The Cambridge companion to Augustine

Abstract

Augustine of Hippo (354–430 AD) represents a pivotal synthesis of classical Neoplatonism and Christian doctrine, establishing a framework that dominated Western thought through the medieval period and into the modern era. His philosophical system identifies faith as the necessary epistemic starting point for rational understanding, particularly concerning the nature of the divine and the problem of evil, which he defines as a privation of good rather than a substantive entity. Metaphysically, he situates God as the atemporal creator whose simple, immutable essence provides the archetypes for all created beings. In the realm of epistemology, the doctrine of divine illumination posits that human access to necessary and eternal truths is mediated by a divine intellectual light, a stance developed as a rigorous refutation of Academic skepticism. His philosophy of mind emphasizes the incorporeality of the soul and the reflexivity of the will, using the psychological triad of memory, understanding, and will as a primary analogy for the Trinity. Ethical and political inquiries focus on the concept of ordered love, where virtue is defined by the proper ranking of objects according to their intrinsic worth. This distinction underpins his social theory of the “two cities”—the earthly and the heavenly—and informs his development of just war theory. The enduring relevance of these contributions is evident in their subsequent influence on the development of the cogito, first-person subjectivity, and the conceptualization of time and language in post-medieval philosophy. – AI-generated abstract.