St. Augustine's Confessions
LIBERTY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
A CRITICAL REVIEW OF ST. AUGUSTINE’S CONFESSIONS
BY ST. AUGUSTINE
SUBMITTED TO DR. GREGORY TOMLIN
IN PARTIAL FULLFILLMENT OF THE
REQUIREMENTS FOR CHHI520
DEPARTMENT OF CHURCH HISTORY
BY
SHARRON WATKINS
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA
11 AUGUST 2012
TABLE of CONTENTS Introduction------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 Summary --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 The Unknown God---------------------------------------------------------------- 4 A “Timeless” God in “Time”----------------------------------------------------- 7 The Spirit of Creation ------------------------------------------------------------ 8 The Creative Work---------------------------------------------------------------- 10 Created For God’s Purpose------------------------------------------------------- 13 Conclusion------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14 Bibliography----------------------------------------------------------------------- 16
Introduction
Genesis Chapter 1 Verse 1 reads, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth…” St. Augustine wanted to know how this could be true. St. Augustine believed the universe and all therein was created instantaneously, and not over the course of six literal days. St. Augustine understood the six days to be allegorical representations. Yet he believed God transcends space and time with no corporal beginning or ending. St. Augustine spent a lot of years trying to figure out how God made the heaven and the earth? Why a Timeless God would create in time? Why would God subordinate Himself to the control of something He, Himself created? Why would creation days have temporal extent or even sequence? St. Augustine’s believed the creation potentially took form and shape in the mind of God figuratively, and was later seen literally in time; therefore
A CRITICAL REVIEW OF ST. AUGUSTINE’S CONFESSIONS
BY ST. AUGUSTINE
SUBMITTED TO DR. GREGORY TOMLIN
IN PARTIAL FULLFILLMENT OF THE
REQUIREMENTS FOR CHHI520
DEPARTMENT OF CHURCH HISTORY
BY
SHARRON WATKINS
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA
11 AUGUST 2012
TABLE of CONTENTS Introduction------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 Summary --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 The Unknown God---------------------------------------------------------------- 4 A “Timeless” God in “Time”----------------------------------------------------- 7 The Spirit of Creation ------------------------------------------------------------ 8 The Creative Work---------------------------------------------------------------- 10 Created For God’s Purpose------------------------------------------------------- 13 Conclusion------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14 Bibliography----------------------------------------------------------------------- 16
Introduction
Genesis Chapter 1 Verse 1 reads, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth…” St. Augustine wanted to know how this could be true. St. Augustine believed the universe and all therein was created instantaneously, and not over the course of six literal days. St. Augustine understood the six days to be allegorical representations. Yet he believed God transcends space and time with no corporal beginning or ending. St. Augustine spent a lot of years trying to figure out how God made the heaven and the earth? Why a Timeless God would create in time? Why would God subordinate Himself to the control of something He, Himself created? Why would creation days have temporal extent or even sequence? St. Augustine’s believed the creation potentially took form and shape in the mind of God figuratively, and was later seen literally in time; therefore