St. Augustine and His Influence

Introduction

A highly influential Christian writer of late antiquity, St. Augustine (354-430 CE) has been an inspirational figure for medieval, Reformation, Counter-Reformation, and conservative thought. St. Augustine proposed a different solution to the debate between faith and reason. His approach is summarized in the statement: “Faith seeking understanding.” One begins with faith and attempts to use reason in order to understand why faith makes it claims. For Augustine, reason can be used in order to define and defend the claims of faith. Augustine illustrates this point by describing the despoiling of the Egyptians. In his book, On Christian Doctrine, Augustine explains that when the Israelites left Egypt, they took all the riches of Egypt with them. Using this as an allegory, the riches of Egypt stand for the truths of reason that the faithful can use in defense of their faith. Some claims of reason are true and, as such, they should be used in service of the Christian faith (Doctorow, pp. 45-70). The Augustine approach seeks to reconcile faith and reason. They begin with faith, and seek to understand it by the use of reason. For traditionalists this model shows that the tradition, rather than being discarded, can be explained through reason. Philosophically, the claims of faith are initially accepted and are rationally explored to discover their meaning for human life. Political figures as diverse as Martin Luther in the fifteenth century and Hannah Arendt in the twentieth century have read St. Augustine closely and reused his conceptual vocabulary in their own work. Augustinian political theology has been particularly relevant to the discussion of: the role of human nature and sinfulness in political structures; the function of divine will and predestination in man's history; the relationship of church and state; the nature of justice and punishment; and the theory of just war. Different historical periods have emphasized different aspects of St. Augustine's thought. In medieval political thought, neo-Augustinian approaches developed, particularly in relation to the question of papal-secular authority. By contrast, Reformation and Counter-Reformation writers tended to look to St. Augustine for guidance on the role of divine grace in human affairs. In contemporary political philosophy, St. Augustine has had resonance for theorists who argue that a realist outlook on politics is desirable; for example, writers like Reinhold Niebuhr and Hans Morgenthau.

According to him, there is only one truth revealed by religion, and reason can help to interpret it in a better way. He said in a categorical manner that expression of dominance of faith without belief in the dogmas of faith cannot come to understand the truth. Faith should be based on rational discourse and when it is properly used, it cannot disagree with the faith. It strengthens the value of it. This deep connection between reason and faith was a feature of later Christian philosophy for the new interpretation of the relationship between the two provided by St. Thomas Aquinas.

St. Augustine's major political text, The City of God, completed in the years following the Gothic sack of Rome, provides a perspective on all these ...