Augustine’s Theological Method And Contribution To The Christian Theology (original) (raw)
Related papers
The Enduring Influence of St. Augustine in Western Philosophy
United International Journal for Research & Technology, 2021
Far beyond the Medieval antiquity of his time. St. Augustine remains a towering figure with an enduring relevance in western philosophy history. With his ideas leveraging most Modern and Contemporary philosophical systems, his significance in western philosophical thought cannot be overemphasized. To enunciate this with evidential supports, this Paper reviews some of Augustine's thoughts that have remained influential in western philosophy. The paper adopts the descriptive and analytic research method.
This essay attempts to analyze Augustine’s hermeneutics and homiletics in his De doctrina christiana. I will offer a succinct synopsis of the work and highlight various points showing Augustine’s hermeneutical and homiletical characteristics. Augustine stresses the importance of humiliation in the study of Scripture. He also regards the duplex commandment of love in Matthew 22 as the heart of Christian faith. In Augustine’s hermeneutics, sign has an important role. God can communicate with the believer through the signs of the Scriptures. Thus, humiliation, love, and the knowledge of signs are an essential hermeneutical presupposition for a sound interpretation of the Scriptures. Although Augustine endorses some teaching of the Platonism of his time, he corrects and recasts it according to a theocentric doctrine of the Bible. Similarly, in a practical discipline, he modifies the classical theory of oratory in a Christian way. He underscores the meaning of diligent study of the Bible and prayer as more than mere human knowledge and oratory skills. As a concluding remark, Augustine encourages the interpreter and preacher of the Bible to seek a good manner of life and, most of all, to love God and neighbor. * Key words: Augustine, hermeneutics, humiliation, love, prayer
Augustine's relevance for contemporary religious education
2015
For young people, Augustine can have something of mysterium fascinosum et tremendum. His engaging personality and passionate life can, on the one hand, have a strong appealing force. On the other hand, some of his more extreme ideas can arouse opposition amongst the young. In order to determine the possible significance of Augustine as inspiration and subject for religious education today, the present article develops a double movement: (1) deconstruction and (2) construction. (1) Many pictures and even many prejudices exist of Augustine. Precisely the excellent case study offered to us by Augustine when he evaluates current prejudices of theologians and religious texts of our Christian tradition is in itself already a first element for establishing Augustine's contemporary relevance for religious education. (2) Once Augustine is stripped from prejudices and we have obtained a 'neutral' and historical correct view of his time, life and writings, we will understand the constructive interaction between context and content in Augustine, the theologian. Herein lies a second possible relevance of Augustine. Finally, we will constructively examine how Augustine's most fundamental intuitionssuch as his ideas on grace-can be relevant for theological thought in general and current religious education in particular.
AUGUSTINE'S THEOLOGY OF TWO CIITES .pdf
He has also left an abiding indirect influence on the cultural heritage of the West in general. Even today, irrespective of school and denomination, he attracts Christians and non-Christians, philosophers and theologians alike by his writings. 5
Augustine’s Eternal Search for the True Face of God
Seeking God’s Face, 2018
The chapter follows various stages of Augustine's search for God. It shows that questioning the reality and God was present throughout all Augustine's life. First, the topic of questioning in the ancient Christian literatur eis followed. Second, Augustine's idea of religion is analysed. Third, various stages of Augustine's questioning present in his Confessions are followed: the philosophical and the Christian stage. The exemples of biblical exegesis followed in the book show that Augustine's search for God never ends and that there is a continuity between Augustine philosopher and theologian. In fact, Augustine was formed by two equally influential traditions, the philosophical and the Christian. Keywords: Latin Patrology; Augustine; Questioning; Confessions; Philosophy; Conversion; Religion; Theology; Early Christianity; Patristic Exegesis Vopřada, David. „Augustine’s Eternal Search for the True Face of God". In Seeking God’s Face, Mireia Ryšková, 137–58. Praha: Karolinum Press, 2018.
Notes on a Method: Engaging with Augustine at the Intersection of Philosophy, Theology, and History
Notes on a Method: Engaging with Augustine at the Intersection of Philosophy, Theology, and History, 2022
This article addresses the following question: Is it possible, and if so, to what extent, to draw upon sources from different contexts or disciplines to perform theological research? The first part describes the historical origins and contemporary application of the handmaiden model of theology (“philosophy is the handmaiden of theology,” philosophia ancilla theologiae). In the second section, I consider two closely related objections to this model, namely confirmation bias (or eisegesis) and anachronism. Section three demonstrates that while these objections should be carefully considered, they do not preclude altogether the possibility of engaging with sources across temporal or disciplinary boundaries. Gadamer’s hermeneutical philosophy grounds the possibility of such interaction. The remainder of the article provides a more specific vision of how this model can be practiced. First, I look to the theological tradition itself, in particular Augustine’s interpretive principles as applied to Genesis 1 (Confessiones 12) and Michael Fishbane’s appropriation of the Jewish hermeneutical tradition. Finally, the contemporary scholars William Desmond and Cyril O’Regan exemplify the responsible constructive engagement with the sources. I argue that practitioners of the handmaiden model must take seriously objections to and concerns about their methodology. Nonetheless, once critically adapted to present circumstances, this model is feasible for a contemporary scholarly context. One can respect the integrity of the sources while also interpreting them in ways which apply to present theological interests. A key implication of this research is that for each to function properly, historical theology and systematic theology must consistently interact with each other.
Principles of Christian Theology in Augustine’s Perspective with An Attitude to the Divine Justice
Journal of Politics and Law, 2016
Faith had a special place in the thought of Augustine, so that it should be considered essential as a starting point in the process of human purification. In this opinion, our knowledge to the seen and believable affairs would be the thoughts and faith respectively. This approch stated about the role of faith in the understanding that revelation invites us to believe and we cannot understand as long as we don’t believe. The Greek ideas have been used during Fathers period and its subject matter emphasized that there is a great and infinite God. The concept of God in Greek philosophy was close to the God of the Bible in some ways. Justin martyr confirmed that the Christian faith is the only valid and useful philosophy. More righteous God should be inclusive to the extent of justice’s concept. God worship must be a responsibility not just for the chosen nation, but other people also worship him. Augustine and holy texts considered attributes to God such as infinite, substantive, creat...