Augustine's Response To The Origin Of Evil
Overtime, Augustine developed the concepts of evil, original sin, grace, human freedom, predestination and the sacraments. Initially intrigued by the dualistic themes of dark and light, and flesh and spirit, Augustine’s theological journey saw him trying to set his life in order by testing a variety of belief structures. The focus of this is Augustine’s response to the Manicheans regarding the origin of evil, his response to Pelagius regarding grace and separately the response to Donatus regarding the acceptability of a person offering a sacrament.
EVIL AND ORIGINAL SIN
Mani brought together ideas from many faith traditions and myths, he identified himself in the line of succession of Zoroaster, Buddha, and Jesus and his resulting new religion …show more content…
While an exploration of the Neoplatonist view that “evil does not originate from a different source, but consists simply in moving away from the One” (Gonzalez 245) helped him develop his position on free will, the matter of source is begun here but left for further development to his time with Ambrose. Meanwhile Augustine worked out, in part, the solution of the permanent and persuasive effect of original sin (HWCM 233) stating, “for the first freedom of choice, …, gave the ability not to sin, but also the ability to sin” (Bettenson 60-1). Therefore, bad decisions are the origin of evil (Gonzalez …show more content…
“In North Africa, turning over the scriptures to imperial authorities was regarded as a heinous offense” (HWCM 167). At the heart of Donatism was the claim that the guilty “traditor” must not be allowed to pollute the spiritual holiness of the church (168). Augustine argued, “grace was effective … not because of the purity of its ministers but because the sacraments were given by Christ” (232). This divisive controversy continued to until the Donatists and through the time of the invading Vandals and both eventually disappeared by the time of the Muslim invasions (Gonzalez 252).
HISTORICAL PERIOD
Written over a twenty-five year span, Augustine’s views were a refutation of the claims made by Mani, Donatus and Pelagius. During this period, the region of North Africa faced religious, economic and political upheavals that included trade battles between rival religious groups, violence, regional instability leading to invasion by the Vandals and eventually the fall of Rome itself. Augustine was the great pastor who saw the end of the Imperial Church and bequeathed some of the most influential theologies of the Western church to both Protestants and Catholics (Gonzalez
EVIL AND ORIGINAL SIN
Mani brought together ideas from many faith traditions and myths, he identified himself in the line of succession of Zoroaster, Buddha, and Jesus and his resulting new religion …show more content…
While an exploration of the Neoplatonist view that “evil does not originate from a different source, but consists simply in moving away from the One” (Gonzalez 245) helped him develop his position on free will, the matter of source is begun here but left for further development to his time with Ambrose. Meanwhile Augustine worked out, in part, the solution of the permanent and persuasive effect of original sin (HWCM 233) stating, “for the first freedom of choice, …, gave the ability not to sin, but also the ability to sin” (Bettenson 60-1). Therefore, bad decisions are the origin of evil (Gonzalez …show more content…
“In North Africa, turning over the scriptures to imperial authorities was regarded as a heinous offense” (HWCM 167). At the heart of Donatism was the claim that the guilty “traditor” must not be allowed to pollute the spiritual holiness of the church (168). Augustine argued, “grace was effective … not because of the purity of its ministers but because the sacraments were given by Christ” (232). This divisive controversy continued to until the Donatists and through the time of the invading Vandals and both eventually disappeared by the time of the Muslim invasions (Gonzalez 252).
HISTORICAL PERIOD
Written over a twenty-five year span, Augustine’s views were a refutation of the claims made by Mani, Donatus and Pelagius. During this period, the region of North Africa faced religious, economic and political upheavals that included trade battles between rival religious groups, violence, regional instability leading to invasion by the Vandals and eventually the fall of Rome itself. Augustine was the great pastor who saw the end of the Imperial Church and bequeathed some of the most influential theologies of the Western church to both Protestants and Catholics (Gonzalez