“ST.

AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO”
(Nov. 13, 357 – Aug. 28, 430)

 Has a pagan father (Patricius), and a Christian Mother (Monica)

 Studied at Carthage.
 Studied Rhetoric (370)
 Read the famous work of Cicero entitled Hortentius
o This work influenced Augustine to have passion to know the truth.
 As a student he broke away to Catholic morality
o Influence of Environment.
o Having a mistress. (Gave birth to a child named Adeodatus)
 Later on he became a believer of MANICHAENISM

MANICHAENISM

 A Persian sect founded by Mani

 Rejected the Old Testament and YAHWEH, and is posited Dualism (The
belief of 2 equally powerful opposing forces)
 Both good and evil are eternal, and the battle between the two are
reflected in the world.
 Augustine found out that god is evil, that is why he is also evil.
 ORMUZD – god of good.
 AHRIMAN – Evil Principle/ Darkness
 In the case of human being, the SOUL is composed of LIGHT (Good
Principle). The BODY is composed of MATTER (Evil Principle)

 After studying at Carthage he taught Rhetoric and Grammar in Rome.

 While he was teaching in Rome he became acquainted by Platonism.
o ENNEADS – Work of Plotinus that was translated to Latin by
Victorinus.
o Accepted evil as Privation.
 While he was in Rome (Millan) he heared the sermons of St. Ambrose.
o Agustine began to realize that SIN PERTAINS AS THE CAUSE OF
MISUSE OF MAN’S FREEDOM.
 The Neoplatonism helped him to contemplate SPIRITUAL THINGS and
WISDOM. Christianity helped/taught him to LIVE THAT WISDOM.
  He was aided by his Friends.
o SIMPLICIANUS – Taught him from Neo-Platonism to Christianity.
o PONTITIANUS – Taught him the life of St. Anthony of Egypt.
 Once when he was in Rome he heard a child shouting TOLLE LECHE (Take
and Read), he opened his Bible and read ROMANS 13:12-14

2 LEVELS OF CONVERSION

1. INTELLECTUAL CONVERSION
 Gain through Platonism
2. MORAL CONVERSION
 Gain through St. Ambrose, Simplicianus, and Pontitianus.

 He was baptized by St. Ambrose on 387 (Black Saturday)

 Wrote many books like CONFESSIONS and THE CITY OF GOD

CONFESSION

 Confessions of sins he has done.

 Confession of Faith and of Praise.

3 WAYS OF SPIRITUAL LIFE

1. Purgative Way
 Cleansing Period.
2. Illuminative Way
 Conversion of the mind
3. Unitive Way
 Communion with God. (MYSTICISM – Communion of our will and
mind to God)

AUGUSTINE’S THEORY OF KNOWLEDGE

 Motivated by his desire for Happiness.

 Truth/Happiness = God
 Personal search for truth
 Based on Contra Academicos
 Against Skepticism
1. Human Knowledge is possible.
 Contradicts the Skeptics
  Human reason is certain of the principle of Non-Contradiction
 A thing cannot be and be at the same time.

2. Act of doubting itself is a form of certainty

 For the reason who doubts is certain that he doubt.

 “Dupito Ergo Sum” = I doubt therefore I am.
3. We can also be Certain of Mathematical Truths.
4. We can also be certain of our existence.
 Si Fallor Sum (I Err therefore I am)

LEVELS OF KNOWLEDGE

1. Sense Knowledge
 Dependent on the use of Perception, the act of the soul which use
the organs of senses as instruments.
 Common to Animal and Human.
2. Contemplation
 Contemplation of the Eternal things.
 Known as “WISDOM”
 Highest level of knowledge.
 Done by mind alone without intervention of Sensation
3. Rational
 In between Sense and Contemplation.
 The mind judges the corporeal objects according to eternal and
incorporeal standards.
 Knowledge use senses and wisdom.
 This kind of knowledge is directed toward action.
 For Augustine Sensation is not reliable it is accurate as such – it lies on
making judgment.

ELEMENTS ON ACT OF KNOWING

 Object being sensed

 Organ/Senses upon which sensation depends sensation.

DIVINE ILLUMINATION (From the Book DE MAGISTRO)

 We could only discover eternal truths not by human perseverance and

capacity but by the help of God.
  Our mind cannot produce this knowledge they are also Contingent,
Changeable and Temporal.

AUGUSTINE’S VIEW ON GOD (Proofs for God’s Existence)

1. Proof from within

 God is the ground of eternal and necessary truths.
2. Proofs from external/Corporeal World
 Creation gives hints of God’s existence (City of God Bk. 1 Ch.4 V.2)
 The creation reflects God.
3. Universal Consent
 Even Polytheistic religion believes in a supreme God.
4. The Souls search for Happiness.
 Our hearts are restless unless it rest in Thee, O God.

ATTRIBUTES OF GOD

1. The Perfection of God lies on His being Simple.

2. The I am who I am of Exodus was explained by Augustine that God is
being Himself. The Highest Being.
 The Essence of God Exceeds existence.

VIEWS ON THE CREATED WORLD

1. Augustine Defended the notion “Creatio ex Nihilo”

o Against the belief that there is a preexistent matter. (Doctrine
of Plato about the Demiurge)
o Against the doctrine of Emanation by Plotinus.
o Against Negistate Naturae (Necessity of Nature), that God
created the world out of necessity and not of freewill.
 All things owes their existence to God, they are product of His free
act and not out of necessity.
o Genesis – From formless matter which God also created.
 Everything that came from God is good.
2. Rationes Seminales
 Seminal principles planted by God (in the act of creation) in matter
itself.
 All species bare the invisible potential power to become what they
are in the future which is not yet in the present moment.
  Used to solve the problem with the two creation stories (Gen. 1 &
Ecclesiastes 18:1)
o Ecclesiastes states the Seminal creation, while Genesis refers
to actual formal creation.
o There is a king of Primal Amorphous Matter (Without form)
which cobtains Rationes Seminales.
o Rationes Seminales is a guiding principle embedded by God
to His creation. (God guides the evolution)
3. Body and Soul
 The soul is a Substance in its own right (Has matter and form)
 Man as a rational soul using a mortal and earthly body. The body is
used for sensing.
4. Immortality of the Soul
 The human soul is the principle of Life (Non-contradiction)

AUGUSTINE’S MORAL PHILOSOPHY

 EUDAIMONIA
 Man is searching for Happiness.
 Happiness can only be found in God, because man was created
by God.
 “O God, thou hast created us for thyself so that our hearts are
restless unless it rest in Thee.”
 Against Epicureanism (Happiness is found in pleasure)
 Freewill as the Source of Evil
 Evil is a privation of good.
 THREE KINDS OF EVIL
1. Metaphysical Evil
 Man is imperfect because only God is perfect.
2. Physical/ Natural Evil
 Mans nature is not perfect , we lack perfectsion.
3. Moral Evil
 Man sins because of his freewill.

PHILOSOPHY OF LOVE

 Philosophia Cordis
 It is by the will that reaches out to God and finally takes
possession of and enjoys Him. Love as the act of will.
 OBJECTS OF LOVE
 1. Physical Objects
2. Other Persons
3. Oneself
4. God

 DISORDERED LOVE
 The problem does not lies on the object itself, but it lies in
the manner and expectations of Humans in loving.
 Disorder love produces Pathology (sufferings in terms of
emotions).
 TWO PRINCIPLES OF LOVE
1. Love of God and to His laws.
2. Love of self pleasure and the world.
 Represents the 2 cities (City of God &City of the World)