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Open AccessEditorial

Teaching Augustine—Introduction

by Scott McGinnis and Christopher Metress

Religions 2015, 6(3), 1107-1112; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel6031107 - 11 Sep 2015

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Abstract

This introduction to the Special Issue “Teaching Augustine” summarizes the volume’s essays and discusses the conference at which they were initially presented. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Teaching Augustine)

Research

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186 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Teaching Socrates, Aristotle, and Augustine on Akrasia

by J. Caleb Clanton

Religions 2015, 6(2), 419-433; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel6020419 - 9 Apr 2015

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 6815

Abstract

A long-standing debate among moral philosophers centers on the question of whether ignorance is always at the root of moral wrongdoing, or whether, in certain cases, wrongdoing stems from something else—namely akrasia. This paper is a discussion of how undergraduate core curriculum [...] Read more.

A long-standing debate among moral philosophers centers on the question of whether ignorance is always at the root of moral wrongdoing, or whether, in certain cases, wrongdoing stems from something else—namely akrasia. This paper is a discussion of how undergraduate core curriculum teachers can incorporate Augustine’s work into this debate. I begin by briefly reconstructing Socrates’ and Aristotle’s accounts of wrongdoing, and then I sketch an Augustinian approach to the issue. Socrates contends that ignorance is the fundamental source of all wrongdoing; hence, akrasia is illusory. Though Aristotle’s view can seem more roundabout than Socrates’, it, too, is plausibly interpreted as entailing that robust, open-eyed akrasia is impossible. For Augustine, prior to receiving the illumination that comes with God’s grace, an individual’s sinfulness can be characterized as being the result of ignorance concerning the proper focus of one’s love. However, after receiving this illuminating grace, sinful action can be characterized as an instance of akrasia. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Teaching Augustine)

200 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Justice Game: Augustine, Disordered Loves, and the Temptation to Change the World

by Kristen Deede Johnson

Religions 2015, 6(2), 409-418; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel6020409 - 8 Apr 2015

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Abstract

Augustine’s thought on justice offers enduring wisdom to today’s undergraduates as they grapple with the difficult questions that arise when they ponder what it means to change the world in the light of the reality of injustice in this world. By juxtaposing Augustine’s [...] Read more.

Augustine’s thought on justice offers enduring wisdom to today’s undergraduates as they grapple with the difficult questions that arise when they ponder what it means to change the world in the light of the reality of injustice in this world. By juxtaposing Augustine’s theological writings on the nature of justice and power within the earthly and heavenly cities with Augustine’s letters that demonstrate his public engagement with injustice, we learn how Augustine thought about justice and how his convictions intersected with his practice. Through exposure to Augustine’s life and thought, students can be encouraged to wrestle with the existence of injustice, their complicity in its existence, their understanding of justice, and what it takes to seek justice today. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Teaching Augustine)

148 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Teaching Augustine’s On the Teacher

by Robert D. Anderson

Religions 2015, 6(2), 404-408; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel6020404 - 8 Apr 2015

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Abstract

This paper examines the merits of introducing undergraduates to the philosophical thought of Augustine by means of his short dialogue On the Teacher. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Teaching Augustine)

207 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Deposito Diademate: Augustine’s Emperors

by Peter Iver Kaufman

Religions 2015, 6(2), 317-327; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel6020317 - 31 Mar 2015

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 5202

Abstract

To assist colleagues from other disciplines who teach Augustine’s texts in their core courses, this contribution to the Lilly Colloquium discusses Augustine’s assessments of Emperors Constantine and Theodosius. His presentations of their tenure in office and their virtues suggest that his position on [...] Read more.

To assist colleagues from other disciplines who teach Augustine’s texts in their core courses, this contribution to the Lilly Colloquium discusses Augustine’s assessments of Emperors Constantine and Theodosius. His presentations of their tenure in office and their virtues suggest that his position on political leadership corresponds with his general skepticism about political platforms and platitudes. Yet careful reading of his revision of Ambrose’s account of Emperor Theodosius’s public penance and reconsideration of the last five sections of his fifth book City of God—as well as a reappraisal of several of his sermons on the Psalms—suggest that he proposes a radical alternative to political conformity relevant to undergraduates’ conventional expectations of society’s progress and their parts in it. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Teaching Augustine)

519 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Physics of Augustine: The Matter of Time, Change and an Unchanging God

by Thomas Nordlund

Religions 2015, 6(1), 221-244; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel6010221 - 17 Mar 2015

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 9070

Abstract

Scientific questions posed by St. Augustine, early father of the Christian church, are presented as a part of a proposed undergraduate course for religion and philosophy students. Augustine regularly seasons his religious, philosophical and moral investigations with analysis focused on the physical nature [...] Read more.

Scientific questions posed by St. Augustine, early father of the Christian church, are presented as a part of a proposed undergraduate course for religion and philosophy students. Augustine regularly seasons his religious, philosophical and moral investigations with analysis focused on the physical nature of the universe and how it can be quantified: “And yet, O Lord, we do perceive intervals of time, and we compare them with each other, and we say that some are longer and others are shorter” (Confessions, Book 11). The physical analysis is sometimes extended, pressing the attention and grasp of the unsuspecting student of religion or philosophy. Though Augustine emphasizes that true knowledge comes from faith and revelation, his physical inquiries imply that he values such analysis as a way toward truth. In contrast, Master of Divinity programs, which train the majority of Western Christian ministers, require little science experience and usually no physics. Serious investigation of Augustine’s physical explorations reveal an alternative way of understanding scripture, especially Jesus’ sayings: could the master engineer who created the universe sometimes be speaking in straightforward scientific terms? Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Teaching Augustine)

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183 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Augustine’s De Musica in the 21st Century Music Classroom

by John MacInnis

Religions 2015, 6(1), 211-220; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel6010211 - 12 Mar 2015

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 11247

Abstract

Augustine’s De musica is all that remains of his ambitious plan to write a cycle of works describing each of the liberal arts in terms of Christian faith and is actually unfinished; whereas the six books extant today primarily examine rhythm, Augustine intended [...] Read more.

Augustine’s De musica is all that remains of his ambitious plan to write a cycle of works describing each of the liberal arts in terms of Christian faith and is actually unfinished; whereas the six books extant today primarily examine rhythm, Augustine intended to write about melody also. The sixth book of De musica was better known in late Antiquity and the Middle Ages than the first five, and it takes up philosophical questions of aesthetics related to the proportionate ordering discernable throughout creation. After a brief introduction summarizing De musica’s content and its importance in subsequent Christian writings, my presentation outlines and explains how I have used this document in my own music classes. For example, my students learn that a vital notion in Augustine’s writings, and in Neoplatonism more broadly, is the spiritual benefit of academic study. That is, through study of music, one gains insight into the created order, but, more importantly, one’s soul is strengthened and trained to perceive higher realities of the cosmos such as the ordering of the planetary spheres and the progression of celestial hierarchies, which span the spiritual distance from God to humanity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Teaching Augustine)

152 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Naming the Mystery: An Augustinian Ideal

by Allan Fitzgerald

Religions 2015, 6(1), 204-210; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel6010204 - 12 Mar 2015

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 4719

Abstract

This article, by noticing Augustine’s constant questioning, shows that he often talks about not knowing and about his need for God’s help to know more. It is therefore better to see how he identifies the mystery than to focus on his answers, because [...] Read more.

This article, by noticing Augustine’s constant questioning, shows that he often talks about not knowing and about his need for God’s help to know more. It is therefore better to see how he identifies the mystery than to focus on his answers, because he too recognizes his limits. His intellectual prowess can be seen more clearly when he “names the mystery” than by thinking that he has solved it. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Teaching Augustine)

130 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Teaching Augustine’s Confessions in the Context of Mercer’s Great Books Program

by Bryan J. Whitfield

Religions 2015, 6(1), 107-112; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel6010107 - 16 Feb 2015

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 5399

Abstract

Students in Mercer University’s Great Books program read Augustine’s Confessions in the third semester of a seven-semester sequence. Their previous reading of Greek and Roman epics and philosophical treatises as well as Biblical material equips them with a solid foundation for reading and [...] Read more.

Students in Mercer University’s Great Books program read Augustine’s Confessions in the third semester of a seven-semester sequence. Their previous reading of Greek and Roman epics and philosophical treatises as well as Biblical material equips them with a solid foundation for reading and discussing Augustine. This essay reflects on that preparation and models ways that instructors can use opening discussion questions related to those earlier readings to guide students into substantive reflection on the Confessions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Teaching Augustine)

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Open AccessArticle

Augustine’s Introduction to Political Philosophy: Teaching De Libero Arbitrio, Book I

by Daniel E. Burns

Religions 2015, 6(1), 82-91; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel6010082 - 30 Jan 2015

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Book I of Augustine’s work On Free Choice (De Libero Arbitrio) offers a helpful introduction to some of the most important themes of political philosophy. The paper makes a case for teaching this text in introductory courses on political thought, theology [...] Read more.

Book I of Augustine’s work On Free Choice (De Libero Arbitrio) offers a helpful introduction to some of the most important themes of political philosophy. The paper makes a case for teaching this text in introductory courses on political thought, theology of social life, and similar topics, alongside or even in place of the more usually assigned excerpts from City of God. The text is written as a dialogue in which Augustine seeks to introduce a student of his to reflection on the ways in which our moral outlook is profoundly shaped by our political citizenship. It invites all of us, whether Christian or non-Christian citizens, to enter into the dialogue ourselves as Augustine’s students and so to reflect on the moral significance of our own citizenship. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Teaching Augustine)

Other

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180 KiB

Open AccessEssay

Augustine’s Confessions: Interiority at the Core of the Core Curriculum

by Michael Chiariello

Religions 2015, 6(3), 755-762; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel6030755 - 24 Jun 2015

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 4590

Abstract

When St. Bonaventure University decided to redesign its core curriculum, we turned to Bonaventure’s account of the mind’s journey to God in the Itinerarium Mentis in Deum as a paradigm by which to give coherence to the undergraduate experience consistent with our mission [...] Read more.

When St. Bonaventure University decided to redesign its core curriculum, we turned to Bonaventure’s account of the mind’s journey to God in the Itinerarium Mentis in Deum as a paradigm by which to give coherence to the undergraduate experience consistent with our mission and tradition. Bonaventure was himself an Augustinian philosopher and thus Augustine’s Confessions holds a place of great significance in our first year seminar where it is studied in conjunction with Bonaventure’s inward turn to find God imprinted on his soul. This paper is an account of the original rationale for including Augustine’s Confessions in our curriculum and a report of continuing faculty and student attitudes towards that text nearly two decades later. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Teaching Augustine)

208 KiB

Open AccessConference Report

Modern Restlessness, from Hobbes to Augustine

by Peter Busch

Religions 2015, 6(2), 626-637; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel6020626 - 11 May 2015

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Abstract

Only with difficulty do modern readers grasp the full import of Augustine’s confession, “Restless is our heart, until it rests in you”, or seriously consider that it might be true. An unexpected remedy is to be found in reading Thomas Hobbes, who introduces [...] Read more.

Only with difficulty do modern readers grasp the full import of Augustine’s confession, “Restless is our heart, until it rests in you”, or seriously consider that it might be true. An unexpected remedy is to be found in reading Thomas Hobbes, who introduces and defends the view of happiness that is now commonly accepted without argument. According to Hobbes, human beings find their happiness not in a single, supreme good but in many objects, the securing of which requires a lifelong quest for power. But this teaching, influential and revealing though it is, fails to satisfy. Meditating on that dissatisfaction is a first step towards more serious engagement with Augustine. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Teaching Augustine)

172 KiB

Open AccessConference Report

Seeking the Place of Conscience in Higher Education: An Augustinian View

by Ian Clausen

Religions 2015, 6(2), 286-298; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel6020286 - 24 Mar 2015

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 5383

Abstract

This article explores the place of conscience in higher education. It begins by reconstructing the place of conscience in Augustine’s thought, drawing on Augustine’s reading of Genesis 3, the Psalms, and his own spiritual journey. Its basic aim is to clarify Augustine’s account [...] Read more.

This article explores the place of conscience in higher education. It begins by reconstructing the place of conscience in Augustine’s thought, drawing on Augustine’s reading of Genesis 3, the Psalms, and his own spiritual journey. Its basic aim is to clarify Augustine’s account of conscience as self-judgment, identifying the conditions under which self-judgment occurs. After identifying these conditions it addresses the question: does conscience still have a place in modern higher education? It acknowledges the real limitations and obstacles to moral education when pursued in the context of the modern research university. However, it also argues that moral education proceeds in stages, and that educators can anticipate and clear a way for the place of conscience—though not, of course, without reliance on the movement of grace. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Teaching Augustine)

141 KiB

Open AccessEssay

Augustine and Autobiography: Confessions as a Roadmap for Self-Reflection

by Mark S. M. Scott

Religions 2015, 6(1), 139-145; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel6010139 - 5 Mar 2015

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 6814

Abstract

In this article, I explore a pedagogical strategy for teaching Augustine’s Confessions to undergraduate students, which involves a final essay assignment. In the assignment, students compose their own “confessions” at the end of the term that employs Augustine’s Confessions as a roadmap for [...] Read more.

In this article, I explore a pedagogical strategy for teaching Augustine’s Confessions to undergraduate students, which involves a final essay assignment. In the assignment, students compose their own “confessions” at the end of the term that employs Augustine’s Confessions as a roadmap for rigorous self-reflection. Like Augustine, they must employ a creative literary frame, without duplicating his rhetorical technique of framing his autobiography as a prayer to God. Moreover, they must reflect on the salient questions, key people, pivotal moments that have shaped them, and analyze their shifts in worldviews. The assignment aims to demystify Augustine and to reinforce the evolving nature of the self as it moves through time and absorbs new ideas and experiences, as well as helping students begin to formulate a coherent and constructive life narrative. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Teaching Augustine)

210 KiB

Open AccessConference Report

Augustine, Addiction and Lent: A Pedagogic Exercise

by Maria Poggi Johnson

Religions 2015, 6(1), 113-121; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel6010113 - 25 Feb 2015

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Abstract

The article describes a series of pedagogic exercises developed to help students in a General Education course at a Jesuit university to engage fruitfully with Augustine’s Confessions in a way that will facilitate and deepen their understanding of a classic text of the [...] Read more.

The article describes a series of pedagogic exercises developed to help students in a General Education course at a Jesuit university to engage fruitfully with Augustine’s Confessions in a way that will facilitate and deepen their understanding of a classic text of the Western tradition and, at the same time, promote their personal formation in keeping with the goals of Ignatian pedagogy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Teaching Augustine)

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