Saint Augustine’s Philosophy: Understanding God and Humanity
Platonic Influences and Christian Theology
Saint Augustine’s methodology is based on Plato’s ideas, but reconciled with Christianity, particularly in relation to God. Augustine did not believe that ideas existed separately; he posited that they must be someone’s idea, as they are not substances. Therefore, ideas can only exist in the mind of God. God is not limited to ordering anything; He created because the ideas are in His mind. This concept replaces Plato’s Demiurge. Augustine also replaced the Platonic theory of the soul with the concept of illumination. Unlike Plato, Augustine believed that the soul is distinct from the body.
While Plato equated the good with beauty, for Augustine, evil is not equal to ugliness. Evil, according to Augustine, is not a *thing*, but rather the absence of good (a concept influenced by, but ultimately diverging from, Manichaeism). He also emphasized the importance of will over mere knowledge; it is not enough to know what is good, one must have the *will* to do good and avoid sin. All these features replace Plato’s cyclical view of time with a linear one that begins and ends in God.
Skepticism, Truth, and Divine Illumination
Saint Augustine strongly opposed skepticism, which claims that truth cannot be found. He acknowledged that matter is good because it is created by God, but he maintained that the senses do not provide us with truth. Instead, because God is within us, we have the truth within us, but only God can reveal it to us. If we desire truth, we must strive to attain it. God may grant it to those who strive, but He will never illuminate with His grace those who make no effort.
Reason and Faith
To understand God, Augustine believed that human beings must use both *reason* and *faith* in a blended approach. Initially, reason is used to try to understand, leading to belief. However, reason alone is insufficient. Therefore, one must accept the scriptures and seek understanding through faith. Faith provides truths that reason can then help us to comprehend. Through this process, we strive to understand faith through reason, ultimately aiming for the enlightenment that comes from God’s grace.
Creation and the Human Condition
Augustine believed that God created instantly, out of nothing, and according to His ideas. He proposed that, at the beginning of time, God created seeds containing every being that would ever exist. Augustine viewed the human soul and body as distinct but mortal. He asserted that humans are made in the likeness of God. Therefore, understanding oneself in relationship with God, and achieving intimacy with Him, allows access to one’s own truth.
Augustine considered two prevailing theories regarding the creation of the soul: traducianism (the belief that the soul is transmitted through sexual reproduction) and creationism (the belief that God is present when we come to life because He wills our existence).
Happiness, Sin, and Grace
Saint Augustine stated that we will be happy if we know God and submit to His divinity. To achieve this, we must put aside sins (which are the misuse of freedom and are man’s responsibility) and accept the operation of the laws of nature (which cannot be considered a physical evil because evil is not a substance). To avoid sin, we have the grace of God. Through free will, we decide whether to strive for grace (by acting well) or not (by acting badly). If free will is combined with God’s grace, it leads to evangelical freedom, in which the possibility of evil does not exist.
Society, Church, and State
For Saint Augustine, society is a group of people coming together for a common purpose. He identified two types of society: an earthly society that lacks a genuine relationship with God and turns its back on Him, and a celestial society that seeks God. To facilitate the pursuit of the celestial society, Augustine believed that the Church should guide the State, reminding it of its ultimate goal: “to do things closer to God.” In this view, the State takes on a role akin to a moral enforcer, guided by the Church.