St. Augustine of Hippo: The Christian Transformation of Political PhilosophySt Augustine of Hippo was the earliest thinker to develop a distinctively Christian political and social philosophy. He does so mainly from the perspective of Platonism and Stoicism; but by introducing the biblical and Pauline conceptions of sin, grace and predestination he radically transforms the 'classical' understanding of the political. Humanity is not perfectible through participation in the life of a moral community; indeed, there are no moral communities on earth. Humankind is fallen; we are slaves of self-love and the destructive impulses generated by it. The State is no longer the matrix within which human beings can achieve ethical goods through co-operation with other rational and moral beings. Augustine's response to classical political assumptions and claims therefore transcends 'normal' radicalism. His project is not that of drawing attention to weaknesses and inadequacies in our political arrangements with a view to recommending their abolition or improvement. Nor does he adopt the classical practice of delineating an ideal State. To his mind, all States are imperfect: they are the mechanisms whereby an imperfect world is regulated. They can provide justice and peace of a kind, but even the best earthly versions of justice and peace are not true justice and peace. It is precisely the impossibility of true justice on earth that makes the State necessary. Robert Dyson's new book describes and analyses this 'transformation' in detail and shows Augustine's enormous influence upon the development of political thought down to the thirteenth century. |
Contents
1 | |
8 | |
The State in a Sinful World | 48 |
Private Property and Slavery | 89 |
War and Peace | 116 |
Church and State | 142 |
Summary | 180 |
187 | |
193 | |
Other editions - View all
St. Augustine of Hippo: The Christian Transformation of Political Philosophy R.W. Dyson Limited preview - 2006 |
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Adam and Eve Aristotle Augustine believes Augustine of Hippo Augustine's Augustinian authority bishop Caecilianus called Catholic century Christ Christian Church Cicero City of God civitate civitate Dei classical command commonwealth Confessions Constantine created Divine doctrine Donatist Dyson earth Earthly City earthly justice Empire Enarrationes in psalmos Epistulae ethical evil existence faith fear Gelasius Genesis Giles of Rome God's grace greed human race idea insofar Ioannis evangelium kind kings Law and Political law of nature libero arbitrio London Lord Manichaeism mankind matter medieval political mind moral natural law Neoplatonism nonetheless pagan papal peace Pelagianism persecution philosophy Plato Platonist Political Realism political thought possessions private property punishment reason religion religious righteous Roman Rome Rome's rulers Saint Augustine Scripture secular sense Sermo sinful slaves soldier spiritual St Ambrose St Augustine Stoic Stoicism temporal things tion true justice truth wicked wish