St. Augustine's On Free Choice And Will

Throughout history humans have been trying to seek the ultimate truth. Many times the truth sought is God. We wonder if he exists or if he can hear our prayers? But how could we possibly discover the truth about such a powerful being? There have been many ways that people have gone about seeking God. The ways in which some humans have sought the truth can be seen in famous works of literature. Such works include The Desert Fathers, The Rule of St. Benedict’s and On Free Choice and Will. The best way to seek the ultimate truth as God is by giving up temporal possessions and living with a community not going to extreme measures in order to try and discover the truth. The best way to discover the truth is to get rid of temporal possessions that
The monks are not tempted or worried about their own material possessions or wealth, this allows them to have more time to seek the truth through prayer and helping those in need. Similar to St. Benedict, St. Augustine also believes that we should give up material possessions in order to find God. In On Free Choice and Will, written by St. Augustine, discusses that the best way to find God is to give up temporal things and follow eternal law. St. Augustine stated that “the eternal law bids us turn away our love from temporal things, and turn it back, when purified, towards things that are eternal.” (Augustine, 69). The eternal law is the law of God, and if he demands that his followers to get rid of their temporal possessions then it will help them to discover the truth and develop a relationship with God. The Benedictine monks’ ultimate truth sought is God, they seek this truth by abiding by the rules of St. Benedict. The monastery, or community all share a common goal of finding the ultimate truth as God, this helps the monks to support each other since they all have the same goal. Benedictine monks
Like Benedictine monks, anchorites seek God but the anchorite’s practices are much more extreme. Some anchorites live by themselves in the desert (Ward). The desert is a very dangerous place where the monks could starve or dehydrate but no one would know because they do not live in a community. Some of the acts that the anchorites put their lives and health in danger and that is why their way of seeking truth should not be followed. In The Sayings of the Desert Fathers, the way of life of the anchorites are described through the saying of saints and abbots. In one saying by Bessarion, one extreme practice is seen when “ Abba Bessarion said ‘For fourteen days and nights, I have stood upright in the midst of thorn-bushes, without sleeping’” (Ward, 42). Standing in a thorn bush for fourteen days is an extreme practice because it puts your health in danger because it is not safe to stand up for fourteen days. I just feel that this is too extreme to stand in a thorn bush to seek the truth. The truth should not be sought in solidarity because you do not have others to help support you and tell you when you are doing something extreme in order to find the ultimate as