Augustine's Philosophy Research Articles

Christian Faith and the Interpretation of History: A Study of St. Augustine's Philosophy of History. By <italic>G. L. Keyes</italic>. (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press. 1966. Pp. xi, 206. $5.95.)

Christian Faith and the Interpretation of History: A Study of St. Augustine's Philosophy of History. By G. L. Keyes. (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press. 1966. Pp. xi, 206. $5.95.) Get access Christian Faith and the Interpretation of History: A Study of St. Augustine's Philosophy of History. By Keyes G. L.. (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press. 1966. Pp. xi, 206. $5.95.) Harry Rosenberg Harry Rosenberg Colorado State University Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The American Historical Review, Volume 72, Issue 3, April 1967, Page 940, https://doi.org/10.1086/ahr/72.3.940 Published: 01 April 1967

Christian Faith and the Interpretation of History: A Study of St. Augustine's Philosophy of History

Christian Faith and the Interpretation of History: A Study of St. Augustine's Philosophy of History

On the City of Man

St. Augustine wrote the City of God at a time of trouble for the Roman Empire. Pope John XXIII issued his Pacem in Terris “ to all men of good will“ in an age of universal conflict. While Augustine's philosophy of history includes a conception of an ideal Christian commonwealth, the predominant theme in his great book is pessimism regarding the City of Man. The strongest motif in the late Pope's encyclical, on the other hand, is optimism concerning the power of responsible men to shape the future in a favorable way.

The Teaching of History in the Twelfth Century

One of the most outstanding classical scholars in the twelfth century was John of Salisbury, who, steeped in the literature of the Latin writers, seems to echo Cicerol when he remarks that to be properly literate one must be familiar with mathematics and history as well as with the poets and the orators.2 The twelfth century as a whole reflected a deep interest in history and historical writing, to such an extent that Haskins calls it one of the greatest periods of medieval historiography. But history as it was understood by men like John of Salisbury, Hugo of St. Victor, and other learned clerics of the age was the history of St. Augustine, not the narration of past of the Greek and Roman historians. The classical historians had regarded history as a branch of the art of rhetoric, written to please public taste, or to relate anecdotes, or to set examples, or to display the literary powers of the authors.3 Their theory of world cycles, in which the order of the universe was pessimistically regarded as a degeneration from the Golden Age of the past to the Iron Age of the present, and in which the present reproduced the past and the future the present, was supplanted by a new philosophy of history as formulated by St. Augustine. St. Augustine asserted that the whole record of the world turned upon the divine concern for man, which had eventuated in the life of Christ. Prior to this miracle of Incarnation, all mankind had been doomed; after it, all of the elect were to be saved. This securing of happiness in another world to a relatively small part of the human race had now become the purpose of history,4 which was conceived by the Church Fathers to be not a natural development but rather a series of events ordered by divine intervention and revelations, a planned ordo temporum, the chief events of which were set forth in the Bible. St. Augustine's philosophy of history was based upon the chronological system of Eusebius of Caeserea, who formed and joined two parallel chronologies by synchronizing certain outstanding figures and events like Abraham and Ninus, Moses and Cecrops, Samson and the Trojan War.... .' St. Augustine, however, added to this chronological system his theory of the six ages of the world as defined by the crises of Bible

Tridentine Seminary Legislation, Its Sources and Its Formation (review)

Book Reviews153 On the spiritual interpretation of Scripture, the author cautiously limits his explanation to the context of the writings of the Church fathers, avoiding the broader and often more confused range of modern meanings. Essentially the sermons of Augustine reveal that the spiritual interpretation means just those insights given to the spiritual man by the Holy Spirit and the use of such insights for the instruction of individual Christians. In addition, the spiritual understanding and interpretation of Scripture includes the meaning of figurative, allegorical, and metaphorical passages ; the saint's reconciliation of apparent contradictions in Scripture and his own exegesis of historical passages in the Old Testament. Yet Augustine was always aware of the literal and historical nature of the text and never departs as radically from it as did some of his contemporaries. Philosophers and theologians will find this study of Augustine quite rewarding. A great convenience in the text are the frequent and excellent summaries at the conclusion of each chapter. Some readers may be disappointed that greater light was not thrown upon the epistemological problems in Augustine's philosophy and others (like myself) may have desired a closer study of the relation of mysticism and the insights of the "spiritual man." But I am sure that the author would concur with me that these are problems that would require additional dissertations. John A. Mourant Pennsylvania State University O'Donohoe, James A., Tridentine Seminary Legislation, Its Sources and Its Formation. Louvain, 1957. Pp. vi & 187. Father O'Donohoe says his purpose is "to investigate the sources of the Tridentine seminary legislation and to expose its gradual formation during the course of the sessions of the Council." (p. v.) This statement makes the content of this monograph seem more comprehensive than it is. Actually, Father O'Donohoe's primary, and nearly sole, interest is in the well-known decree formulated at the Council's 23rd session which called for the establishment of diocesan seminaries. Fr. O'Donohoe publishes the text of the Tridentine decree side by side with the text of the eleventh decree of the Legatine Synod sponsored by Cardinal Pole in 1556 to reform the English clergy (pp. 135—139). The texts of the two decrees are so closely parallel that there can be no doubt — if ever any existed — that the Counciliar Fathers borrowed liberally from the English cardinal. The author's convincing explanation as to how Pole's legislation came to the attention of the council is a measure of his diligent work with original source material (pp. 142—-145). Cardinal Pole and Claude Le Jay are, according to Fr. O'Donohoe, the principle progenitors of Tridentine legislation for seminaries. The role of Le Jay, however, is not so well documented as that of Pole. At the 5th session Le Jay certainly pointed out however well managed seminaries be, they are ineffectual if they are empty (p. 35, n. 14) ; but there is no reason to believe that he alone was aware of this deficiency. 154Book Reviews Since this doctoral dissertation was originally composed as a study in canon law, one would expect more frequent citation of the "fontes." Direct quotation of the regulations drawn up for the Germanicum, for example, would perhaps, have substantiated the assumption — valid, I believe — that Tridentine legislation reflects the organization found in the seminaries which flourished in the mid 16th century under the aegis of the Society of Jesus. Berard Marthaler, 0. F. M. Conv. Assumption Seminary Chaska, Minnesota ...

Book Review: The City of God. WA study of St Augustine's Philosophy

Book Review: <scp>The City of God</scp>. WA study of St Augustine's Philosophy

Some Aspects of St Augustine's Philosophy of Beauty

Some Aspects of St Augustine's Philosophy of Beauty

Some Aspects of St. Augustine's Philosophy of Beauty

Some Aspects of St. Augustine's Philosophy of Beauty

Saint Augustine's Philosophy of Beauty

Saint Augustine's Philosophy of Beauty

St. Augustine's Philosophy of Beauty.

St. Augustine's Philosophy of Beauty.

Saint Augustine's Philosophy of Beauty

Saint Augustine's Philosophy of Beauty