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Augustine: Philosopher and Saint
Long before he was declared a saint by the Church, Augustine gained profound influence as both a Church Father and a Christian Platonist philosopher-defending the doctrine of the Trinity, defining the epochal idea of religious grace, delving into the inner relationship between God and soul, and much more. Today, according to Professor Phillip Cary, Augustine is recognizable even to non-Christians as the most important Christian writer outside of the Bible. Yet Augustine was also a man-a rhetorician trained in the Roman way whose life and discovery of his calling make for one of the most fascinating stories in the history of religious philosophy. Explore Augustine's Life, Teachings, and Doctrine This course paints a rich and detailed portrait of the life, works, and ideas of this remarkable figure, whose own search for God has profoundly shaped all of Western Christianity. You learn what Augustine taught and why he taught it-and how those teachings and doctrines helped shape the Roman Catholic Church. These lectures are rewarding even if you have no background at all in classical philosophy or Christian theology. This is because Professor Cary, who has taught Villanova's nationally recognized seminars on ancient, medieval, Renaissance, and modern thought, has organized an entirely self-contained course. Professor Cary (Ph.D. in Philosophy and Religious Studies, Yale University) is a scholar-in-residence at the Templeton Honors College at Eastern University, where he is director of the Philosophy program and teaches a year-long Great Books seminar. He is author of Augustine's Invention of the Modern Self (Oxford University Press). Professor Cary explains any special religious or philosophical concepts you need to know in order to appreciate Augustine's impact, with real-life examples and analogies that make even the most subtle concepts clear and easy to understand. You'll gain a sense of what Augustine was saying, how his own experiences led him to say it, and how his thoughts fit into the theological, philosophical, and political worlds that swirled around him. Who Was Augustine? A Brief Biography Augustine was born in 354. Early in his life he was inspired by the works of Cicero to devote his life to the pursuit of truth. He started this pursuit as a Rhetorician, then he became a Manichaean, and later a Skeptic. Ambrose, bishop of Milan, and Augustine's mother, Monica, were among those instrumental in his conversion to Catholic Christianity in 386. In North Africa he founded a small monastic community and in 391 was elected Bishop of Hippo at a time when people still had some say in who would lead their religious community. From 395 to 430, he served as bishop. He wrote many treatises among which we find the celebrated Confessions, published in 400 as an open letter to his congregation and a prayer to God. His works also include The City of God and On the Trinity. Many of his writings were directed against heresies, particularly Manichaeism, Donatism, and Pelagianism. He is noted for founding the Western theological tradition and establishing doctrines of the Trinity and Christology. The Life, Works, and Significance of Augustine The course begins with two extremely helpful lectures that help place Augustine in context as both a Church Father (interpreter of the Bible and teacher of Christian doctrine) and philosopher (one who has given us new conceptions of the human heart and its depths). In Lecture 1 you meet Augustine the Roman Christian, one of the Church Fathers responsible for the transition from Bible stories to actual Christian doctrine, a man writing with the end of the Roman Empire at hand. In Lecture 2 you also meet Augustine the Christian Platonist and learn the Platonic concepts-including the idea of a non-bodily, eternal mode of being and the way that concept applies to God-which so deeply influenced him and other religious thinkers of the time. With Augustine's role in-and debt to-these two worlds established, Professor Cary then looks at Augustine's life and legacy in three parts.
Part 1: Augustine's Life
Lectures 3 through 6 are devoted to a study of Augustine's life. You look at the Confessions, his great spiritual autobiography, written when he was a 45-year-old bishop reflecting on the spiritual path of a questing young man of whom the grown Augustine might not always approve. You examine the Confessions from three angles: The intellectual angle spotlights his passionate search for truth. The emotional angle focuses on the love that drives this search, and the aching sense of loss, grief, and yearning which the Confessions evokes in order to show how love can go wrong.The religious angle explores Augustine's search for truth that leads him to Christ and the Christian life, conceived as a journey toward heaven.The section on Augustine's life ends with a focus on his career as a Christian writer following the period of his life covered by the Confessions, which culminated in his almost 15-year effort to write the 22 books of The City of God.
Part II: Augustine's Thought
The next series of three lectures explains key concepts of Augustine's thought, all related to his epochal doctrine of grace. You examine how Augustine relates the human qualities of faith and love to the divine gift of grace (Lecture 7); how his doctrine of grace addresses troublesome issues like the origin of evil, original sin, and predestination (Lecture 8); and how he relates the inward gift of grace to the external side of human life in his teachings about signs, words, sacraments, and the Church (Lecture 9). Part III: Augustine's Concept of Persons The final three lectures address Augustine's concept of persons, both human and divine. You look at Augustine's distinctive conception of the human soul as a private inner world (Lecture 10); then his distinctive way of relating his concept of the soul to the doctrine of the Trinity, which is the orthodox Christian conception of God (Lecture 11); and finally his understanding of God's relationship to specific human communities in history, specifically focusing on The City of God (Lecture 12).
Great Courses, #611
Part 1: Augustine's Life
Lectures 3 through 6 are devoted to a study of Augustine's life. You look at the Confessions, his great spiritual autobiography, written when he was a 45-year-old bishop reflecting on the spiritual path of a questing young man of whom the grown Augustine might not always approve. You examine the Confessions from three angles: The intellectual angle spotlights his passionate search for truth. The emotional angle focuses on the love that drives this search, and the aching sense of loss, grief, and yearning which the Confessions evokes in order to show how love can go wrong.The religious angle explores Augustine's search for truth that leads him to Christ and the Christian life, conceived as a journey toward heaven.The section on Augustine's life ends with a focus on his career as a Christian writer following the period of his life covered by the Confessions, which culminated in his almost 15-year effort to write the 22 books of The City of God.
Part II: Augustine's Thought
The next series of three lectures explains key concepts of Augustine's thought, all related to his epochal doctrine of grace. You examine how Augustine relates the human qualities of faith and love to the divine gift of grace (Lecture 7); how his doctrine of grace addresses troublesome issues like the origin of evil, original sin, and predestination (Lecture 8); and how he relates the inward gift of grace to the external side of human life in his teachings about signs, words, sacraments, and the Church (Lecture 9). Part III: Augustine's Concept of Persons The final three lectures address Augustine's concept of persons, both human and divine. You look at Augustine's distinctive conception of the human soul as a private inner world (Lecture 10); then his distinctive way of relating his concept of the soul to the doctrine of the Trinity, which is the orthodox Christian conception of God (Lecture 11); and finally his understanding of God's relationship to specific human communities in history, specifically focusing on The City of God (Lecture 12).
Great Courses, #611
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First published January 1, 1997
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
February 4, 2020
This is at least the second time I have listened to this EXCELLENT course on St. Augustine. I have had it a long (20 years?) time. So long, it is in the over-sized packaging from the Teaching Company which they dispensed with, and yet it is so good (and my tapes in such good condition) I will not part with them until necessary.
The only problem with this course is that it is too short and therefore cannot go into detail. What it does cover is amazing. Dr. Cary is a fan of Augustine, considers him a great saint, philosopher, and writer, but is not afraid to show his faults, which I appreciated, nor our misconceptions about him. For example, he was not this grand playboy he is commonly made out to be; he was a man who loved women and as it turned out, one woman in particular.
Also, Dr. Cary pointed out with honesty the weaknesses/strengths in the relationship between (St.) Monica and her son. Monica had worldly ambitions for her son as well as spiritual ones. She wanted a successful marriage, which meant she discretely accepted a young man’s need to ‘look around’ and ‘get things out of his system’ before he ‘settled down’ to married life. Even saints have less than pure motives.
However, when Augustine was old enough to marry and the ‘right’ girl was found, Monica had him break off his Common Law marriage to a woman he loved in order for him to ‘marry well’. In the two-year interim, while the young Augustine waited for his bride-to-be to come of age, he took another concubine. Of course, he couldn't remain continent for such a long time!
Dr. Cary is an amusing lecturer, but he is also wise and insightful. The most beautiful reminder: St. Augustine’s mature understanding of the Will of God in all situations is Love. If we are ever in doubt about what to do in a given situation, look for the most loving response and be assured that is what God wills. That for me was worth the entire course!
The only problem with this course is that it is too short and therefore cannot go into detail. What it does cover is amazing. Dr. Cary is a fan of Augustine, considers him a great saint, philosopher, and writer, but is not afraid to show his faults, which I appreciated, nor our misconceptions about him. For example, he was not this grand playboy he is commonly made out to be; he was a man who loved women and as it turned out, one woman in particular.
Also, Dr. Cary pointed out with honesty the weaknesses/strengths in the relationship between (St.) Monica and her son. Monica had worldly ambitions for her son as well as spiritual ones. She wanted a successful marriage, which meant she discretely accepted a young man’s need to ‘look around’ and ‘get things out of his system’ before he ‘settled down’ to married life. Even saints have less than pure motives.
However, when Augustine was old enough to marry and the ‘right’ girl was found, Monica had him break off his Common Law marriage to a woman he loved in order for him to ‘marry well’. In the two-year interim, while the young Augustine waited for his bride-to-be to come of age, he took another concubine. Of course, he couldn't remain continent for such a long time!
Dr. Cary is an amusing lecturer, but he is also wise and insightful. The most beautiful reminder: St. Augustine’s mature understanding of the Will of God in all situations is Love. If we are ever in doubt about what to do in a given situation, look for the most loving response and be assured that is what God wills. That for me was worth the entire course!
January 25, 2024
Augustine: Philosopher and Saint is an excellent overview of Augustine. It includes a biography of his life and his major philosophical and religious ideas. Historical context is frequently provided which often assists in understanding how Augustine's ideas came about; we learn how external events and existing philosophical ideas of the time shaped his developments.
Often, religion and philosophy are so interwoven that they cannot be separated. Whilst this is often true, there are occasions where this isn't necessarily the case and these are very welcome (e.g. expressionism, definition of a community).
Delivery from Prof. Philip Cary is outstanding.
The course is categorised as 'Philosophy' but is almost a 50-50 split between that and 'Religion'. Learners interested solely in philosophical aspects may be left disappointed.
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With a Catholic upbringing, a Theology A-level, and a workable understanding of Platonist ideas - which are pervasive throughout - I found many of the ideas complicated. Prepare to listen to a few lectures more than once.
Often, religion and philosophy are so interwoven that they cannot be separated. Whilst this is often true, there are occasions where this isn't necessarily the case and these are very welcome (e.g. expressionism, definition of a community).
Delivery from Prof. Philip Cary is outstanding.
The course is categorised as 'Philosophy' but is almost a 50-50 split between that and 'Religion'. Learners interested solely in philosophical aspects may be left disappointed.
---
With a Catholic upbringing, a Theology A-level, and a workable understanding of Platonist ideas - which are pervasive throughout - I found many of the ideas complicated. Prepare to listen to a few lectures more than once.
September 1, 2022
I really (REALLY) love Saint Augustine and his ideas, so I am biased in reviewing books that showcase his contributions to philosophy and theology. Saint Augustine is the father and most important figure in the Medieval era. With him, Medieval philosophy starts, and his legacy continues until the modern era. In fact, he is the most cited author in Saint Aquinas' Summa. This book covers three topics. The author's life, his philosophical works, and his theology.
St. Augustine of Hippo was one of the Church Fathers, and one of the central figures in Catholicism. Much of what we consider to be the Catholic Church comes from the writings of St. Augustine. But sadly, much of his writings were responses, refutations, apologia, and disputations concerning certain Christian sects most of whom are considered heretical.
Augustine wrote the first work that we would consider an autobiography. And though many authors have written memoirs and included instances of their lives in their works (of which Julius Caesar's and Thucydides' works immediately come to mind), none of them focused to this degree on their moral and intellectual development in constructing a picture of themselves from their childhood to their conversion. (I honestly tried to learn Latin to read it in Augustine's poetic style. Go to 18:30 here to see what I mean: https://youtu.be/X-EGFQLR4Ew.)
One of the greatest inventions of Augustine was the term free will, and predestination and compatibilism. Not only did he coin these terms, but he developed the first systematic study of them. The study of psychology was initiated formally in Aristotle's The Art of Rhetoric and his De Anima, but in Augustine's works especially his Confessions and The City of God, we see a completely different dimension, where greater focus is given to how we conceive of ideas.
This book was a pleasure to read, and I've divided my time reading it between Rochester and New York City, but I remember those long mornings in which I have focused on the book's details and squinted at the arguments presented by the author, especially when they were either too clever or were made while hand-waving.
St. Augustine of Hippo was one of the Church Fathers, and one of the central figures in Catholicism. Much of what we consider to be the Catholic Church comes from the writings of St. Augustine. But sadly, much of his writings were responses, refutations, apologia, and disputations concerning certain Christian sects most of whom are considered heretical.
Augustine wrote the first work that we would consider an autobiography. And though many authors have written memoirs and included instances of their lives in their works (of which Julius Caesar's and Thucydides' works immediately come to mind), none of them focused to this degree on their moral and intellectual development in constructing a picture of themselves from their childhood to their conversion. (I honestly tried to learn Latin to read it in Augustine's poetic style. Go to 18:30 here to see what I mean: https://youtu.be/X-EGFQLR4Ew.)
One of the greatest inventions of Augustine was the term free will, and predestination and compatibilism. Not only did he coin these terms, but he developed the first systematic study of them. The study of psychology was initiated formally in Aristotle's The Art of Rhetoric and his De Anima, but in Augustine's works especially his Confessions and The City of God, we see a completely different dimension, where greater focus is given to how we conceive of ideas.
This book was a pleasure to read, and I've divided my time reading it between Rochester and New York City, but I remember those long mornings in which I have focused on the book's details and squinted at the arguments presented by the author, especially when they were either too clever or were made while hand-waving.
February 12, 2019
Pretty good overview of Augustine's life and his theology. The lecturer delivered in a dynamic and fun fashion that made the material easier to take in.
January 8, 2020
I give the lecture series a 4. Professor Cary is engaging, energetic, and often amusing. Augustine's overall body of thought itself is a little harder to rate...a lot that's compelling, but a fair amount that's troublesome...so I won't attempt to do so.
January 23, 2018
I greatly enjoyed this course, largely because I have found Augustine to be a fascinating person in my own reading and thinking [1]. This instructor is certainly fond of Augustine and has a lot of praise to give him, but to his credit he is also someone who wishes to be honest about Augustine's flaws when it comes to being able to properly understand and conceptualize the workings of God in history as well as pointing out how Augustine was influential in smuggling Neoplatonism and Hellenism in general into the early Roman Catholic Church of his time. The staggering intellectual creativity of Augustine, though, means that even those of us who are critical of the relationship of Athens and Jerusalem are influenced by his writing and thinking because of the way that his view has influenced our own, even in spite of what we may prefer. I come from a religious tradition that views Augustine rather dimly, and I still find myself as a philosophical and intellectual person still engaged in a conversation over aspects of the Augustinian perspective that are worth appreciating even despite this.
This course is thankfully a short one, twelve lectures that take up six relatively short hours. The first two lectures take up the complex way in which Augustine served as both a church father whose writings were often meant to support the doctrines of the Catholic church of late antiquity as well as a Christian Platonist whose religious path included time spent as a Manichean. After this comes three lectures on the Confessions which include a discussion on the search for wisdom, the love and tears of Augustine's mother, and the road home to the Hellenistic faith of his youth. The sixth lecture discusses Augustine's career as a Christian writer involved in a great deal of polemical disputes with the Donatist schismatics as well as Pelagius. After this the professor examines Augustine's views on faith, love and grace, some of his darker beliefs in evil, free will, original sin, and predestination, his thoughts about signs and sacraments, and closes with three lectures on Augustine's view of the inner self, the Trinity and the soul, and the City of God and its view of community. The professor is clearly fond of Augustine but also is honest about what he sees as the flaws of Augustine's thinking and conceptions.
This book is about as fair-minded a look on Augustine as one would expect to find from a Christian humanist perspective. Admittedly, my own perspective is more critical largely because I view Platonism as a less viable and worthwhile worldview than the professor does and certainly than Augustine did. Even so, as someone whose writing and thinking deeply involves the inner self and who is inclined to wrestle with questions of philosophy and the borders between Christian doctrine and intellectual research and reflection, I find that at least some debt of honor and respect must be paid to Augustine even if our religious beliefs are different that we probably would have written hostile books about each other had we lived at the same time of history. If you want to know more about Augustine and about why he is such an important figure in the Middle Ages and to this day, this course certainly does a good job at explaining and expressing his worldview and demonstrating his pivotal role as a bridge between the world of late antiquity and the Middle Ages. The book made me want to read more writing by Augustine himself, and that is certainly a sign that this course was well done, even if it was not perfect.
[1] See, for example:
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2014...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2018...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017...
This course is thankfully a short one, twelve lectures that take up six relatively short hours. The first two lectures take up the complex way in which Augustine served as both a church father whose writings were often meant to support the doctrines of the Catholic church of late antiquity as well as a Christian Platonist whose religious path included time spent as a Manichean. After this comes three lectures on the Confessions which include a discussion on the search for wisdom, the love and tears of Augustine's mother, and the road home to the Hellenistic faith of his youth. The sixth lecture discusses Augustine's career as a Christian writer involved in a great deal of polemical disputes with the Donatist schismatics as well as Pelagius. After this the professor examines Augustine's views on faith, love and grace, some of his darker beliefs in evil, free will, original sin, and predestination, his thoughts about signs and sacraments, and closes with three lectures on Augustine's view of the inner self, the Trinity and the soul, and the City of God and its view of community. The professor is clearly fond of Augustine but also is honest about what he sees as the flaws of Augustine's thinking and conceptions.
This book is about as fair-minded a look on Augustine as one would expect to find from a Christian humanist perspective. Admittedly, my own perspective is more critical largely because I view Platonism as a less viable and worthwhile worldview than the professor does and certainly than Augustine did. Even so, as someone whose writing and thinking deeply involves the inner self and who is inclined to wrestle with questions of philosophy and the borders between Christian doctrine and intellectual research and reflection, I find that at least some debt of honor and respect must be paid to Augustine even if our religious beliefs are different that we probably would have written hostile books about each other had we lived at the same time of history. If you want to know more about Augustine and about why he is such an important figure in the Middle Ages and to this day, this course certainly does a good job at explaining and expressing his worldview and demonstrating his pivotal role as a bridge between the world of late antiquity and the Middle Ages. The book made me want to read more writing by Augustine himself, and that is certainly a sign that this course was well done, even if it was not perfect.
[1] See, for example:
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2014...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2018...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017...
March 4, 2014
An excellent little overview of Augustine, his life, times, and philosophy. Most of the series focuses on his writings and philosophy as well as their evolution over time, often with discussion of the historical context in which they were created as well as some useful comparing/contrasting to extant philosophies of the day (and particularly Platonism.)
Early in the series of 12 lectures there were some interesting and important re-definitions of some contemporary words. Cary pushes them back to an earlier time with slightly different meanings compared to their modern ones which certainly helps to frame the overarching philosophy presented. Without a close study of this vocabulary, many modern readers will become lost or certainly misdirected when reading modern translations. As examples, words like perverse, righteousness, and justice (or more specifically their Latin counterparts) have subtly different meanings in the late Roman empire than they do today, even in modern day religious settings.
My favorite part, however, has to have been the examples discussing mathematics as an extended metaphor for God and divinity to help to clarify some of Augustine's thought. These were not only very useful, but very entertaining to me.
As an aside for those interested in mnemotechnic tradition, I'll also mention that I've (re)discovered (see the reference to the Tell paper below) an excellent reference to the modern day "memory palace" (referenced most recently in the book Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything) squirreled away in Book X of Confessions where Augustine discusses memory as:
Those interested in memes and the history of "memoria ex locis" (of which I don't even find a reference explicitly written in the original Rhetorica ad Herrenium) would appreciate an additional reference I subsequently found in the opening (and somewhat poetic) paragraph of a paper written by David Tell on JSTOR. The earliest specific reference to a "memory palace" I'm aware of is Matteo Ricci's in the 16th century, but certainly other references to the construct may have come earlier. Given that Ricci was a Jesuit priest, it's nearly certain that he would have been familiar with Augustine's writings at the time, and it's possible that his modification of Augustine's mention brought the concept into its current use.
Some may shy away from Augustine because of the religious overtones which go along with his work, but though there were occasional "preachy sounding" sections in the material, they were present only to clarify the philosophy.
I'd certainly recommend this series of lectures to anyone not closely familiar with Augustine's work as it has had a profound and continuing affect on Western philosophy, thought, and politics.
Early in the series of 12 lectures there were some interesting and important re-definitions of some contemporary words. Cary pushes them back to an earlier time with slightly different meanings compared to their modern ones which certainly helps to frame the overarching philosophy presented. Without a close study of this vocabulary, many modern readers will become lost or certainly misdirected when reading modern translations. As examples, words like perverse, righteousness, and justice (or more specifically their Latin counterparts) have subtly different meanings in the late Roman empire than they do today, even in modern day religious settings.
My favorite part, however, has to have been the examples discussing mathematics as an extended metaphor for God and divinity to help to clarify some of Augustine's thought. These were not only very useful, but very entertaining to me.
As an aside for those interested in mnemotechnic tradition, I'll also mention that I've (re)discovered (see the reference to the Tell paper below) an excellent reference to the modern day "memory palace" (referenced most recently in the book Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything) squirreled away in Book X of Confessions where Augustine discusses memory as:
"fields and spacious palaces" "...where are the treasures of innumerable images, brought into it from things of all sorts perceived by the senses. There is stored up, whatsoever besides we think, either by enlarging or diminishing, or any other way varying those things which the sense hath come to; and whatever else hath been committed and laid up, which forgetfulness hath not yet swallowed up and buried."
Those interested in memes and the history of "memoria ex locis" (of which I don't even find a reference explicitly written in the original Rhetorica ad Herrenium) would appreciate an additional reference I subsequently found in the opening (and somewhat poetic) paragraph of a paper written by David Tell on JSTOR. The earliest specific reference to a "memory palace" I'm aware of is Matteo Ricci's in the 16th century, but certainly other references to the construct may have come earlier. Given that Ricci was a Jesuit priest, it's nearly certain that he would have been familiar with Augustine's writings at the time, and it's possible that his modification of Augustine's mention brought the concept into its current use.
Some may shy away from Augustine because of the religious overtones which go along with his work, but though there were occasional "preachy sounding" sections in the material, they were present only to clarify the philosophy.
I'd certainly recommend this series of lectures to anyone not closely familiar with Augustine's work as it has had a profound and continuing affect on Western philosophy, thought, and politics.
Read
September 15, 2010Just realized that Teaching Company lectures are part of Goodreads.com -- and well they should be!
Cary is another gifted lecturer, carefully pacing us through difficult ideas, such as his opening which states the significance of Augustine's thought to any and all Western literature on the interiority of the self, or in lecture two, which has a wonderful exposition on the concept of the "intelligible world" which is so fundamental to the sense of self and the sense of God.
Perhaps the greatest difficulty of discussing Augustine is the need to juggle two perspectives that have diverged so much they now seem practically opposed: Augustine as an early medieval Church father, and Augustine as a probing explorer of the human mind. To remind us that these two roles were once entirely compatible is really to capture some of the magical quality of the ancient world.
Cary is another gifted lecturer, carefully pacing us through difficult ideas, such as his opening which states the significance of Augustine's thought to any and all Western literature on the interiority of the self, or in lecture two, which has a wonderful exposition on the concept of the "intelligible world" which is so fundamental to the sense of self and the sense of God.
Perhaps the greatest difficulty of discussing Augustine is the need to juggle two perspectives that have diverged so much they now seem practically opposed: Augustine as an early medieval Church father, and Augustine as a probing explorer of the human mind. To remind us that these two roles were once entirely compatible is really to capture some of the magical quality of the ancient world.
September 23, 2021
Cary writes that all Western thought, especially Christian thought is influenced by Augustine. Augustine describes faith as inner understanding, similar to the "aha" of intellectual grasp of a mathematical concept. He draws on Plato extensively to describe the material world and an even realer and more perfect abstract world in which God can be somewhat known.
Augustine's description of the Trinity had major influence.
A questionable influence is his focus (from Plato) on the nonmaterial world. Augustine acknowledged that we have and will continue to have physical bodies, but he minimizes what that means to Christian life now and in the eternal realm. Outside of the focus on avoiding sin.
I lost respect for Augustine in reading that he set aside two mistresses and a fiance in his quest to follow God. It does not acknowledge his obligation to them as people.
Augustine's description of the Trinity had major influence.
A questionable influence is his focus (from Plato) on the nonmaterial world. Augustine acknowledged that we have and will continue to have physical bodies, but he minimizes what that means to Christian life now and in the eternal realm. Outside of the focus on avoiding sin.
I lost respect for Augustine in reading that he set aside two mistresses and a fiance in his quest to follow God. It does not acknowledge his obligation to them as people.
February 6, 2018
Fascinating.... And bizzare. I'm not sure I can follow Augustine's logic much of the time - it's like saying "A probably = B. A, therefore B. If B then C. Almost B, therefore C. C+D+E < F. Therefore, the doctrine of the church shall be F." I think he digs himself into holes with all his ad hoc solutions to logical absurdities. But, so they tell me, we have him to thank for the state of many things in Western thinking, and since Western thinking > any other thinking, therefore Augustine must have been right.
Professor Cary did an honourable job of presenting Augustine's ideas objectively, while still providing a human perspective.
Professor Cary did an honourable job of presenting Augustine's ideas objectively, while still providing a human perspective.
October 15, 2022
It’s a tall order to survey Augustine’s life and work in 12 lectures. Unfortunately, this uneven treatment never really gets its footing. Dr. Cary dedicates three lectures to Confessions, but only explores The City of God in the final lecture. Very little time is spent discussing Augustine’s writings against the Donatists and Pelagians. There’s only one lecture on evil, free will, original sin, and predestination (Augustine wrote at least 13 books which have these as major themes, aside from his homilies and commentaries). Additionally, most of the lectures seem a bit disorganized. Skip this one and read Augustine himself.
October 25, 2022
Sadly, this was the worst Great Courses course I've yet heard. I would strongly recommend The Great Courses City of God instructed by Charles Matthewes rather than this, if you want to view Augustine as a decent philosopher. The arguments that are described in this course make Augustine seem like a rationalizing hypocrite (which he may very well have been) and are truly bad logic. There is overwhelming evidence of Augustine applying one standard to orthodox Catholic Christianity and a different one to any other form of theology or philosophy, all while using Platonism (yay, heathenism) to rationalize Christianity.
February 17, 2022
Another fun series of lectures delivered by someone who cares about his subject a lot.
I just finished reading Augustine’s Confessions so I figured this would help me understand better what I just read. I wasn’t disappointed.
This was worth my time.
Now that I’ve read Confessions and Dante’s Divine Comedy I feel like I’ve explored the Catholic side of the Western Literary Canon. Now it’s time to move on to some Protestant stuff from the Johns: Bunyan and Milton. The Pilgrim's Progress is up next. May God have mercy on my soul.
I just finished reading Augustine’s Confessions so I figured this would help me understand better what I just read. I wasn’t disappointed.
This was worth my time.
Now that I’ve read Confessions and Dante’s Divine Comedy I feel like I’ve explored the Catholic side of the Western Literary Canon. Now it’s time to move on to some Protestant stuff from the Johns: Bunyan and Milton. The Pilgrim's Progress is up next. May God have mercy on my soul.
May 23, 2018
Most of the Great Courses are worthwhile and this is no exception. Actually I listened to this before but read it this time. There are better books on Augustine but this is a good introduction.
(Note: I'm stingy with stars. For me 2 stars means a good book. 3 = Very good; 4 = Outstanding {only about 5% of the books I read merit this}; 5 = All time favorites {one of these may come along every 400-500 books})
(Note: I'm stingy with stars. For me 2 stars means a good book. 3 = Very good; 4 = Outstanding {only about 5% of the books I read merit this}; 5 = All time favorites {one of these may come along every 400-500 books})
December 29, 2019
A very interesting course on the man who probably did most to shape and cement the doctrines of the Catholic Church through the medieval period and right up to today. Even much of Protestant tradition can be traced to Augustine. My one complaint is the constant references to The Confessions of Augustine which I havent read. One should probably read them before or as a companion to this course to get the most out of it.
October 30, 2022
Augustine is arguably the most important philosopher of the last 2000 years. His thinking was instrumental in the development of Catholic theology and Protestant theology. But even though Cary tries to make it simple, this book is a heavy load. If you’re going to give it the attention it deserves, this is not a quick read. Don’t speed up the audiobook. Don’t listen while driving. Take the time to really listen.
April 10, 2020
A nice overview of St. Augustine. If you want to examine one of the most influential thinkers in Western thought and Latin Letters, this is a good place to start. However, I was a bit confused and disappointed that Augustine's magnum opus, "The City of God", only receives one lecture, while the "Confessions" receive three. Still, the course is worth your time!
March 4, 2024
Knyga apie Augustiną, bene pirmąjį Katalikų bažnyčios teoretiką, kuris savo veikaluose duoda atsakymus į fundamentalius ir egzistencinius katalikų religijos klausimus: Dievas ir jo prigimtis, lemtis, laisva valia, teisingas karas, prigimtinė nuodėmė. Krikščionims ir bendrai išsilavinusiems žmonėms būtinas bent jau bazinis žinojimas apie Šv Augustino filosofiją.
June 14, 2024
Enjoyable lectures. Lecturer holds your attention. I did find it useful to have studied Plato before hand however as he gives a brief over view of Plato and his influence on Augustine. That said, at the end I did have a good understanding of Augustine but not quite as thorough as I would have liked (but a good overview/introduction).
August 10, 2021
An excellent overview of Saint Augustine's life and his contribution to the theology of the Christian church. Well worth a second lesson should I get the chance. (Perhaps I need to have a new "shelf" for those works that seem worthy of another listen.)
June 29, 2023
I don't like philosophy lectures much as they tend to dragging indefinitely, but this one had the pace and obviously, there are philosophy geeks. BTW, I have never realised how much of the current Catholicism is based on St Augustine.
June 9, 2024
So informative. I feel like I truly understand St. Augustine now. I should probably re-read Confessiones with this new knowledge but there is still so much unread out there.
Double predestination still baffles and terrifies me.
St. Augustine, St. Ambrose, St.Monica, pray for us!
Double predestination still baffles and terrifies me.
St. Augustine, St. Ambrose, St.Monica, pray for us!
July 24, 2017
A good introduction to his thought and how Platonic thought shaped the pre-Thomistic religious world.
August 10, 2022
Not Cary’s best Great Course but a nice short intro to Augustine.
August 12, 2022
Decent.
October 18, 2022
Church Father
Christian Platonist
Confessions
Faith Love and Grace
Evil, Free Will, Original Sin, Predestination
Signs and Sacraments
Inner Self
The Trinity
The City of God
Christian Platonist
Confessions
Faith Love and Grace
Evil, Free Will, Original Sin, Predestination
Signs and Sacraments
Inner Self
The Trinity
The City of God
October 29, 2022
I have always struggled with Augustine. Finally, I’m beginning to appreciate him. A brilliant course of short lectures.
February 22, 2023
Trinity is still gibberish to me.
December 20, 2023
great info. my first attempt to inspire myself to read City of God.
August 19, 2016
Audio download
Augustine: Father of Medieval Intolerance?
As other reviewers have noted, these lectures are better suited for a Sunday school session (Christian, of course), or maybe just a very long sermon. The lectures were not the subject for which I was seeking.
While Dr Cary is very knowledgeable about his subject, and speaks clearly with emotional energy, he comes off a bit preachy...not a good thing, in my opinion.
I was seeking a bit of context about the man who is considered to be THE driving intellect of the early middle ages. A man responsible for the clarification of the early Roman Catholic Church...and that he was, however, maybe not in the way specifically intended. Augustine (November 354 – 28 August 430), a Manichean until his (convenient) conversion in 387 (Theodosius I had earlier...382...made it difficult for the Manicheans by ordering the execution of Manichean clerics. I might have converted as well!). But Augustine learned well of these, and other official church actions (see the First Council of Nicaea in 325 during which Arianism was abolished and the concept of the trinity established as official church orthodoxy) to set the stage for centuries of heavy-handed church doctrines that limited the growth of secular culture in most of western Europe. In my opinion, Augustine's writings set the stage for religious intolerance for the next few centuries, until the reformation. The writings were the basis for judging who was worthy of the pope's blessing...who was to be grilled by the inquisition...even who would become the 'secular' leaders of early nations. He wrote the rule book...
At this point, I'll stop being a critic, and just continue as a reviewer, keeping my ever-growing debate with the course material to myself (but I am reminded of Plato's 'Allegory of the Cave'...not to mention the out-of-context writings from Plotinus' 'Enneads').
Good course if you like Christian religious dogmas and a slanted view of history, ...a bad course if you're looking for the logical philosophy and history of possibly the most influential man of the early middle ages
It's often on sale and, with a coupon, you can get it for less than $0.50 a lecture...I wouldn't pay any more than that.
Augustine: Father of Medieval Intolerance?
As other reviewers have noted, these lectures are better suited for a Sunday school session (Christian, of course), or maybe just a very long sermon. The lectures were not the subject for which I was seeking.
While Dr Cary is very knowledgeable about his subject, and speaks clearly with emotional energy, he comes off a bit preachy...not a good thing, in my opinion.
I was seeking a bit of context about the man who is considered to be THE driving intellect of the early middle ages. A man responsible for the clarification of the early Roman Catholic Church...and that he was, however, maybe not in the way specifically intended. Augustine (November 354 – 28 August 430), a Manichean until his (convenient) conversion in 387 (Theodosius I had earlier...382...made it difficult for the Manicheans by ordering the execution of Manichean clerics. I might have converted as well!). But Augustine learned well of these, and other official church actions (see the First Council of Nicaea in 325 during which Arianism was abolished and the concept of the trinity established as official church orthodoxy) to set the stage for centuries of heavy-handed church doctrines that limited the growth of secular culture in most of western Europe. In my opinion, Augustine's writings set the stage for religious intolerance for the next few centuries, until the reformation. The writings were the basis for judging who was worthy of the pope's blessing...who was to be grilled by the inquisition...even who would become the 'secular' leaders of early nations. He wrote the rule book...
At this point, I'll stop being a critic, and just continue as a reviewer, keeping my ever-growing debate with the course material to myself (but I am reminded of Plato's 'Allegory of the Cave'...not to mention the out-of-context writings from Plotinus' 'Enneads').
Good course if you like Christian religious dogmas and a slanted view of history, ...a bad course if you're looking for the logical philosophy and history of possibly the most influential man of the early middle ages
It's often on sale and, with a coupon, you can get it for less than $0.50 a lecture...I wouldn't pay any more than that.
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