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The first of the problems that arose among the early Christian believers in Jesus centered around the relationship of the Mosaic Law to gentile believers. The main problem was whether the Jewish Law was binding on the gentile peoples after their acceptance of Jesus Christ. In the New Testament, especially in the Acts of the Apostles and Paul's letters, we can see that the debate over the Law was not resolved in the early period, as we can see in the writings of later church fathers. This article will focus on how the Law is interpreted through the correspondence between Jerome and Augustine, two famous church fathers who lived in the fourth century, and an incident between Peter and Paul in Paul's Letter to the Galatians. This correspondence between these two church fathers will be discussed through their explanations of the binding force of the Jewish Law on the gentile people. While Jerome will argue that the alleged scene between Paul and Peter in the Epistle to the Galatians is a fiction that was organized within a plan, Augustine will argue that Jerome's interpretation would mean that an event that does not exist in reality is recorded in the New Testament, which would undermine the authority of the sacred texts.

Ambiguity is intrinsic and intended within biblical poetry. Psalm 62 demonstrates ways in which biblical poetry conveys this ambiguity. The form of poetry itself—its paratactic and terse shape—is the soil in which inference, reasoning, and imagination grow. There is, furthermore, an overlap between ambiguous language in general and ambiguity in poetry due to its form and intent. This essay directs modern notions of delimitation toward the realities of biblical poetry and encourages proper awareness and appreciation of ambiguity within Holy Scripture by considering its role within Psalm 62. Here the reader is challenged not only by the content of the psalm but by its form, repetition, and nuance so as to humble intellectual hubris, invite careful attention to detail, and prompt prayerful dependence on the Holy Spirit’s work of illumination and inspiration of Holy Scripture.

The structure of Augustine's theological system seeks to solve the problem of human salvation. From the ontological and epistemological point of view, Augustine considers elements involved in the realization of human salvation, among which the most important elements are the Holy Spirit. It seems that according to Augustine's theological system, the Holy Spirit plays a role in human salvation in three areas: a- introducing Christ to others; B- Birth of faith in the hearts of believers; C- Partial realization of the grounds for the formation of moral virtues in believers. The Holy Spirit plays a key role for human salvation in these three areas, especially in the realization of moral virtues. Although Augustine has talked and reflected a lot about the Holy Spirit and his functions in the system of existence, he did not pay attention to this position in the design of his system and did not reflect it in the formulation of human salvation, which itself causes defects. He becomes human in the realization of salvation. Therefore, the current study tries to analyze and examine the place of the Holy Spirit in the salvation system by referring directly to Augustine's works and with an analytical-descriptive approach.

How do infants praise the Lord? While we cannot say definitively how this is so, exploring this idea—particularly in the context of intergenerational worship and formation—offers rich theological insights. Scripture declares, "Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants, you have perfected praise" (Matthew 21:16; Psalm 8:2, NKJV), suggesting that (1) infants indeed praise God, and (2) their praise is perfected by Him. Rather than dismissing this as purely metaphorical, this article draws on St. Augustine's concept of the jubilus, a song with no intelligible words, to explore how infants' babbling might be seen as a form of praise and worship, and what we might learn from it if it is thus seen. The article concludes by demonstrating how this reflection on infants' praise might challenge us to reevaluate and enrich our approaches to Contemporary Praise & Worship and intergenerational formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the influence of Augustinian thought in the development of Arthur Prior's tense logic. In particular, the article investigates Prior's use of the 11th chapter of Confessiones and debates whether Augustinian temporality can correctly be characterized as a form of presentism. The investigation follows two distinct paths: The first part demonstrates the significance of Augustinian thought in the development of presentism and discusses the validity of Prior's claim that this ontological doctrine "embodies the truth" behind Augustine's view of past, present, and future. This line of inquiry will show that Augustine's discussion in Confessiones does contain elements that could be applied in developing such a view of the ontology of time. The second part of the article, however, will highlight the dangers of applying concepts of the modern philosophical debate anachronistically when interpreting Augustine, as his view of time is then not adequately represented and often severely misunderstood. Understanding the historical roots of presentism accentuates the need for an explicit and careful definition of the concept in the contemporary debate about time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Journal of Philosophical Investigations / Pizhūhish/hā-yi Falsafī is the property of University of Tabriz and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Curiosus is the one who delights in a kind of knowledge viewed as a purpose in itself, which knowledge diverts the soul from God and from the knowledge of the eternal, and curiositas preserves in Augustine the older pejorative meaning, I cannot love in excess a good which is not summum bonum, such a thing belongs to concupiscentia and cupiditas. Augustine’s ideal is not science, his ideal is wisdom, the liberal arts must be subordinated to philosophy as they will be subordinated to theology in the case of Bonaventure, scholarly curiosity does not belong to culture. Curiosity takes the thought away from God, it takes the mind away from the knowledge of God by directing it towards the knowledge of the inferior nature in which the mind degrades, curiosity is not evil but it cannot be a purpose in itself and a disinterested one. Curiosity is not good, Augustine seems to say, but it is also not to be rejected, in the same way pleasure is not the end, pleasure is the beginning, it can lead us to the end. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is an attempt to answer the question about the world created, which pointing to God also becomes a sign of the loneliness of man seeking Him. The reflections were based on the analysis of Book X of the Confessions of St. Augustine. The article is divided into four parts. In the first, the theory of the sign was shown, which refers to the thing it signifies, but assumes knowledge of it. Without knowledge of things, the sign is incomprehensible. The second part describes the beginning of the journey of seeking God, which is the question of love for Him. Man seeks God as the object of his love and turns to creatures. He receives two answers: "We are not your God" and "He created us". The third part presents the world as a sign that speaks through the beauty of the world and points to the Creator, and the man who admires the beauty of creatures becomes a lover of God. The fourth part shows that the world is a sign that prevents us from meeting God and satisfying the thirst for love. The created world becomes a sign of man's loneliness, awakening in the encounter of love seeking God with the world's negative response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The beauty of the world created, by Saint Augustine has been significantly enhanced, especially through inspiration coming from philosophy and biblical exegesis. The Bishop of Hippo was deeply convinced of the beauty (pulchritudo, pulchrum, species) of the visible world. The basic elements of the structure of every being, and therefore also of its beauty, include: number (numerus), measure (mensura), weight (pondus) and order (ordo). The beauty of the created world is the beauty that includes the visible world, man and angels. Both all creatures and each of them individually and in all their diversity are a song of praise to God the Creator, the Supreme Good and Beauty, who is a great Artist (artifex magnus). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article is a case study of one marriage in a late antique Italian bishopric family. The marriage of Julian of Eclanum provides a closer look at the struggle of theological schools that acсompanied the introduction of celibacy in the Roman Church, comparing the views of Augustinians, Pelagians and Antiochian theologians on marriage and evaluate these views in a broader cultural context. Documents related to Julian’s wedding, analyzed in the previous studies of J. Lössl, indicate the formation of a social network of leading Italian theologians, largely woven from noble episcopal families – such as that of St. Paulinus of Nolan, Aemilius of Benevento, Memor and Julian of Eclanum. The author traces how this social network of Italian ecclesiastics interacted and intertwined with the social network of theologians of Antioch, the latter being previously studied by A. Shor. The main focus of the article is the lively exchange of theological thoughts about marriage between these two social networks – Italian and Syrian. The mutual support of the two schools led to the unjustified condemnation of the “Pelagians”, backing the “Nestorians” at the Council of Ephesus in 431. However, their interaction also had such positive results as two treatises by Julian of Eclanum and Theodore of Mopsuestia, issued in close collaboration. Both of these treatises – Julian’s Ad Florum and Theodore’s Against those who say that men sin by nature and not by will – offer an optimistic theology of marriage and of sexuality as its integral dimension. The boldness of these theses is in sharp contrast to the approach of both the Augustinians, who insisted on celibacy, and other Pelagians, who also preferenced virginity, but emphasized the voluntariness of this choice. At the same time, the ideas of Julian and Theodore quite organically fit into the context of Antiochian anthropology. The author concludes that Julian’s marriage was, not least of all, an ecumenical gesture aimed at returning to common sources and strengthening ties with the Christian East.

As William Cavanaugh has remarked, the scholarly notion of religion "should often be surrounded by scare quotes. Its flexibility and occasional nebulousness make evaluating its role in conceiving of, effecting, and justifying violence even more difficult. At the same time, it sticks around and remains a vital category of contemporary analysis. What if getting behind the Wars of Religion—the period to which Cavanaugh traces the emergence of his "myth of religious violence"—could plant the seeds for a new paradigm in understanding the relationship between religion and violence? In this article, I analyze the Chronicon of Jean Hocsem, a fourteenth-century canon from Liège. Untranslated into English and rarely written about, Hocsem's text offers an unexpectedly political perspective on this question. Combining insights from Augustine's City of God as well as Aristotle's Politics and basing his ideas on his own experience of nearly constant conflict, Hocsem develops the idea that class antagonisms and human frailty make violence—especially political violence—inevitable. He takes this approach within a polity ruled by a prince-bishop, though one he would not have thought of as "religious". Hocsem's solutions are thus avowedly political. His pessimism about such questions leads to an emphasis on mitigating violence through the institution of proper socio-political structures. This reading of Hocsem and his politicizing of the question of violence opens new possibilities for scholars, further calling into question any easy relationship between the modern categories of "religion" and violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Augustine and Mozi are doubtlessly two of the most important theorists about love in the Western and Chinese traditions. Augustine has made a sharp distinction between caritas and cupiditas, whereas Mozi proposes the theory of impartial love (jian'ai 兼爱). Hannah Arendt has made her irreplaceable contribution to the understanding of the Augustinian concept of caritas in her work with the title Der Liebesbegriff bei Augustin, Versuch einer Philosophischen Interpretation (1929). She treats the central question of whether for Augustine love towards neighbors has an independent value. In the Chinese tradition, Mozi proposes the theory of impartial love as a remedy for disposing of the disorders of society on the one hand, but on the other hand to love others impartially comes ultimately from the divine command of tian or Heaven, and tian seems to be the final authority or standard for being morally good and righteousness. It needs explanation or clarification if Mozi commits an inconsistency by holding two different ethical principles. In this article, I will first concentrate on discovering the fundamental characteristics of caritas and cupiditas, and then turn to dealing with the problem of the instrumentalization of the others in the love towards neighbors if they are used as tools to ascend to God's love. In the last part, I will discuss the impartial love of Mozi and compare it with that of Augustine to see their distinctions and similarities. We will see that through the comparison we can obtain a better understanding of the concept of love in different traditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spread of the Leçons de ténèbres in the French capital and later in large provincial cities contributed to the evolution of musical practices and the listeners' sensibilities and favored the incorporation of religious music into secular musical calendars. This explains why, from the end of the seventeenth century, the genre has been the focus of criticism from clerics and lay people of different persuasions, who denounced the contamination of the church by opera, using the conventional argument of antitheatricality. Initially focused on the Lessons, the criticism's terms and arguments used against the Lessons became instrumental in the Jansenist's critique of modern music throughout the eighteenth century, particularly to contest Jesuit musical patronage and Jesuits' sensualist conception of music for religious services. While Jansenist criticism portrays an irreducible opposition between opponents and supporters of modern music, the latter being equated with the Jesuits, the article highlights the ambiguities of Jansenist positions. An analysis of these criticisms reveals a double reference to the Augustinian tradition, on the one hand concerning the opposition between musica luxuriantis and musica sapientis and, on the other, a moral reflection on musical pleasure's legitimacy based on individual introspection. In the second half of the eighteenth century, the condemnation of all modern forms of religious music appeared to contradict the claim to a part of this Augustinian heritage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article analyzes the concept of the heart in Blaise Pascal's (1623–62) Pensées in the context of the Platonic tradition. Augustine (354–430) is described as the main author who mediated to Pascal Plotinus's view of nous as the intuitive and integrative faculty, superior to discursive and conceptual reason, which can be, ultimately, identified with Pascal's coeur. The heart in Pascal's philosophy is seen as the response to his diagnosis of modernity as the fallen, fragmented, and polarized mode of consciousness. From that perspective, Pascal's opposition against that fragmented and polarized consciousness of reality, divorced from the Christian Platonic holistic and contemplative vision, can also be seen in the context of his criticism of the Jesuits as the representatives of that emerging, modern worldview. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a belief among scholars of Augustine’s philosophy that he derived the notion of the positively understood infinity of God from Plotinus. Another opinio communis holds that Origen inherited a negative understanding of infinity from the ancient philosophers and therefore considered God’s power to be finite. This paper aims to demonstrate that both opinions are erroneous. Although Augustine was familiar with Plotinus’ thought, his reflections on the infinity of God have more in common with the theses put forward by Origen than with Neoplatonism. In both authors, the issue arises when they are commenting on the same biblical passages, and both authors wrestle with the same aporia caused by accepting the doctrine of God’s infinite power and knowledge. If, according to Aristotle’s logic, infinity cannot be encompassed by anything, can the divine intellect encompass infinite ideas? Both authors answer this question in the affirmative. The article posits that Augustine may have adopted the doctrine of the infinity of God directly from Origen, since he had access to many of his works translated into Latin, or through Novatian and Hilary of Poitiers, as they were both influenced by Origen’s thought. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Isidore of Seville (c. 560-636) is one of the important figures of European culture. In addition to his strictly theological interests, he also showed interest in other fields of knowledge related to the artes liberales. He presented the fullest spectrum of his interests in his Etymologies. For the Bishop of Seville, music was an important field of knowledge. He dealt with it on practical grounds and tended to describe it in a concise, clear and diverse manner in his encyclopedia. The musical terminology used by the Bishop of Seville is extremely rich and sometimes difficult to translate into modern languages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enarrationes in Psalmos are an important source for understanding the Augustinian theology of desire, linking it to his systematic theology and his pastoral practice. In this paper I illustrate by overviewing the expositions on Psalms 10 (11 in the Masoretic numbering), 11 (12), 12 (13), 23 (24), and 26 (27). These Psalms teach us to love, trust, and seek God only, a failure to do which marks the Donatist schism. Augustine mingles ideas from pagan philosophy’s quest for eudaimonia or beata vita-the good, happy, and blessed life-with biblical ideas. We want a stable happiness, and we must pursue wisdom; we can find stability in the rock that is Christ, to follow whom is to pursue wisdom rightly. Our desires must be converted to God, the only complete and perfect good and the source of eternal happiness, whom we must single-mindedly pursue with prayer and faith. While we must desire the eschaton and look to no earthly satisfaction, earthly goods may be received as gifts from God. One thing we can learn from studying the Enarrationes is how closely connected are the ideas of right love, the right church, and the right end; all three go together in Augustine’s theology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article delves into the concept of miracles from the perspective of the Catholic Church, tracing the evolution of human consciousness from fear to awe to curiosity, leading to the phenomena of mythologization, religious experiences, philosophical explanations, and rational understanding of everyday events through science and technology. The relevance of the study is due to the great influence and role of the Catholic Church in the modern world. Miracles as one of the key phenomena related to Catholic values are examined. By means of categorial and discourse analyses, along with the case study method, the work highlights the theological interpretation of miracles, distinguishing between official Christian doctrines and vernacular religious practices. It explores the process of institutionalization of religion and the significance of miracles within the context of Catholicism, emphasizing their role as divine revelations and signs of the supernatural. The article discusses the theological views on miracles of such thinkers as Augustine of Hippo and St. Thomas Aquinas, underscoring how miracles attest to faith and the resurrection. Contemporary examples of miracles recognized by the Catholic Church, such as those at Lourdes and involving figures like St. Padre Pio and Carlo Acutis are outlined. The process of canonization and the phenomenon of stigmata are described. The discussion extends to the philosophical debates on miracles, contrasting rationalistic criticisms from figures like David Hume and Baruch Spinoza with the religious significance attributed to miraculous events. The article also critiques the positivist perspective that subjugates religion to reason and science, emphasizing the enduring nature of miracles in religious discourse despite scientific advancements. In conclusion, the study advocates for a reconnection with the miraculous, religious, and metaphysical realms, positing that embracing mystery and awe can imbue life with meaning, wonder, and purpose, countering the secularization thesis that diminishes the role of miracles and spirituality in the modern world.

The article explores the extent to which medieval polemical authors resorted to patristic originals and how much they adopted patristic argumentation. The authors used computational text reuse analysis using BLAST (Basic Local Alignment Search Tool) to compare 189 classical and medieval texts, mainly from open repositories of digitized texts, to find similarities. The corpus includes classical works, particularly Augustine’s anti-heretical treatises, canon law, inquisition manuals, exempla collections and florilegia, sermons, and theological commentaries. The lack of medieval texts after ca. 1200 in machine-readable format is the greatest hindrance to building a representative medieval corpus. The authors propose that although medieval polemicists saw Augustine and other Church fathers as models of Christian champions fighting heresy, intensive engagement with patristic theology took place in medieval works with limited circulation and influence. (Abstract created with the help of Perplexity.ai.)

The views on the soul in the philosophical-theological thought of Au-relius Augustine (354–430 AD) hold a special place. When considering practically any of his teachings—whether it be his doctrine on the cosmos, time, memory, the relationship between free will and divine predestination, or his philosophy of history and pedagogy—we are inevitably compelled to take them into account or directly engage with them. His works are also associated with the so-called "psychologism" of Augustine, a concept high-lighted by numerous scholars delving into his truly vast creative heritage. The purpose of this paper is to explore the research devoted to the concepts of the soul (both individual and cosmic) in the works of Augustine or related to them. Additionally, it aims to identify works that address the issue of how Augustine's ideas about the soul were perceived in the early Middle Ages, using Cassiodorus [c. 487 – c. 578 AD] as an example. The studies, which encompass the aspects of Augustine’s psychological conception, are examined according to thematic principles, and divided into the following groups: (I) Studies dedicated to the exploration of Augustine’s cosmology, human existence, and soul (Among them: “Augustine’s Philosophy of Mind” by Gerard O’Daly [1987]; “Augustine: Ancient Thought Baptized” by J. Rist [1994]; “The World-Soul and Time in St. Augustine” [1983] and “Augus-tine’s Theory of Soul” [2003] by Roland Teske, and others). (II) Works demonstrating the influence of early teachings, traditions, and texts on Augustine (for example, “The Divine Sense: The Intellect in Patris-tic Theology” [2007] by Anna Williams and “Memory in Plotinus and Two Early Texts of St. Augustine” [1976] by Gerard O’Daly, among others). (III) Studies focused on the examination of individual works of Augustine with regard to their psychological aspects (Including: “An Analysis of Saint Augustine’s De immortalitate animae” [1980] and “The Fall of the Soul in Saint Augustine: A Quaestio Disputata” [1986] by Richard Penaskovic; “Augustine, Conf. IX, 10, 24” [1958] by John Taylor, and others). (IV) Papers indicating Cassiodorus’s reception and assimilation of Au-gustine’s teachings on the soul (e.g., e.g. “The Manuscripts of Cassiodorus’ De anima” [1959] by J.W. Halporn; “Cassiodoro e la grecità” [1986] by A. Garzya, “Il sottofondo culturale del De anima di Cassiodoro” [1995] by R. Masulo, etc.).

During the late Qing Dynasty and the Republican China period, Augustine’s book, Confessions, had been translated into Chinese. Out of the six Chinese versions of the book available, the one published by the Commercial Press in 1963, translated by Mr. Zhou Shiliang 周士良, is the most widely used version in mainland China. It is worth noting that this version was preceded by five other Chinese translations. This paper provides a detailed analysis of the translation of Augustine’s Confessions in mainland China. This study examines the distinct features of the Chinese versions during the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China period. Additionally, this article explores the transmission of the translated book title, Chanhui Lu 懺悔錄 (Confessions), and the discussions surrounding its precise meaning and translation during the Republic of China period. Ultimately, this study sheds light on the eastward transmission of Augustine’s Confessions in mainland China.

This paper suggests a "neoclassical" reading of Ernan McMullin's thought on science and theology. McMullin's Augustinian convictions on God and the God–world relation coincide with those of some prominent scholars from two renowned schools of neo-scholastic philosophy of the twentieth century in Louvain and Milan. The school of Milan, thanks to the work of some disciples of its leading figure, Amato Masnovo, developed a neoclassical version of neo-scholasticism, articulating a fundamental theory of knowledge, as well as an essential, rigorous path to God. We recall the main tenets of a neoclassical path to God, and we interpret this path as a possible contribution to the science–theology dialogue, in line with McMullin's Augustinism. A neoclassical approach to science and theology, with its rediscovery and reactualization of some ideas of classic philosophy in an interdisciplinary context, grounds the intelligibility of the universe and safeguards its mystery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Augustine's sermons on the Psalms of Ascent, part of the Enarrationes in Psalmos, are a unique entry in the venerable tradition of those writings that aim to help us ascend to a higher reality. These sermons transform the ascent genre by giving, in the place of the Platonic account of ascent, a Christian ascent narrative with a Trinitarian structure. Not just the individual ascends, but the community that is the church, the body of Christ, also ascends. The ascent is up to God, the Idipsum or the Selfsame, the ultimate reality, confessed by the church as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Through the grace of the Incarnation, God the Son enables us to ascend, making himself the way of ascent from the humility we must imitate at the beginning of the ascent all the way up to Heaven, where he retains his identity as Idipsum. Meanwhile, the Holy Spirit works in the ascending church to convert our hearts to the love of God and neighbor. I review the Platonic ascent tradition in Plato's Republic and Plotinus' Enneads; overview ascent in some of Augustine's earlier writings; introduce the narrative setting of the sermons on the Psalms of Ascent; and analyze the Trinitarian structure of their ascent narrative. I close with some reflections on the difference between a preached Trinitarianism that encourages ascent and a more academic effort to understand God such as we find in Augustine's de Trinitate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Psalms saturated Augustine's sermons. He believed they were God's words to the church as inspired Scripture, and the church's words to God as prayer and praise. In the Psalms, he saw kenosis, the downward-directed God in Christ who emptied himself to take on human nature to stand in solidarity with the church and creation. He saw, too, the possibility of deification, the upward-directed church in Christ raised to share in the divine nature. Furthermore, Augustine believed that Christ himself spoke in the Psalms so that in them the church could hear his voice and come to know its own voice. In this essay, I examine why Augustine cherished the Psalms, and I consider how this might inspire contemporary preachers to cherish them and preach them. Moreover, I offer Augustine's Christocentric preaching of the Psalms as a paradigm for how preachers might facilitate Christological formation among their congregants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lingyan lishao 靈言蠡勺 [LYLS] (Humble Attempt to Discuss the Soul, 1624) by the Calabrian Jesuit Francesco Sambiasi (1582–1649) and the Chinese mandarin Xu Guangqi 徐光啓 (1562–1633) was the first Chinese-language treatise on the scholastic Aristotelian soul and a pioneering work in Sino–Western intellectual exchanges. Until now, the dominant assumption has been that the first volume (juan) of this work is simply an adaptation of the Coimbra commentaries on De Anima [DA] and Parva Naturalia [PN]. This article demonstrates, however, that while most of the first juan is based on these Coimbra commentaries, its treatise on the substance of the soul was likely derived from another source, namely the Enchiridion, a 16th century confessional manual by the Spanish Augustinian Martín de Azpilcueta (1492–1586), or Doctor Navarrus. Through a close textual comparison, this article shows how LYLS adopts the same structure, content, and citations of the Enchiridion to construct an accessible and concise theological definition of the soul that was better suited for the Chinese missionary context than the dense philosophic definitions of the Coimbra commentaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on Augustine's Epistolae ad Galatas Expositionis Liber Unus, I would like to explore two insights into the therapeutic understanding of persona trauma. First, for Augustine, Paul's past turbulentas contentions are not in and of themselves stigmata domini Iesu Christi. What, then, is the meaning and significance for Augustine of Paul's statement "For I bear the marks of the Lord Jesus Christ in my body" (Gal 6:17)? Secondly, Augustine recognizes that Paul has been fighting his "alios conflictus et certamina". What is his struggle and how does it relate to the stigmata of the Lord Jesus Christ in the body? In traumatic experiences, our hearts may be troubled by the guilt of the traumatic experiences (for example, by asking questions like: "Did I do something wrong to cause this?"). Paul is able to recognize and reject anyone (or anything) that might tempt him to return to the accusation of the law, hence the declaration: "De cetero, inquit, laborem nemo mihi praestet". I argue that by interpreting the metaphorical sense of ad coronam uictoriae proficiebant, Augustine pronounces Christ's victory on the Cross over sin and death by explaining Paul's proclamation of his hermeneutic of Christ's stigmata. Through this soteriological lens, Augustine brings his interpretation of Galatians to its climax by proclaiming "Gratia domini nostri Iesu Christi cum spiritu uestro, fratres, Amen" (Gal 6:18). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Enarrationes in Psalmos are an important source for understanding the Augustinian theology of desire, linking it to his systematic theology and his pastoral practice. In this paper I illustrate by overviewing the expositions on Psalms 11 (12), 12 (13), 23 (24), and 26 (27). These Psalms teach us to love, trust, and seek God only, a failure to do which marks the Donatist schism. Augustine mingles ideas from pagan philosophy’s quest for eudaimonia or beata vita—the good, happy, and blessed life—with biblical ideas. We want a stable happiness, and we must pursue wisdom; we can find stability in the rock that is Christ, to follow whom is to pursue wisdom rightly. Our desires must be converted to God, the only complete and perfect good and the source of eternal happiness, whom we must single-mindedly pursue with prayer and faith. While we must desire the eschaton and look to no earthly satisfaction, earthly goods may be received as gifts from God. One thing we can learn from studying the Enarrationes is how closely connected are the ideas of right love, the right church, and the right end; all three go together in Augustine’s theology.

Judaic cultures have a commitment to language that is exceptional. Language practices – the reading and writing of scrolls and books, their interpretation as commentaries on commentaries, engaged with the letter both of text and as act – is central to Judaic conduct, thought, study, worship, and spirituality. This positive status and decisive focus on language extends through Judaic praxis, interpretive methods, commentary, and philosophy. It is basic to Rabbinic as well as Jewish mystical trends, where language is embraced as the core means of relationship between the divine and the human, enacted both in study and its concrete performance. In a way pivotal to Judaic cultures, it is through linguistic engagement that humans are seen not only to understand but to participate in the emergence of religious meaning. This article traces the sacrality of language through a series of hermeneutic and philosophical topics, from Talmudic and Midrashic engagements, to Maimonides, and into modern philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas, Jacques Derrida, and Gershom Scholem.

Engaging recent scholarship on Bavinck’s revitalization of the vestigia trinitatis and its connection to the organic motif, this essay identifies and examines two aspects of Bavinck’s account that remain underdeveloped with scholarship on this topic. First, it explores the lingering importance triads within Bavinck’s account of the vestigia. Bavinck may have developed a primarily non-numerical account of the vestigia, but he still acknowledges the place of triadic analogies, especially in humanity. Second, it contextualizes Bavinck’s appropriation of the vestigia within his understanding of creation as relative, divine, self-communication in order to illuminate how creation can bear the imprint of the Trinity even as the Trinity remains unlike anything in creation. Much work has been done on Bavinck’s triniform account of creation and his organic cosmology, but these accounts can often miss or gloss over the doctrines that Bavinck utilizes to carefully guards against a direct correlation between God and creation.

Drawing on Augustine’s Epistolae ad Galatas Expositionis Liber Unus, I would like to explore two insights into the therapeutic understanding of persona trauma. First, for Augustine, Paul’s past turbulentas contentiones are not in and of themselves stigmata domini Iesu Christi. What, then, is the meaning and significance for Augustine of Paul’s statement “For I bear the marks of the Lord Jesus Christ in my body” (Gal 6:17)? Secondly, Augustine recognizes that Paul has been fighting his “alios conflictus et certamina”. What is his struggle and how does it relate to the stigmata of the Lord Jesus Christ in the body? In traumatic experiences, our hearts may be troubled by the guilt of the traumatic experiences (for example, by asking questions like: “Did I do something wrong to cause this?”). Paul is able to recognize and reject anyone (or anything) that might tempt him to return to the accusation of the law, hence the declaration: “De cetero, inquit, laborem nemo mihi praestet”. I argue that by interpreting the metaphorical sense of ad coronam uictoriae proficiebant, Augustine pronounces Christ’s victory on the Cross over sin and death by explaining Paul’s proclamation of his hermeneutic of Christ’s stigmata. Through this soteriological lens, Augustine brings his interpretation of Galatians to its climax by proclaiming “Gratia domini nostri Iesu Christi cum spiritu uestro, fratres, Amen” (Gal 6:18).

This study examined the plausibility and role of theosis in Augustine’s theory of divine illumination as a theologic framework for decolonising theology. Theologic refers to God’s revelation about himself and his nature. Therefore, through an analysis of Augustine’s dogmatic treatise concerning the nature of the Holy Trinity, this article argues that Augustine’s theory of divine illumination is a precedent for God to speak about himself. Moreover, this theory of divine illumination is useful in developing a non-biased theoretical framework for decolonialism in theology today. At the centre of this theory is the inability of human beings to possess and command true knowledge as a result of inherent sin. However, in contrast, this highlights the graceful nature of God as he assists us in partaking in his glory and wisdom through theosis. Therefore, by incorporating Augustine’s philosophical analyses into empirical studies, the purpose of this study was to discuss the following: (1) The theologic of Augustine’s theory of divine illumination in the process of decolonising theology; (2) Augustine’s comprehension and use of divine procession through a triadic function of the human mind in his treatise De Trinitate; and (3) the role and plausibility of theosis because of God’s love in the process of learning and teaching. Through critical analysis of Augustine’s philosophical thought, this study develops an ethical theoretical framework for decolonising theology. Thus, the key contention is to succinctly present Augustine’s dogmatic thought rationally and logically in the process of his pragmatic stance. Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This article develops an ethical theoretical framework for decolonising theology based on Augustine’s theory of divine illumination. The theologic of his divine illumination theory posits the pragmatic stance of his inner teacher concept, which he argued was the one true teacher in his philosophical treaties. Conversely, the study of decolonisation advocates for the inculturation of knowledge as an inclusive praxis that does not perpetuate a Eurocentric worldview. Thus, the authority of Augustine’s inner teacher concept in his theory of divine illumination becomes ideal and fundamental in developing ethical hermeneutical praxis because of God’s love.

This article arose from the study of apophatic theology also known as the via-negativa. Apophatic theology, by definition, refrains from stating what and who God is instead of focusing on what God is not. It renders religious language as a sign-system inadequate in describing God, his nature, and human numinous experiences. Yet, language is the fundamental modelling system that stimulates our everyday phenomenological, spiritual, and religious developments. This article is demonstrating how the apophatic theological view attempted to solve or investigate the inadequacy of religious language or the lack of God’s language. The research drew from contemporary scholarship on Augustine’s use of apophatic theology in developing its hypothesis of the importance of music as a transcendental language. Moreover, through music and prayer, language becomes an intermediary beyond the physical to the metaphysical. In this instance, Augustine of Hippo, coming to terms with the inadequacy of religious language, considered music a succinct communicative tool in his theology and divine pedagogy. So, due to the challenges of language, the purpose of this article is using Augustine and his view of music within the Sitz im Leben of his spiritual development to solve a theological problem. In this article, the following will be discussed: (1) Augustine’s Confessions as a dialogue where he speaks to God through Scriptures and hymns; (2) Augustine’s earlier philosophical theory of music; (3) and Augustine’s use of apophatic theology in our spiritual development. The importance of this research will help us understand God’s immanence (over his ineffable) through our use and understanding of music as a harmonious language consisting of unchanging mathematical properties. Furthermore, the truthfulness of music as a harmonious language about God’s mystery can be better understood. Contribution: Through Augustine’s apophatic theology, this study contributes to our understanding and revitalisation of spirituality using music as an alternative form of harmonious language of the spirit. Moreover, it considers music a universal language that transcends all senses and other modes of cognitive activities. By establishing a basic principle of what makes us spiritual, we can transform our cognitive abilities and become better spiritual beings. Furthermore, this study examined the harmonic nature of music in the seven liberal arts as a significant mathematical aspect of the cosmos.

Krister Stendahl's article, "The Apostle Paul and the Introspective Conscience of the West", argues that Paul has a "robust conscience" both before and after his conversion. Martin Luther misinterprets this as a "plagued conscience" in accordance with his own religious experience, and this misinterpretation can be traced back even to Augustine. This paper examines the context for the ancient Greek and Hellenistic theory of conscience, in order to understand Augustine's transformation of Paul's doctrine of justification by faith and the consequent discovery of the concept of introspective conscience in Western intellectual history. This paper also clarifies aspects of Augustine's "plagued conscience", which it analyses across two stages: the first after the descent of grace but before the conversion of a believer, and the second after conversion. In the first stage, Augustine implies a continuous spiritual conflict between good will and evil will within the inner self; however, in the second stage, the inner self experiences a deeper spiritual struggle, owing to its certainty of God's predestined plan alongside its uncertainty over personal salvation. The concept of introspective conscience has shaped the deep consciousness of sin for many Western Christians. This paper compares Pauline and Augustinian conscience with the same concept in the Confucian author Mencius. For Mencius, conscience is self-sufficient even in the earliest stages of its development and does not require the support of God's grace or the power of Heaven. The constant expansion of Mencius's operative conscience is sufficient for self-cultivation and the correction of the distorted world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Music for worship has been a divisive topic throughout church history. Augustine of Hippo influenced Jean Calvin and Martin Luther's theology of music, although in different ways. Their opinions differed, but all three men cared deeply about applying a correct interpretation of the Bible to church music. Augustine's opinion of music was that, when correctly understood, it had the capacity to glorify God. However, music could become a dangerous earthly pleasure if the senses were allowed to have control. Calvin argued that music must be used with care, not due to the problem of music, but rather the weakness and corruption of man. Martin Luther understood music to be a gift from God--a reference from Augustine--placing it of highest importance second only to theology and the scriptures. This paper was researched by an examination of primary and secondary sources. It argues that Calvin's views were greatly influenced by Augustine, and he aligned more closely in practical aspects. Although Luther was impacted to a lesser extent, his writings about music do contain direct references to Augustinian thought that can be demonstrated in Luther's theology of music. Christians can learn much about the role of music in worship from the example of these God-honoring theologians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examined the concept and notability of mimetic desire in Augustine's autobiographical work Confessiones. Mimetic desire is based primarily on the knowledge that there is a Perfect Being, viz. God, ideal forms (in Platonic idiom), which may be known and imitated by humans. Mimesis demonstrates that humans have a natural capacity and tendency to imitate and possess what others have. Despite this, in popular culture, mimesis has the connotation of feyness and is discouraged in place of inventiveness. The culture and spirit of our day promote originality and inventiveness without an understanding of the human nature and its inherent mimetic desires. The concept of mimetic desire is rooted in Rene Girard's theory of anthropology but can be traced back as far as Plato's Republic. Therefore, this interdisciplinary concept has been explored through Augustine's narratological composition of Confessiones. The introspective tone and cultural forming narratives that make up Confessiones were succinctly examined in the context of mimetic theory. The triangular structure of mimetic desire was further explored to gain a better understanding of how Augustine relied on mimesis in his conversion to Christianity. The choice of imitating authentic models led to Augustine's moral renewal, and likewise such implications are relevant to modern-day Christians. Moreover, this article aims to promote the concept of mimesis as an ideal practise concerning human nature and conditioning, towards a virtuous and morally acceptable society. The results of this article underline the importance of narrative theory and friendship in developing positive cultures through mimesis. Through contrasting Augustine's earlier Manichaean life and his later Christian life, an illustration of mimetic desire can be drawn, and for Augustine, this could only mean Christ. Contribution: This article contributes to the ongoing interdisciplinary studies of ontology, anthropology, theology, and sociology. By interpreting or reading Augustine's Confessiones through the lens of mimetic desire, this article offers an alternative perspective on Augustine's natural theology and virtue ethics. It further presents the conceptual framework of mimesis on Christian and Platonist praxis of the ideal forms. Moreover, the article of the narratological composition of Confessiones expounds the importance of interpersonal relationships in our spiritual growth. The triangular structure of mimesis was further expounded in the context of interior life, viz. interior homo [inner man] as the ultimate model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the role of religion in liberal education based on the Christian thinker St. Augustine. In his early work, On Order, Augustine posited that through rational inquiry, as epitomized by rational knowledge learned by the trivium and the quadrivium, one can understand the order of the world and eventually obtain divine truth. However, in On True Religion, he withdraws from this position and instead emphasizes that rational knowledge has three limitations: First, regarding the foundation of knowledge, rational knowledge can inform about what things are, but it fails to explain why things exist in the manner they do. Second, concerning the purpose of knowledge, rational knowledge can elucidate the attributes of things, but it falls short in providing the ultimate goals to which these things aspire. Third, concerning the acquisition of knowledge, rational knowledge seeks extroverted knowledge, i.e., knowledge that is oriented toward external objects without introspecting on the inner self. In light of Augustine's emphasis on the limitations of rational knowledge, the current study provides two possible interpretations of the relationship between liberal education and religion. One is an active interpretation which posits that, by resolving its limitations, religion can fully replace liberal education. The other is a passive interpretation, which suggests that religion can illuminate the boundaries of liberal education and refresh them, thereby enabling the learner to deeply reflect on knowledge and connect it with their inner self. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Starting with Augustine's controversial translation and interpretation of Romans 5:12, this paper compares Augustine's and the apostle Paul's different understandings of "sin": Paul understands "sin" from the apocalyptic eschatological perspective, and regards "sin" as a cosmic power; Augustine, on the contrary, gradually understood sin as an ontological sin in the discussion of the concept of "original sin". Through the development and transformation from Paul's theory of sin to Augustine's theory of sin, this paper further discusses the interactive relationship between the development of early Christian thought and its social and cultural contexts and tries to outline the path of interweaving biblical text and theological thought in history, particularly to teach how Chinese readers should interact with scriptures in the Chinese context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article arose from the study of apophatic theology also known as the via-negativa. Apophatic theology, by definition, refrains from stating what and who God is instead of focusing on what God is not. It renders religious language as a sign-system inadequate in describing God, his nature, and human numinous experiences. Yet, language is the fundamental modelling system that stimulates our everyday phenomenological, spiritual, and religious developments. This article is demonstrating how the apophatic theological view attempted to solve or investigate the inadequacy of religious language or the lack of God's language. The research drew from contemporary scholarship on Augustine's use of apophatic theology in developing its hypothesis of the importance of music as a transcendental language. Moreover, through music and prayer, language becomes an intermediary beyond the physical to the metaphysical. In this instance, Augustine of Hippo, coming to terms with the inadequacy of religious language, considered music a succinct communicative tool in his theology and divine pedagogy. So, due to the challenges of language, the purpose of this article is using Augustine and his view of music within the Sitz im Leben of his spiritual development to solve a theological problem. In this article, the following will be discussed: (1) Augustine's Confessions as a dialogue where he speaks to God through Scriptures and hymns; (2) Augustine's earlier philosophical theory of music; (3) and Augustine's use of apophatic theology in our spiritual development. The importance of this research will help us understand God's immanence (over his ineffable) through our use and understanding of music as a harmonious language consisting of unchanging mathematical properties. Furthermore, the truthfulness of music as a harmonious language about God's mystery can be better understood. Contribution: Through Augustine's apophatic theology, this study contributes to our understanding and revitalisation of spirituality using music as an alternative form of harmonious language of the spirit. Moreover, it considers music a universal language that transcends all senses and other modes of cognitive activities. By establishing a basic principle of what makes us spiritual, we can transform our cognitive abilities and become better spiritual beings. Furthermore, this study examined the harmonic nature of music in the seven liberal arts as a significant mathematical aspect of the cosmos. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article is a case study of one marriage in a late antique Italian bishopric family. The marriage of Julian of Eclanum provides a closer look at the struggle of theological schools that acсompanied the introduction of celibacy in the Roman Church, comparing the views of Augustinians, Pelagians and Antiochian theologians on marriage and evaluate these views in a broader cultural context. Documents related to Julian’s wedding, analyzed in the previous studies of J. Lössl, indicate the formation of a social network of leading Italian theologians, largely woven from noble episcopal families – such as that of St. Paulinus of Nolan, Aemilius of Benevento, Memor and Julian of Eclanum. The author traces how this social network of Italian ecclesiastics interacted and intertwined with the social network of theologians of Antioch, the latter being previously studied by A. Shor. The main focus of the article is the lively exchange of theological thoughts about marriage between these two social networks – Italian and Syrian. The mutual support of the two schools led to the unjustified condemnation of the “Pelagians”, backing the “Nestorians” at the Council of Ephesus in 431. However, their interaction also had such positive results as two treatises by Julian of Eclanum and Theodore of Mopsuestia, issued in close collaboration. Both of these treatises – Julian’s Ad Florum and Theodore’s Against those who say that men sin by nature and not by will – offer an optimistic theology of marriage and of sexuality as its integral dimension. The boldness of these theses is in sharp contrast to the approach of both the Augustinians, who insisted on celibacy, and other Pelagians, who also preferenced virginity, but emphasized the voluntariness of this choice. At the same time, the ideas of Julian and Theodore quite organically fit into the context of Antiochian anthropology. The author concludes that Julian’s marriage was, not least of all, an ecumenical gesture aimed at returning to common sources and strengthening ties with the Christian East. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By using a metaphor of the mind as body, with eyes, and ears, a throat and voice, Ælfric explains the complexities of an Augustinian understanding of the mind in comparatively simple terms, to lead: ‘those who dwell in cities and towns and villages’ (Cassian 1997: 375) to an understanding of Christ. In Ælfric’s Dominica in Quinquagesima (1997: 260), the mind is endowed with the potential for sight and has a voice: swa hwa swa oncnæwð þa blindnysse his modes Clipige he mid inweardre heortan (he who is aware of his mind’s blindness let him shout out with inward heart). We see here the complexity of this mental structure. Ælfric’s references to the inner mind or heart go beyond a bodily personification and refer to layers of consciousness, where one part of the mind has an awareness that another part does not. This layered mind, conveyed through the metaphor of mind as body, is also to be found in the Alfredian translations and the Old English translation of the Benedictine Rule. This paper will argue that Ælfric employs the image of mind as body to facilitate the teaching of those outside the cloister to understand and therefore control their minds that they may learn to pray employing the essential elements of the monastic way of prayer. In doing this, Ælfric would seem to be offering the hope of achieving, at some level, a mystic union with Christ in a vision of God’s light to those who live beyond the cloister walls.

This article incorporates into Christian theological anthropology some recent findings of a school of scientific researchers in the fields of comparative and developmental psychology. These researchers—namely, Michael Tomasello, Malinda Carpenter, and others affiliated with the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology—have advanced a theologically significant hypothesis about a basic difference between the social‐cognitive capacities of human beings and those of other animals. Their hypothesis is that human beings are distinguished from other animals, in part, because of an ability to share attention with conspecifics in a unique way, namely, by means of a capacity called joint attention. In keeping with the procedures of modern science, they have tested and verified their hypothesis through laboratory experiments on nonhuman primates (chimpanzees in particular) and on human beings (infants and toddlers). In their capacity as scientists, however, they do not attempt show the relevance of their hypothesis for Christian theological anthropology. This article shows how joint attention sheds new light upon the Christian doctrine that human beings are created in the image of the Trinity (imago Trinitatis). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent theological scholarship, there has been a wave of interest in the tradition of spiritual sense and marginal social identities within analytic and philosophical theology. In this article, I explore the theologies of spiritual sense in analytic theology (AT) to highlight part of the reason for the predominance of cisgender heterosexual voices in the field. Many feminist voices in AT express a common concern for a lack of integration between the mind, the body, and spiritual sense, which has enshrined the post-enlightenment cisgender heterosexual 'man of reason'. Through an exploration of these feminist voices (Sarah Coakley and Michelle Panchuk), I argue that the field does not simply need more diverse voices but also voices of spiritual sense that undo a straight cisgender elitism. This elitism has kept the field from widely examining the anthropological questions of sexuality and gender, ethics, and theodicean dilemmas of desire and faith. By opening analytic philosophical approaches to spiritual sense, the field releases noetic control that has two consequential outcomes. Firstly, the field revalorizes pneumatology and ethics. Secondly, as a consequence of this, the field can see those who were previously unseen and heard, and, therefore, AT can develop into a sensing and thinking discipline capable of perceiving the queer or other in its midst. Spiritual sense and its priority for bodily and cruciform realities of suffering and desire can move the field from homogeneity to embracing the diverse ethical concerns of sexuality, gender, and race, and subaltern or queer subjectivities which are yet to be represented well in its midst. Using a distinctly neo-Augustinian approach, I argue that Augustine's philosophy of the amor dei, with its emphasis on analytic clarity and inner spiritual sense, can redeem the eyes of AT's heart. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In some of the earliest Chinese works written by Catholic missionaries in the late Ming Dynasty, St. Augustine became associated with the mystery of the Trinity. When explaining the Trinity to Chinese believers, missionaries would often use an analogy of the mens (mind) and its activities in Augustine's theory of Imago Dei, drawing parallels between "the One" and "the Three". In the Ming and Qing periods, Augustine's mental analogy gave rise to two approaches: the "Augustinian-Ignatian" and the "Augustinian-Thomistic". The former, which was the mainstream interpretation, linked "Mind: memory-understanding-love" to "God: the Father-the Son-the Holy Spirit", using "the word generated by memory" to represent "the Son begotten by the Father" and "love proceeded from memory and understanding" as an analogy to "the Holy Spirit proceeded from both the Father and the Son". The latter, more of a minority interpretation, correlated "mind-understanding-love" to "the Father-the Son-the Holy Spirit", using "word generated by mind" to represent "the Son generated by the Father", and "love proceeded from mind and word" as an analogy to "the Holy Spirit proceeded from both the Father and the Son". The former was mainly adhered to by the Jesuits and the Augustinians, while the latter was favored by the Dominicans. This article examines both approaches and critiques of Augustine's theory of the Trinitarian image in Ming and Qing China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]