life. Once you understand your morals then you are able to better yourself and become good. Virtue also deals with righteous, if you don’t have respect for yourself well cause you not to have respect for others. What you need to understand is once you are good then the outcome of it will be nothing but happiness.
“Is not all its vigilance spent in the discernment of good from evil things, so that no mistakes may be admitted about what we should desire and what avoid”(chapter 4)? Augustine expresses that people tend to lack when it comes to knowing oneself. He believes that everyone has evil in them but it’s how you portray the evil. Many people don’t recognize that in order to see the evil you must first learn it instead people dwell on looking for the good in evil not realizing that it causes them to sin. Sometimes you have to go through trials to fully have the concept of how things work. You need to have prudence in virtue to become virtue without sin. Once you over come what causes the sins then you will control the evil that is already in you. Sin is looked upon as a disease that dirties the body and soul. Augustine believes that though the soul is looked as biggest advantage, but to God it is the least. So if God considers the soul to be least of an advantage then you shouldn’t either.
“ For every man seeks peace by waging war, but no man seeks war by making peace” (chapter 12).
They believed that war makes peace but in reality it cause more problems. Although virtue is one essential to life, you must also look at peace. Augustine believes that peace’s is something that you should desire and there is an order you must follow in order to find peace. Nothing can compete with how good peace could be in your life being that is part of human nature between body, soul and God. You can find peace in mortal life and in earthly life. This shows how powerful peace can be. The theory behind peace is the conformity towards God and oneself and then it lead you to have peace towards others, were people tend to lack very much in. Augustine wanted the to have belief in changing, because you need too grow in order to over come different obstacles that come your way. Peace is a great way to keep you away from the sins. The reason being that peace helps you with your sins is because you realizing what to do with your self. Now you will be well aware of your human nature. You need to love yourself
always.
In conclusion Augustine did not agree with what other philosophies pointed out about supreme good and their outlook of human nature. Instead he considers that in order for one to live you need to find the righteousness in virtue, awareness of sin and to be at peace with God, others and yourself at the extent of over coming your troubles. Augustine views are all based upon God, who he believed is the only person you should believe in being that he knows what’s best because he put us on in this world and when we leave it we all still going to be ruled by God.