Saint Augustine

Saint Augustine (354-430 AD), also known as Augustine of Hippo created an image of himself through his writings and teachings. He was born in Tagaste, a town in North Africa, on November 13, 354 AD. He was born into a middle class family. Patricius, his father, was a pagan, but later converted to Christianity because of his wife, Monica, was a devout Christian. Augustine's mother, who was devoted to the Roman Catholic church, constantly tried for her son's conversion.

Augustine was educated as a lecturer in the former North African cities of Tagaste, Madaura, and Carthage. The philosophical works of Marcus Tullius Cicero, a Roman speaker and politician, inspired Augustine to become a seeker after truth. Augustine engaged restlessly in philosophical studies, and passed from one phase of thought to another, unable to find satisfaction. From 373 until 382, in Carthage, he conformed to Manichaeism, a dualistic philosophy dealing with the conflict between good and evil. This seemed to be the answer to the confusion in his own heart. It solved the mysteries that confused him in his own experience. After realizing that this philosophy wouldn't make a great ethical system, he abandoned this philosophy. After being educated throughout North Africa, he left Carthage and in 384 found himself in Milan where he would pursue his career of a professor in rhetoric. Also, in Milan he met and was influenced by the bishop, Ambrose. With this, Augustine was attracted again to Christianity and was baptized by Ambrose in 387. Augustine was also influenced by Platonism. He than returned to North Africa where he became the bishop of Hippo in 391, a title he held until he died.

This great "Father of the Church," wrote a handbook on the three theological virtues: faith, hope, and love. The Enchiridion on Faith, Hope, and Love was written in the year 420. It is a brief handbook on the proper mode of serving God, through faith, hope, and love. It is easy to say what one ought to believe, what to hope for, and what to love. But to defend our doctrines against the slander of those who think differently is a more difficult and detailed task. If one is to have this wisdom, it is not enough just to put an enchiridion in the hand. It is also necessary that a great eagerness be in the heart.

Saint Augustine says that God created all things good. In Chapter XI, Augustine says, "what is called evil in the universe is but the absence of good" (Augustine 177). He uses an example of disease and wounds, which are evil, are nothing but the absence of health, which is good. "For when a cure is effected, that does not mean that the evils which were present go away from the body and dwell elsewhere: they altogether cease to exist" (Augustine 177). In sum, when evil is controlled it will no longer exist in the good or anywhere else. Augustine relates this to the vices in our soul and how they are nothing but deprivations of natural good. Just like the disease and wounds, when the vices are cured, they cease to exist in the soul and everywhere else. What he is trying to say is that God didn't create evil for its own purpose. God is supremely good and wouldn't put evil on this earth if we weren't able to get some good out of it. So evil is here for the purpose of good.

Augustine discusses the idea of contraries in Chapter XIV. Augustine states that "two contraries cannot be predicated at the same time of the same thing" (Augustine 178) does not hold true with the concept of good and evil, even though they are contraries. They are seen as an exception to the rule. He is saying that good and evil can exist at the same time in any one thing. He also says that good can exist without evil, but evil cannot exist without good, or in anything that is not good. "For a man or an angel can exist without being wicked; but nothing can be wicked except a man or an angel: and so far as he is a man or an angel, he is good; so far as he is wicked, he is an evil" (Augustine 178). He says that evil originates in what is good. He derives at this from saying, "corruption could not have either a place to dwell in, or a source to spring from, if there were noting that could be corrupted; and nothing can be corrupted except what is good, for corruption is nothing else but the destruction of good" (Augustine 178).

We all know that lying is wrong and Augustine agrees with this, but in Chapter XVIII he feels the need to answer the question "whether at any time it can become the duty of a good man to tell a lie?" (Augustine 180). He understands that when one lies a sin is committed, but it makes a difference according to the intention and the subject at hand. Some people lie to help or deceive others. Augustine believes that the man who unintentionally says what is false, thinking it is true, is a better man than the one who unintentionally says what is true, but in his mind intends to deceive. "For the former does not think one thing and say another; but the latter, though his statements may be true in fact, has one thought in his heart and another on his lips; and that is the very essence of lying" (Augustine 181). Augustine leaves us