The Political and Social Ideas of Saint Augustine

by Herbert A. Deane

A critical essay on St. Augustine's social and political thought.

In describing Augustine, the author captures the essence of the man in these "Genius he had in full measure... he is the master of the phrase or the sentence that embodies a penetrating insight, a flash of lightning that illuminates the entire sky; he is the rhetorician, the epigrammist, the polemicist, but not the patient, logical systematic philosopher."

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Religion, Politics, History, Theology, Christianity

376 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1963

Reviews

[Armando Maese Jr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent. The main idea here is that Augustine's political and social thought are driven by his view of biblical anthropology. That is, man is completely vitiated by sin, due to Adam's fall, and his every action is rooted in it. Subsequently, the affections of fallen man are turned inward. It is the love of self that drives the tireless pursuit of material possessions, glory, and pleasure. This creates a conflict of wills that, if unchecked, would dissolve into political and social anarchy. Therefore, God ordains the State with the responsibility of using punishment (and the fear of it) to restrict fallen man from satisfying his sinful desires at the expense of all other persons. This is what Augustine calls the 'peace of Babylon,' maintained in the City of Man, which is the purpose of the civil authority, not to change men or better society, but only to restrict evil. The civil authority does this imperfectly, and the situation is even more complicated when the Christian find himself in power, but a relative and imperfect peace is still better than none at all.

There is also another kind of man; the regenerate or redeemed. This man has been so called and transformed by God that his affections are directed toward God, in the first place, and toward others as his neighbors. He is able to exhibit true virtue by living this life in faith, hope, and love (caritas), while the unregenerate man cannot. His citizenship is not of the City of Man, and therefore he should have no interest in reforming or changing it. His interest should be in being God's instrument to bring others into the City of God.

There is also the overarching theme of divine providence behind all of this. God has ordained all things for his own ultimate purpose and good. Undoubtedly, the understanding of this has profound impact on how the regenerate man approaches this life, both politically and socially. The good ruler and the evil ruler are both ordained by God. The Christian must unquestioningly obey, unless in violation of God's moral law. The Christian must also submit to the temporal penalty of obeying God over man, and see his punishment as God's testing. So, even persecutions are meant for good. In essence, the civil authority could (or should be able to) ask for no better citizen than the Christian.

It is interesting to see how Augustine parses out biblical anthropology into his social and political thought. The author remains mostly objective, but there are a few occasions where he voices disagreement, notably where Augustine believes that the Christian ruler must promote true religion and suppress/punish heresy. The author does also help to clarify difficult points and misinterpretations of Augustine's thought. The one that stood out to me the most was the common mistake of identifying the City of God with the visible church. Augustine is clear that only at the final judgment will Christ separate the City of God from the City of Man. In this life they are visibly mixed. I think this clearly falls in line with Christ's teaching, of which the Christian must test the ideas of Augustine, and also understand in accordance with, secondarily and alongside.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Herbert Dean's book is an incredibly helpful introduction and guide to Augustine's thought on political matters, especially because in Augustine's own work his theories are scattered through out.

I recommend this book also as a starting point for research involving Augustine and his social ideas; it will help show you where to go.

Dean's explanations are clear and he insightfully outlines Augustine's realistic view of a state comprised of fallen men. However, I disagree with his contention later in the book that Augustine is inconsistent in some aspects. I'm happy to provide thoughts on that last point privately.

[Ian Lindstrom · Rating 5 out of 5]

These aren't shockingly new ideas (not in modern times anyway), but they are so well said & then so well explained that it deserves five stars.
For me, this was such a good book because of that great explanation of religious thought & philosophy. It's a nice, easily readable resource, especially if you're not religious. If theology is your main focus, this might be a bit basic but not necessarily unstimulating.
Lots of well written, quote-worthy thoughts on morality, religion & society. This is a book I'll hold onto.

[Erik]

Recommended by James Schall in Another Sort of Learning, Chapter 7, as one of several books to quietly read to stir thoughts of the highest things.

Recommended by James Schall in Another Sort of Learning, Chapter 17, as one of Ten Books on Grace and Thought.

[Justin Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid, so long as you remember that Deane presents his own reading of Augustine as if it were right, rather than one possibility.

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Textbook from college