Summary A* quality notes on Augustine and Human Nature for RS OCR A-level
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Course
Augustine and Human Nature
Institution
OCR
Extremely high-detailed and comprehensive A* philosophy notes including not only the content but also a whole range of relevant scholars, responses and pros and cons of the different arguments. Everything you would need for this topic!
It takes an overly literal hermeneutical approach to scripture. The whole of Augustine’s thought is
based on the Genesis story of the Fall, but many people – including many Christians - believe that
this is not a literal, historical account.
Augustine’s emphasis on the corrupt nature of humanity, caused by the Fall, is contradictory with
God’s qualities of wisdom, mercy, justice and love. Despite being omniscient he did not know that
we would sin when he made us, and he lacked wisdom by not giving Adam and Eve the moral
strength to resist the temptation to do wrong. He condemns the whole of humanity for Adam and
Eve’s disobedience – which is neither loving nor just nor merciful – rather than forgiving them or
using his omnipotence to undo the damage that was done.
Imago Dei
We hold a special place in creation as seen in Genesis 2 where humans are “made in the image and
likeness” of God “so they may rule”. This emphasises our purpose as stewards of creation. Christian
teachings usually interpret ‘imago dei’ as being free, rational beings with an understanding of Good
and Evil.
- Genesis teaches that we were made in God’s image before the fall. However, our knowledge
of good and evil and therefore our ability to make free decisions of good and evil only come
after humans disobey God with the Fall. There is a contradiction in Augustine’s teachings of
what it is to be made in God’s image. It seems contradictory to suggest that humans willingly
chose to do evil, when they had no knowledge of good or evil.
- It is widely accepted in the 21st century that humans evolved over a long time through the
process of natural selection. This makes it difficult to reconcile with the idea that humans are
imago dei, or in some way greater than other animals.
The Fall
Augustine held a firm belief that humans have free will as this is one of the key characteristics of
being made imago dei and also his response to the problem of evil. God made Adam with the
freedom of choice and this allowed him to sin and disobey God. All evil in the world is the result of
human disobedience and not the fault of God.
- If the world God created was truly perfect and humanity was perfectly good then there
should have been no possibility to be evil. God must have created humanity was a small
inclination of evil.
- If God is omniscient then he knows the future and we cannot escape his predestined
foreknowledge. He would have known what Adam and Eve were going to do.
- In Eden God chose to place the tree of knowledge of Good and evil suggesting that the scene
is set by God intentionally for human disobedience.
Before the fall
Before the fall we lived in a “state of perfection” (Augustine) in close proximity with God as a
companion “walking in the garden” (Gen 3) with us. There was no epistemic distance between
humans and God in the pre-lapserian era. After the Fall, humanity was banished from the garden
and is now separated from God.
Before the Fall, human relationships were based on ‘concordia’, friendship and partnership. In order
to “be fruitful and multiply” they would have still engaged in sexual relationships but ones governed
by friendship and not lust.
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