Augustine, On Order
There is a conversation going on between Licentius and Augustine
• Order is the government of all things by God
• God administers both good and evil
• What is with God remains firm, stable
• What the wise man knows not by means of his body but of his soul is “with God”
• It is impossible to understand foolishness, which is darkness of mind. If you want to avoid foolishness, do not try to understand it
• T- Nothing is out of order each thing perfectly fitting in its own assigned place
• They fail to see any order in it
○ To be instructed in all branches of learning, in order to see
order
• God is everywhere
• Wise man’s body can move but his soul not, it is unmoved
• Order is God’s action on everything. There is nothing outside that
action
• God is just. He has always been so
• Order began the moment evil came into being
• Everything happens because of a certain order
• How to live and how to learn in order
• By God’s own law they will know how to live
• Youthful students must begin by abstaining from sex, gluttony
etc.
• How those students should learn who have decided so to live?
○ Learning by authority and reason
• Authority opens the gates of learning
• Authority is partly divine and partly human. The former is the
truest, firmest and supreme
• Divine authority teaches its power by deeds, its mercy by coming
down so law (Incarnation)
• Human authority often deceives
• Alypius - You need divinised humans to lead such an ideal
lifestyle
• These precepts for right living are from the books of great, saintly
men
• God’s help routinely exercises mercy on people of all sorts
There is nothing and nowhere without the order of God. He perfectly distributed the order and Christianity ensures this perfection of order. The church is an earthly reflection of God's authority. We ought not to change this order and authority but to obey. Although some of them object Augustine's proposal of abstaining from sex and gluttony for youthful students and argue that it requires divinized self regulation, Augustine asserts these instructions for living right are from the books of saintly men.
Keywords: good, evil, order, chaos, Christianity, God, instrumentalization, church, king, body, soul, learning, authority, reason, divine, deeds, mercy, original sin, perfection, religion
There is a conversation going on between Licentius and Augustine
• Order is the government of all things by God
• God administers both good and evil
• What is with God remains firm, stable
• What the wise man knows not by means of his body but of his soul is “with God”
• It is impossible to understand foolishness, which is darkness of mind. If you want to avoid foolishness, do not try to understand it
• T- Nothing is out of order each thing perfectly fitting in its own assigned place
• They fail to see any order in it
○ To be instructed in all branches of learning, in order to see
order
• God is everywhere
• Wise man’s body can move but his soul not, it is unmoved
• Order is God’s action on everything. There is nothing outside that
action
• God is just. He has always been so
• Order began the moment evil came into being
• Everything happens because of a certain order
• How to live and how to learn in order
• By God’s own law they will know how to live
• Youthful students must begin by abstaining from sex, gluttony
etc.
• How those students should learn who have decided so to live?
○ Learning by authority and reason
• Authority opens the gates of learning
• Authority is partly divine and partly human. The former is the
truest, firmest and supreme
• Divine authority teaches its power by deeds, its mercy by coming
down so law (Incarnation)
• Human authority often deceives
• Alypius - You need divinised humans to lead such an ideal
lifestyle
• These precepts for right living are from the books of great, saintly
men
• God’s help routinely exercises mercy on people of all sorts
There is nothing and nowhere without the order of God. He perfectly distributed the order and Christianity ensures this perfection of order. The church is an earthly reflection of God's authority. We ought not to change this order and authority but to obey. Although some of them object Augustine's proposal of abstaining from sex and gluttony for youthful students and argue that it requires divinized self regulation, Augustine asserts these instructions for living right are from the books of saintly men.
Keywords: good, evil, order, chaos, Christianity, God, instrumentalization, church, king, body, soul, learning, authority, reason, divine, deeds, mercy, original sin, perfection, religion