fallen human nature ~ saint augustine from the city of god
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Fallen human nature
~
Saint Augustine
from The City of God
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Saint Augustine (354-430)• Born North African Roman province
Numidia• Roman school (curriculum of rhetoric) and
became teacher• Baptized in 387• 391: Priest at Hippo Regius, North Africa• 396: bishop of Hippo• Following: Saint Augustine’s views on:
– Creation– The Fall of man
• Chaucer: references to Adam and Eve > awareness of the following info
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XII, 22• Individual man was created
alone vs. creation of several animals at one time
– unity of society – bond of harmony
• God and Man united by likeness of nature and affection of kinship
• Whole human race meant to be from a single individual
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XII, 23
• God was aware humans would sin
• Even beasts (no rational choices) live safer than humans– Humans were given purpose of promoting harmony but
failed
• Saints would be called to God through Holy Spirit
• Roots in one man > unity
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XII, 24
• Man has higher rank than animals
b/c soul is endowed w/ reason and intelligence.
• God’s creation was not like “ordinary artist” but divine.
• “everyday craftsmanship” cannot measure God’s power and wisdom
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XIII, 21• Symbolism of Garden of Eden
– Four river = four virtues (prudence, fortitude, temperance, justice)
– Trees = useful knowledge• Fruits = lives of the faithful• Tree of life = wisdom = mother of all good• Tree of knowledge, good, and evil = experience of God’s punishments
• Garden = church– 4 rivers = 4 gospels– Trees = saints
• Fruits = their works• Tree of life = christ• Tree of knowledge, good, and evil = free will
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XIII, 13• Disobeyed God > loss of
divine grace
• shame from nakedness was punishment
• Soul took “perverse delight” in liberty and was without mastery > lust against spirit
• All humans are born in rebellion and “doomed to die”
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XIII, 14
• Man is corrupted by choice and condemned by justice– We all belong to that one man,
therefore all humans are affected
– Fell into sin before sin existed
• Redeeming grace of God saves humans from second and endless death
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XIII, 15• 1 death = when life of the soul (God)
abandons it
• Bodily death is just punishment for sin
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XIV, 11
• God foresaw everything he created – That man would sin
– “our conception of the supernatural City of God”
• The earth, dust, nature and the human soul are made out of nothing, not out of God
• Good can exist without evil, but not v.v.– Evil is part of nature, which is good
– Curing involves restoration of health and wholeness