The main ideas of Augustine Aurelius. Teachings of Blessed Augustine Blessed Augustine main provisions of the teaching

Late antiquity became a time of changing historical cycles, when Christian teaching began to take over the minds of people, and the world of paganism began to lose ground. However, this transition was gradual. The first theologians and church fathers fully combined ancient education with adherence to ideals new faith. Augustine the Blessed was one of these thinkers.

Augustine's childhood

Unlike many apologists early Christianity, Saint Augustine escaped oppression - his fate turned out quite well. At the same time, spiritual quests and even its very origin clearly reflect the processes that took place in the world of late antiquity on the eve of the fall of Rome.

Origin and birth

The future philosopher and thinker was born in 354 in the Roman North African province of Numidia. The local population was largely Romanized and adopted the Latin language and culture. But still, Numidia was the outskirts of the empire and therefore was relatively remote from the main Christian centers, which for many centuries made it a place for the spread of heresies and intense ideological struggle. All this will later be reflected in the biography of the famous church father.

Family

Aurelius's father was a small landowner and pagan Patrician, descended from freedmen who had received Roman citizenship by edict of Emperor Caracalla more than a century earlier. But the saint’s mother, Monica, left a much greater mark on history. She came from a Christian family and eventually played a role in her son's conversion, also becoming beatified by the church. The life of Saint Monica has found its place in Orthodox and Catholic hagiography.

According to the recollections of the philosopher himself, the atmosphere in the family was not always healthy, including due to religious differences. Although the father loved his son, he was prone to scandalous behavior and adultery. However, the parents agreed on giving their son a good classical education.

Schooling

While mastering the sciences, Augustine had difficulty learning the Greek language, knowledge of which was considered very important at that time. But at the same time, the young man eagerly plunged into the world of Latin literature. As prescribed by the norms of that time, he took part in pagan rituals and already began to think about the deeper meanings of existence.

The boy had his first insight already during his school days. According to his memoirs, he and his friends were planning to steal fruit from someone else’s garden; they were very hungry, but refrained from stealing. In his writings, the saint later admitted that he experienced great shock and temptation from the “forbidden fruit.” This ultimately strengthened his belief in the corruption of human nature by original sin and the need to rely on the mercy of God.

Youth and youth

Despite the strong influence and upbringing of his Christian mother, conversion to this faith was still a long way off. Aurelius leads a hedonistic lifestyle, and at a certain point joins Manichaeism, a dualistic creed that was a combination of Christian, Zoroastrian and some other features. He also successfully studies and becomes a master of rhetoric.

Getting an education

At the age of 17, the young man reaches civil adulthood and moves to Carthage, continues to study rhetoric and jurisprudence, becomes acquainted with the works of Cicero and becomes increasingly interested in philosophy. This is where his spiritual quest begins.

For some time he taught rhetoric, and in 383 he went to Rome, where he was introduced to the prefect by his Manichean friends. The next stage was Milan, which for some time played the role of a capital city in the late Roman Empire. Speaking modern language, here the young scientist receives the title of professor of rhetoric.

Personal life

In Roman society, the practice of concubinage was widespread - the actual cohabitation of a man and a woman without entering into an official marriage. These relationships were not forbidden, but children born from such a relationship were legally considered illegitimate.

At the age of 17, while still living in Carthage, Augustine found a concubine woman from a lower class and lived with her for 13 years, and in 372 the couple had a son, Adeodatus. These relationships were characterized by love and depth of feelings, but could not develop into something more due to social conventions.

After moving to Milan, a bride was found for him, so the couple separated. But due to the too young age of the bride, the young man went into all serious troubles, started a new wife, then broke up with her and called off the engagement. As a result, the philosopher came to the idea of ​​chastity and limitation of carnal desires.

Conversion to Christianity

Gradually, the future saint becomes disillusioned with Manichaeism - he will later call the time of his passion for this religion a lost time of his life. Augustine leans toward skepticism for a while, and then becomes close to Bishop Ambrose of Milan and his circle. This becomes a turning point in the fate of the thinker.

He is preparing for baptism, which takes a long time. Having ancient education in his baggage, the scientist moves towards becoming an ideologist of Christianity. For several years, he seriously prepares - he studies the works of Plato and himself writes a number of works, in which he changes his philosophical views and ultimately moves away from skepticism. Finally, in 387, baptism took place.

Mature age

The Thinker sells all his property and distributes money to the poor, turning into an ascetic and leaning toward monasticism. Having become a Christian, he makes a church career, but does not give up writing - at this time the most famous works come from his pen.

Clergy

The thinker returns to Africa and begins serving in the church of the city of Hippo and very soon becomes a bishop here after the death of his predecessor Valery. From now on he is called Augustine of Hippo - by this name the saint is often referred to to this day in the book tradition of the West.

A separate direction for the father of the church was the fight against heresies, which at that time were actively being introduced on the outskirts of the empire, especially among the barbarians - its new inhabitants. Africa was no exception. Therefore, the priest comes out in defense of the canonical church, seeing only in it the path to the salvation of the soul.

He actively preaches, speaks at meetings and as a judge, writes commentaries on biblical texts in order to eliminate discrepancies and heretical interpretations. The fight against the Donatists is being successfully waged, but the most fierce confrontation is unfolding with the Pelagians - supporters of this doctrine believed in the personal ability of a Christian to save without the participation of God. In 417, at the Council of Carthage, Augustine defeated Pelagius, and this heresy was condemned and prohibited.

Founding of the monastic community

Upon his return to Africa, Augustine also founded a monastic community in his native Tagaste. It was expected that it would become a spiritual center for the spread and strengthening of Christianity in the province. However, active missionary and administrative activities forced him to leave the community and continue his life as a monk at the episcopal residence in Hippo.

last years of life

The future teacher of the church for a long time did not approve of the cult of martyrs and the veneration of their relics, which at that time sometimes even became an object of trade. Even authority could not change this position spiritual father- Saint Ambrose. However, in 425 the relics of St. Stephen were transferred to Hippo. Traditions tell us about miracles of healing that happened soon. Augustine changes his position and now supports the veneration of relics in his sermons.

Meanwhile, clouds are gathering over the Roman Empire. The increasingly frequent invasions of barbarians are gradually drawing a line under the passing era of antiquity. Africa becomes a place of migration of conquerors - the Goths and Vandals who adopted Christianity in its heretical, Arian interpretation. The atmosphere of anxiety and the feeling of the collapse of the old world is reflected in Aurelius's later works devoted to eschatology. He dies during the siege of Hippo by the Vandals in 430 at the age of 75.

Philosophical teachings of Aurelius

In his philosophy, St. Augustine talks about the relationship between human merit, the grace of God and free will. These issues are considered heterogeneously and sometimes require additional systematization.

About being

The source of being is seen to be God, the creator of all things and the embodiment of the highest form of good. The act of creation is continuous, and therefore everything that dies is reborn, ensuring the eternity of the world’s existence.

The following main provisions of the doctrine of being can be distinguished:

• the super-existence of God is immaterial and absolute;
• man and nature are material and dependent on God;
• he is a person endowed with will and intellect;
• fatalism;
• irrational perception of reality;
• consistent creationism;
• ideas as the primordial thoughts of the Creator.

About the relationship between God and man

The Supreme Mind is supranatural, incorporeal and omnipresent; it created the order of the universe. Man is dependent on God, like all living things, alone before him and, as it were, imprisoned in his physical and spiritual weakness. He suffers from this due to his nature, damaged by original sin. And only God is able to show the believer the path to salvation and bestow grace, which will give strength to deliverance from sin.

About grace

It is understood as a force that comes from above and ultimately determines the salvation of the soul, transforming the nature of the personality of an individual person. The basis of spiritual life is the concept of grace, which is comprehensive and closely related to the idea of ​​redemption through the sufferings of Christ on the cross. All people are given this gift, but not everyone is able to accept it, and this is due to the personal will of the individual.

About freedom and will

The question of free will in Aurelius is closely connected with the idea of ​​grace and its implementation through the correction of human nature.

About eternity and time

Time is presented among the most difficult philosophical issues. It is clearly understood as a measure of movement and change, which is characteristic of all things. Time did not exist before the creation of the world - God created it along with all things as a measure for them.

The time line is perceived in the moment - the past and the future seem to be reduced to the present, which is only a moment. The desire to stop him is shown, but this is impossible in the material world. However, with God, time is different - in the highest sphere of thoughts and ideas, a certain super-present reigns, everything exists once and for all. Such static eternity is opposed to the linear time of the created world and is one of the divine properties.

About good and evil

Aurelius proceeds from the original goodness of the Creator and everything created by him, containing divine meanings. People and society are no exception in this regard. Here the father of the church confronts both Manichaeism with its dualistic black and white picture of the world, and Neoplatonism with its vision of evil as good in a “negative degree.”

Augustine's teaching is sometimes called Christian optimism. Evil here is seen as a weakened or insufficient good that needs correction and represents a step towards further improvement and development. Ordeals sent from above as punishment for sins are also seen in this vein as an incentive for redemption and purification of the soul.

About truth and knowledge

The father of the church argues with skeptics, among whom he himself was once included. The argument is made that if truth were inaccessible, it would be impossible to have a measure of things and a definition of their correctness, because in this case there is no criterion of plausibility. A person exists, and therefore can think and know - all these acts are connected with each other.

About knowledge

According to Aurelius, a person has reason, memory and will, which is the most important mechanism in the act of cognition - this idea became innovative in late antique thought.

Truth can be known at three levels or stages:

• sensory perception;
• knowledge through the mind's comprehension of sensory experience;
• through the mind - the mystical experience of mastering higher knowledge, enlightenment and the action of pure spirit without bodily mediation.

About society and history

The equality of people before God is declared, but property stratification in society is recognized as normal and natural. It is declared to be the natural order of things that will continue until the end of the world. The oppression of some people by others and the system of the state apparatus itself is interpreted as the costs of original sin and the punishment for it. However, the state is a useful institution for survival, protection of people and faith, it can and should be Christian.

The scientist also relied on biblical chronology and viewed history as a series of the following eras:

1. From the creation of Adam.
2. From Noah and the Flood.
3. From Abraham.
4. From the reign of David.
5. From the Babylonian captivity of the Jewish people.
6. From the birth of Christ.
7. Eternity - after the end of times and the Last Judgment.

The secular and godless state is contrasted with a society with spiritual power. This concept reflected the complex relationship of the early church with pagan Rome, which became very close to its fall already in the time of Augustine.

About faith and reason

“Believe in order to understand,” says one of the saint’s letters. The primacy of faith over reason is affirmed; it precedes understanding. The Bible is recognized as the unconditional authority and source of revelation, but it is the church, as the bearer of grace, that has the ultimate truth. In general, Augustinianism somewhat belittles reason, which is seen as helpless if it is deprived of grace and revelation from above.

About science and wisdom

This aspect of the teaching reflected the crisis in the society of late antiquity, when not pagan learning, but Christian salvation of the soul began to come to the fore. The philosopher shares the concepts of science and wisdom. And if the first is associated with the knowledge of the material world, then the second is with the comprehension of higher meanings and divine revelation. In this picture of the world, wisdom is given priority over science.

Stages of Augustine's work

There are three main periods of the thinker’s activity, which reflected the evolution of his views - it is characterized by a gradual shift in emphasis from ancient philosophy to the problems of eschatology, church dogmatics and defense of the faith.

First

386-395 AD It is distinguished by the strong influence of Neoplatonism and rationalism. Philosophical dialogues come from the pen of Aurelius, and the evidence base for the theory of the seven liberal arts is given. Works on music theory, theological works and a series of works on the criticism of Manichaeism are being written.

Second

395-410 AD The main milestone is the ordination of bishops. Augustine is engaged in biblical studies, composing commentaries on the texts of Scripture, moral treatises and polemics against Donatist heretics. He writes “Confession” - his famous biographical work.

Third

410-430 AD In his declining years, the church father wrote denunciations of Pelagianism and focused on the problems of eschatology and the universe. The treatise “On the City of God”, the main historical and philosophical work, was published.

Works of Augustine Aurelius the Blessed

The Holy Father of the Church was a prolific writer. He created a huge amount of materials, organized and cataloged his works. Therefore, his legacy is well preserved - more than 1000 manuscripts have survived to this day.

Autobiographical

The key work here is undoubtedly the Confession, written around 397-398. This title is common to 13 works telling about the fate of Augustine, his milestones in his biography, spiritual search and adoption of Christianity.

“Confession” became the first autobiographical work of its kind in European literature. It reflects the author's philosophical path and the development of his worldview. Augustine repents of sins and errors, denouncing doctrines with which he once sympathized. “Confession” ends with texts devoted to issues of confession, interpretation of the biblical Book of Genesis, as well as some theological and other issues.

Apologetic

Among the apologetics of Aurelius, the most famous is the treatise “On the City of God,” which sets out a linear concept of history, interpreted in the light of church teaching. The work was written shortly after the capture of Rome by the barbarians and reflects the anxious mood of the era - a lot of attention is paid to criticism of pagan morals and customs, which, according to the author, led the empire to crisis.

Other works in this direction are, to a lesser extent, philosophical works and are rather designed in a near-literary style. In places they resemble the genre of parables, where the thinker conducts dialogues with his interlocutors about the Christian faith and its aspects.

Apologetic works of the saint:

1. About a blissful life.
2. About order.
3. About true religion.
4. Against academics.
5. About the city of God.

Hymnography

Two collections of texts have been preserved, in the spirit of praising God and admiring his wisdom and power. These prayers are very close in style to the biblical psalms of David and contain many references and quotes from there.

1. Conversations of the soul with God.
2. Prayers and Prayerful spiritual reflections.

Homiletics

“Christian Science, or the Foundations of Hermeneutics and Ecclesiastical Eloquence” is perhaps the only work of Aurelius in the homiletical genre. It includes theological texts devoted to the art of preaching and oratory for priests. This work reflects the latter point, but the main attention is paid to the believers’ interpretation of difficult passages in the text of Scripture.

Dogmatic-polemical

In these works, the author touches on issues of faith and dogma, which have often become the subject of controversy. In them, he leads a discussion and thoroughly substantiates his position, including refuting the positions of the Pelagians and Manichaeans, which reflected the spirit of the times and the church’s struggle against heresies.

The most famous works on this topic:

1. About free will.
2. On the nature of good against the Manichaeans.
3. About marriage and lust.
4. About grace and free decision.
5. About reproach and grace.
6. About the predestination of the saints.
7. About the gift of abiding.

Dogmatic theology

This section of the saint’s work is devoted to a detailed analysis of dogma, doctrinal issues and their practical implementation in the everyday life and spiritual life of a Christian. It also reflected the atmosphere of early Christianity, when theology and church life in general were still in their infancy.

Moral theology

During Augustine's time Old Testament was seen not only as a sacred document, but also a source of moral imperatives. In the following works, the philosopher reflects on them in the context of Scripture and not only, and also conveys his internal dialogue about the meaning of existence.

1. St. Augustine Mirror.
2. Time from the vigils of St. Augustine.
3. From Soliloqu (“Conversations with Myself”).

Letters

About 300 letters from the personal archive of the thinker have been preserved. There are messages to church ministers, monastic brethren, personal communication and instructions in the faith. Aurelius's teachings on opposing the Pelagian heresy occupy a prominent place.

1. Letter 194, to the Roman presbyter Sixtus.
2. Letter 214, first to Valentin of Adrumetsky.
3. Letter 215, to Valentin and the Adrumetian monks who labor with him.
4. Letter 215A, to Valentin Adrumetsky third.
5. Letter 217, to Vitaly of Carthage.
6. Letter 258, to Marcian.

Sermons and words

The section includes essays in the genre of catechism. The author addresses the flock and pays special attention to the converts, who were also called catechumens. The topical issue of the fight against heresies - Arianism and Donatism - is also reflected.

1. Sermons and teachings.
2. Discourse on the fourth day of the festivities.
3. Word on the day of Peter and Paul.
4. A Word about the Appearance of Jesus Christ to the Two Disciples of Emmaus.

Interpretation of Scripture

Aurelius's pen includes interpretations and commentaries on both Old and New Testament texts. They are distinguished by vivid emotionality, involvement of the reader and, as it were, identification with him, as well as rich, rich and at the same time accessible language.

1. About the Book of Genesis literally.
2. Interpretation of Psalm 125.
3. On the agreement of the evangelists.
4. Reasonings on the Gospel of John.
5. Discourses on the Epistle of John to the Parthians.

Philosophical

This includes the thinker’s reasoning about the issues of the soul, its immortality, the criteria of truth and falsity, as well as other issues more general. The works are written mainly in the form of dialogues.

1. Monologues.
2. About the immortality of the soul.
3. About the quantity of the soul.
4. About the teacher.

Influence on Christianity

The work of the holy father had an influence on the further development of Christian dogmatics and anthropology. His developments in the field of the concept of grace and the concept of original sin became especially important. Arises philosophical movement Augustinianism - further development of the ideas of the Neoplatonists in the vein of the Christian worldview. The doctrine dominated in Western Europe until the emergence of the ideas of Thomas Aquinas with his new Aristotelianism. And during the Reformation, ideas about predestination were adopted by Calvinist Protestants.

Veneration of the Blessed

Saint Augustine was canonized and revered by both Western and Eastern Christians. It is also recognized by the Lutheran Church.

In Orthodoxy

Orthodox believers venerate this saint among the blessed. The Russian Church celebrates his namesake day on June 15 (28).

In Catholicism

In the West, the saint is better known and revered - he has the title of Teacher or Doctor of the Church. Aurelius is also one of the group of Fathers, early saints revered by both branches of Christianity. Memorial Day - August 28.

Video

Latin translator and candidate philosophical sciences Ivan Lapshin talks about the life of the saint.

PHILOSOPHY OF AUGUSTINE

Augustine the Blessed (Aurelius Augustine) (354-430) is considered the largest philosopher and theologian of the patristic period, who had a significant impact on the entire medieval culture and on the subsequent development of philosophy. In addition to its theoretical significance, his work also had a practical meaning: in particular, he substantiated the need for a church organization as a mediator between God and believers.

Augustine’s main works are “On the City of God”, “On True Religion”, “Confession”, “On the Trinity”, etc.

Augustine did a great job of systematizing religious knowledge and sought to present it as a single, holistic concept. In his writings, he followed the position that “true philosophy and true religion are one and the same.” Among philosophers, he highly valued Plato and relied on many of his philosophical ideas.

Augustine accepted Plato's position on the existence of incorporeal ideas (“essences”). But Augustine was not impressed by the complex of ideas as a component, according to Plato, special world, as eternal as matter, and, like matter, subordinate to the World Soul. Augustine removed the line separating the world of ideas from the World Soul, and included all Platonic ideas in the religious Absolute. He stated that Plato's ideas are "the thoughts of the creator before the act of creation."

God is characterized by incorporeality, infinity in space, eternity, interpreted as immutability. God is will, the highest good. Through his will, aimed at good, God creates all objects of nature, all the souls of people and such incorporeal beings as angels. Thus, Augustine substantiates creationism - the position about the creation of nature and matter by God.

Much was new in Augustine's theocentrism. The main thing is that he concretized the religious concept of God, filled this concept with philosophical content, moving the “personal” to the “transcendent”, to the philosophical Absolute.

Speaking about the predetermination of the fate of people by God, Augustine posed the problem of free will. The will can be directed by the mind, but there can also be a mismatch between the will and the mind; the choice of the will, i.e., human actions, may be irrational, inconsistent with reasonable understanding. A person is free when the will directs his actions towards good, towards the fulfillment of the Divine commandments accepted by the “heart” and mind; effort of the will is needed to establish oneself in grace. There is no freedom when the will or mind strives to rise above people, above God, when they are not consistent with the will of God.

In the history of mankind, Augustine notes changes for the better: more and more people desire moral self-improvement. Such changes occur as a result of the struggle between two cities - the city of God and the city of Earth. The two cities “were created by two kinds of love: Earthly - love for oneself, brought to contempt for God, and Heavenly - love for God, brought to contempt for oneself. The former places his glory in himself, the latter in the Lord. The Church is the representative of God's city on Earth, its power is higher than secular, and therefore monarchs must be subordinate to the Church.


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In the process of development of society and history, two categories of human existence can be distinguished , 2 categories of people: 1. those who live according to God. 2. those who live according to man - the city of God and the city of earth.

Continuation from the city of earth to the city of God. If the city is earthly - everyday life man, then the city of God is the true being of the symbolic expression of the universality of history, determines the laws of history.

Historical formation occurs due to the fact that earthly man becomes historical, God's, when he experiences a spiritual and religious transformation. As a result of transformation, history is born.

History is the movement of each personality towards the inner man of god, from which the city of God grows, the phenomenal manifestation of which becomes the church.

Scheme of history: unity of God and man--------break due to sin----Christ, reunion.

It is the Fall that leads to the differences between the world of the city of God and the city of earth. This is when human history begins.

The main goal of history is the reunification of the city of God and the city earthly way atonement for original sin through repentance, repentance, and righteous activity. Historical process predetermined, history inevitably moves towards a specific goal.

The central point of history is Christ, his life, which represents the meaning and direction of history. Driving force history is faith, religious experience transformation, when a person experiences an internal religious transformation and begins to act. History is something that must end in accordance with faith.

Aurelius Augustine (Blessed)(354 - 430) - Christian theologian, bishop of Hippo (North Africa, Roman Empire), laid the foundations of Catholicism as the main direction of Christianity at that time. He was one of the founders of early scholasticism. The main work of Augustine the Blessed - “On the City of God” - over the centuries became a widespread religious and philosophical treatise, on which medieval theologians relied when studying and teaching scholasticism.

Other famous works of Augustine are: “On the Beautiful and Fit,” “Against the Academicians,” “On Order.”

The following main provisions of the philosophy of Augustine the Blessed can be distinguished:

The course of history, the life of society is a struggle between two opposing kingdoms - the Earthly (sinful) and the Divine;

The earthly kingdom is embodied in government institutions, power, army, bureaucracy, laws, emperor;

The divine kingdom is represented by the priests - special people, endowed with grace and close to God, who are united in the Christian Church;

The earthly kingdom is mired in sins and paganism and will sooner or later be defeated by the Divine kingdom;

Due to the fact that most people are sinful and far from God, secular (state) power is necessary and will continue to exist, but will be subordinated to spiritual power;

Kings and emperors must express the will of the Christian Church and submit to it, as well as directly to the Pope;

The Church is the only force capable of uniting the world;

Poverty, dependence on others (usurers, landowners, etc.), submission are not pleasing to God, but as long as these phenomena exist, one must come to terms with them and endure them, hope for the best;

The highest bliss is human happiness, which was understood as deepening into oneself, learning, understanding the truth;

After death, the righteous receive an afterlife as a reward from God.

2. A special place in the philosophy of Augustine the Blessed is occupied by reflections on God:

God exists;

The main proofs of the existence of God are his presence in everything, omnipotence and perfection;

Everything - matter, soul, space and time - are the creations of God;

God not only created the world, but also continues to create at the present time and will create in the future;

Knowledge (feelings, thoughts, sensations, experience) is real and self-sufficient (self-reliable), but the highest, true, irrefutable knowledge is achieved only by knowing God.

Ontology A. built around the doctrine of God as the principle of being. The existence of God himself, A. believes, can be deduced from a person’s self-consciousness, from the self-reliability of his thinking, while the existence of things can only be deduced in a more distant way. With his ontology, A. anticipated a number of ideas of R. Descartes. Unlike ancient thinkers, A. was one of the first to pay attention to the problem of the formation of the human personality and the development of society and its history. The first problem is considered by him in “Confession” - a lyrical and philosophical autobiography, in which, on the basis of deep psychological introspection, A. revealed the internal development of himself as a person from infancy to the adoption of Christianity, showed the inconsistency of this formation and came to the conclusion that only Divine grace can save man, to save him from sin. The problem of the development of society is presented by A. in his main work “On the City of God.” In it A. developed Christian philosophy world history, according to which there are two opposite types of human community: the earthly world as the property of the devil (statehood) and the opposite world of God, which is represented by Catholic Church. Hence the task of the church is to overcome the world of the devil, turning all humanity into “ true faith" The content of world history A. reduces to this struggle, which must turn the “militant church” into a “triumphant church.” At the same time, A. believed that all violence, be it violence against a child or state violence, is a consequence of a person’s sinful depravity. Although it is inevitable, it is worthy of contempt. Hence, although A. recognized the state power, he characterized it negatively, calling it a large band of robbers. Claiming that without the help of God a person is only capable of sin, A. contradicted his own teaching about the church as the “only saving” power of Christianity, which he exalted in every possible way, placing it even above the Gospels. A. Played an important role in the development of Catholic dogma. He actually developed the Christian doctrine of divine predestination, the sinfulness of the human race, Divine grace, mercy, atonement, reward after death, sacraments, etc. Essentially in his teaching Christian church received theoretical (theological) justification for its doctrine. Aquinas's authority in matters of philosophy and theology in the Middle Ages was generally recognized and indisputable throughout Catholic theology until the 13th century, until Thomas Aquinas.

In his epistemological concept Augustine proceeds from the phrase that the Savior utters: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” Therefore, Augustine is confident that the problem of the existence of truth and its knowledge is fundamental, key for Christian philosophy. If truth does not exist, as skeptics claim, then God does not exist. And if the truth is unknowable, then God is unknowable and all paths to salvation are closed to us. Therefore, for Augustine it is extremely important to refute the skeptics, it is important to prove that the truth both exists and is knowable.

Augustine devotes his first treatise, Against the Academicians, to this problem, in which he sets out his arguments against skepticism. Skepticism is Augustine's worst enemy; he undermines the foundations of morality, proving that everything is true or everything is false, and a person only chooses what he likes. Skepticism undermines the foundations of religion, proving that there is a God or that there is no God, as everyone pleases.

Developing a Christian understanding of man

Augustine interprets the problem of man from the point of view of two Christian dogmas: on the one hand, man is the image and likeness of God, and on the other, he is a sinful being, for our first parents committed original sin. Therefore, when Augustine describes man as the image of God, he often exalts him, but immediately shows that man, as a sinful being, is not perfect, and often falls into seeming pessimism.

The idea that the descendants of Adam bear personal responsibility for the sin of their forefathers as for their own sin is alien to Orthodoxy. Thus, in the resolution of the Council of Carthage in 252 it was said that “baptism should not be forbidden to a baby who, having barely been born, had not sinned in anything, but only, having descended in the flesh from Adam, received the infection of ancient death through birth itself,” and that when At baptism, he is forgiven not his own, but the sins of others. The legal understanding of “original sin” as a crime for which all people are responsible as for their personal sins was first introduced into the theology of the blessed one. Augustine in his polemic with the Pelagians, who generally denied the corruption of human nature as a result of the Fall of Adam. However, Augustine noticed the main thing correctly: the sinful corruption of human nature is hereditary and the inclination to sin manifests itself at an early age. (Based on lectures by Akhm. Alypius).

Therefore, Augustine’s anthropology cannot be understood without his Christology, without the fact that the Savior performed the act of atonement for human sins.

Speaking about the creation of man, Augustine says that man was created from nothing - both his body and soul. Man, according to Augustine, is the unity of soul and body. Man is “a substance consisting of body and soul, endowed with reason.” Here he objects to the Platonists, who argued that the essence of man is only the soul. Augustine corrects the Platonists by saying that man is a rational soul in control of his body.

The body is not the grave of the soul, for, as Augustine writes, answering the Platonists who argued that the body is a fetter, the tomb of the soul: “Does anyone love his own fetters?” Body and soul have a good nature, provided that the body is conceived as that part of human nature that is subordinate to the soul. But because of the Fall, the body came out of submission, and the opposite happened: the soul became a servant of the body. Christ, by His atoning sacrifice, restored the original order, and people again understood that the body must serve the soul.

1. Trinity of the soul

Although a person is a unity of soul and body, body and soul are still completely different substances. Moreover, the soul is given preference. Although both of them are changing, the soul has no spatial structure and changes only in time. And if so, then the soul does not mix with the body, but is always in the body. The soul is the basis of life, the rational principle; It is the soul that imparts life to the body and allows us to experience the sensory world through the body. But the soul does not mix with the body, remaining connected to it, but not merged.

The depth of the soul manifests itself as the unity of the trinity

1) consciousness (memoria),

2) reason (intelligentsia) and

3) will (voluntas)

and, therefore, there is an image of the divine trinity.

Blessed Augustine emphasized that will is an attribute of nature.

2. The soul is immortal, but not eternal

Our soul is immortal, but not eternal. Augustine distinguishes between these terms because only the unchangeable is eternal. Matter, according to Augustine (unlike the Platonists), is not nothing, but is higher than non-existence; Augustine calls matter everything that changes. Consequently, there is matter not only sensible, but also intelligible. If there is intelligible matter, then it also has some intelligible form. In particular, our soul, according to Augustine, is formed spiritual matter.

Since the soul is changeable, it also participates to some extent in non-existence, therefore it too was created from non-existence. This is what unites our soul with the material world, and what distinguishes it is that its change occurs only in time, and not in time and space, like with material objects.

Augustine uses the concept of “matter” rather in the Plotinian sense than in our everyday understanding. For Plotinus, the soul is matter for the mind, the mind is matter for the one, i.e. matter is everything that can perceive some form, and form, as we remember, also cannot be perceived only as a material spatial category. Form is everything through which the cognition of objects is realized. Augustine understands the terms “matter” and “form” in approximately the same way. Therefore, when Augustine says that our soul has matter and form, in no case should we perceive this in a sensory way.

Blessed Augustine says that a person would not have died if he had not sinned.

Teachings of St. Augustine

The doctrine of being. Religious orientation philosophical systems The Middle Ages was dictated by the basic tenets of Christianity, among which highest value had such as the dogma of the personal form of one God. The development of this dogma is primarily associated with the name of Augustine.

Augustine (354–430) is an outstanding thinker who, with his numerous works, laid a powerful foundation for the religious and philosophical thought of the Middle Ages. He was the inspirer of numerous and varied ideas and movements in the field of not only theology and general philosophy, but also scientific methodology, ethical, aesthetic and historiosophical views.

According to Augustine, everything that exists, insofar as it exists and precisely because it exists, is good. Evil is not a substance, but a defect, a corruption of a substance, a vice and damage to a form, a non-existence. On the contrary, good is substance, “form,” with all its elements: type, measure, number, order. God is the source of existence, pure form, the highest beauty, the source of good. Maintaining the existence of the world is God's constant creation of it again. If God's creative power were to cease, the world would immediately return to oblivion. The world is one. The recognition of many successive worlds is an empty exercise of the imagination. In the world order, every thing has its place. Matter also has its place in the structure of the whole.

Augustine considered such objects as God and the soul worthy of knowledge: the existence of God can be deduced from human self-consciousness, that is, through intelligibility, and the existence of things - from a generalization of experience. He analyzed the idea of ​​God in relation to man, and man in relation to God. He carried out the finest analysis life path human - developed philosophical anthropology. The soul, according to Augustine, is not a material substance distinct from the body, but a complex property of the body. She is immortal. In the doctrine of origin human souls Augustine wavered between the idea of ​​​​the transfer of souls by parents along with the body and the idea of ​​​​creationism - the creation of the souls of newborns by God.

About freedom and divine predestination. Augustine's doctrine of divine grace in its relation to the human will and of divine predestination had a great influence on subsequent Christian philosophy. The essence of this teaching is as follows. Before the Fall, the first people had free will: they could not sin. But Adam and Eve misused this freedom and lost it after the Fall. Now they could no longer help but sin. After the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, those chosen by God can no longer sin. From time immemorial, the Divine has predestined some people to good, salvation and bliss, and others to evil, destruction and torment. Without divine predestined grace, man cannot have good will.

Augustine said that without knowledge of truth, “probable” knowledge is impossible, since probable is something plausible, that is, similar to the truth. And to know what resembles the truth, you need to know the truth itself. According to Augustine, the most reliable knowledge is a person’s knowledge of his own being and consciousness: “Whoever is aware that he doubts, recognizes it as some truth...” “Whoever doubts that he lives, remembers, understands, desires , thinks, knows, judges? And even if he doubts, then still... he remembers why he doubts, realizes that he doubts, wants certainty, thinks, knows that he does not know, thinks that he should not rashly agree.” Knowledge, according to Augustine, is based on inner feeling, sensation and reason. A person, says Augustine, has knowledge of objects accessible to understanding and reason, although small, but completely reliable, and the one who thinks that feelings should not be trusted is pitifully deceived. The norm of knowledge is truth. Unchangeable, eternal truth, according to Augustine, is the source of all truths, there is God. What was new in the theory of knowledge was Augustine’s statement about the participation of the will in all acts of knowledge. Characterizing the role of the volitional principle in feelings, Augustine uttered an aphorism: “A person experiences suffering exactly as much as he succumbs to it.”

God, world and man. Augustine's worldview is deeply theocentric: at the center of spiritual aspirations is God as the starting and final point of reflection. Augustine views God as the extramaterial Absolute, correlated with the world and man as his creation. The world, nature and man are the result of God's creation, and they depend on their Creator. Augustine emphasized the difference between God and Fate. According to Augustine, the Christian God has completely mastered fate, subordinating it to his omnipotent will: it becomes his providence, his predestination. Augustine affirms the principle of the infinity of the divine principle. If God, says Augustine, “takes away from things his, so to speak, productive power, then they will no longer exist, just as they did not exist before they were created.” Augustine wrote: “It was not my mother, nor my nurses who fed me with their breasts, but through them You gave me, an infant, child’s food, according to the law of nature, which You ordained for it, and according to the richness of Your bounties, with which You have blessed all creatures according to their needs."

The doctrine of the soul, will and knowledge. Reason and faith. Augustine said that “truth... can be found.” Reason, according to Augustine, is the gaze of the soul, with which it, by itself, without the mediation of the body, contemplates the true. The truth is contained in our soul, and our soul is immortal, and a person has no right to forget about the extraterrestrial purpose of his life. A person must subordinate his knowledge to wisdom, for the salvation of the soul is his highest purpose: “Everything that we contemplate, we grasp with thought or feeling and understanding. The soul cannot fade away unless it is separated from the mind. There’s no way she can separate.” Augustine considers reason as a very important function of the soul: “I believe that the soul feeds on nothing other than the understanding of things and knowledge, speculation and reflection, if it can know anything through them. There are two paths that lead us to the study of science: authority and reason. Faith in authority greatly shortens the matter and does not require any work... For those who are dull-witted or more busy with everyday affairs... it is most useful to believe in the most excellent authority and lead their lives according to it.”

Chapter IV. PHILOSOPHY AND THEOLOGY OF ST. AUGUSTINE St. Augustine was a very prolific writer, mainly on matters of theology. Some of his polemical works served the topic of the day and, thanks to this very success, lost interest; but several