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Christine Ho
Dr. Cole
ENGL 4225
10 November 2009
Augustine has roblems
!aint Augustine o" Hi##o is on a #hiloso#hi$al %uest o" Neo#latonism in his Con"essions.
&hile rea'ing #hiloso#hi$al (or)s* he is attra$te' to Neo#latonism 'ue to the outloo) on
religion. He is able to see Go' in a 'i""erent (a+* as he 'es$ribes himsel" as vain an' sees Go' in
the image o" man. He ,nevertheless "elt "or$e' to imagine something #h+si$al o$$u#+ing s#a$e
'i""use' either in the (orl' or even through in"inite s#a$e outsi'e the (orl'- .111/. He ha' a
#roblem (ith imagining something tangible in a #la$e o" a being that sim#l+ ha' no being in
or'er to be. 0n other (or's* Go' (as a being that e1iste' ever+(here* as a being that (oul'
,#ermeate not onl+ the bo'+ o" heaven an' air an' sea but even earth- .112/. Augustine2s
#roblem (ith this vie(* 0 believe* is the i'ea that Go' (ho governs all (oul' allo( evil to
#ermeate the (orl' as (ell* 3ust as he 'oes. Augustine sa+s himsel" that a #roblem remaine' to
trouble him.
Although 0 a""irme' an' "irml+ hel' 'ivine immunit+ "rom #ollution an' $hange an' the
$om#lete immutabilit+ o" our Go'* the true Go' (ho ma'e no onl+ our souls but also our
bo'ies* an' not onl+ our souls an' bo'ies* but all rational beings an' ever+thing* +et 0 ha'
no $lear an' e1#li$it gras# o" evil. .114/
5ne o" Augustine2s #roblems is that he $oul' not "ull+ un'erstan' the evil (ithin the (orl'. Go'
ha' ma'e ever+thing (ithin the (orl'* in$lu'ing us* so ho( $oul' (e re3e$t the goo'ness that
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(as Go' our $reator6 Go' is in$orru#tible* so i" he (as in$orru#tible* ho( 'i' evil $ome to e1ist
in the (orl'6 An' i" Go' is the !u#reme Goo'* an' he #ermeates all* ho( 'i' the absen$e o"
Goo' $ome about6 7hese %uestions (ere #roblems that Augustine ha' (ith the latoni$ te1ts.
7he 'is$re#an$ies bet(een lotinus an' Augustine are not too (i'e* but are signi"i$ant in their
im#a$t in the te1t.
lotinus 'es$ribes the Goo' as something ,that on (hi$h all else 'e#en's... 7he Goo' is
be+on'8beauti"ul- .59/. :e$ause the Goo' is e%uate' (ith Go'* (e $an assume that lotinus is
'es$ribing Go' as be+on'8beauti"ul. 7o lotinus* the sour$e o" evil* ,i" Evil e1ist at all* that it be
situate in the realm o" Non8:eing... the Non8:eing (e are thin)ing o" is* rather* an image o"
:eing or #erha#s something still "urther remove' than even an image- .5;/. Augustine2s vie( is
the same* as he believes that no image $an e%uate to Go'. Go' $annot be an image o" an+thing*
(hen he e1ists in ever+thing an' there"ore $an not have an image o" an+ one s#e$i"i$ thing. 0"
Go' has no image an' #ermeates ever+thing* the same shoul' hol' "or Evil. Evil* a$$or'ing to
lotinus is the ,absolute la$)- .<0/. 7his absolute la$) o" goo'ness brings about Evil* although a
mere la$) is 3ust non8Goo'ness. Ho(ever* lotinus sa+s that to ,'en+ Evil a #la$e among
realities is ne$essaril+ to 'o a(a+ (ith the Goo' as (ell- .<9/. 7his onl+ means that Evil an'
Goo' $ome han'8in8han'* an' (e are unable to have one (ithout the other. &ith Go' an' the
!u#reme Goo'* there is also Evil an' all o" (hat it entails. 7o lotinus* (hat it entails is the la$)
o" Goo'.
Augustine* similarl+* believes that to Go'* ,evil 'oes not e1ist at all* not onl+ "or +ou but
"or +our $reate' universe* be$ause there is nothing outsi'e it (hi$h $oul' brea) in an' 'estro+
the or'er (hi$h +ou have im#ose' u#on it- .125/. 0" evil 'oes not e1ist at all* it is an absolute
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la$) o" something that (as $reate'. =or evil to not e1ist at all means there is an em#tiness* an'
the em#tiness is (hat is evil. Ho(ever* to 'en+ the e1isten$e o" evil at all is also to 'en+ the
e1isten$e o" goo'* a$$or'ing to lotinus. 7his is a 'is$re#an$+ that Augustine has (ith
Neo#latonism. 0t is* Augustine e1#lains* merel+ a ,$on"li$t o" interest- .125/. Ho(ever* it being a
$on"li$t o" interest 'oes not merel+ mean that it is evil. Evil is a (or' assigne' to (hat (e
$onsi'er to be shoul' be better. Human beings have e%uate' (hat (as 'is#leasing to them (ith
evil* so as not to blame Go' "or (hat is 'is#leasing. Ever+one has their o(n in'ivi'ual sense o"
(hat is goo'* (hi$h $reates e%ual senses o" (hat is ,evil.- >ust be$ause a ma3orit+ o" the #eo#le
"in' something 'is#leasing 'oes not mean that it is ,not goo'*- but rather it is merel+ 'is#leasing
an' (e are labeling something as evil sim#l+ be$ause (e 'are not sa+ Go' has 'is#lease' us
(ith his $reations. !o* lotinus vie(s evil as an absolute la$) o" Goo'* an' there"ore the la$) o"
Go'. Ho(ever* Augustine argues that there cannot be a la$) o" Go'* sin$e he e1ists in all things.
7here"ore* the onl+ $on$lusion that Augustine $an $ome u# (ith is that evil 'oes not e1ist at all*
be$ause then Go' (oul' not e1ist either* an' he must e1ist* sin$e he #ermeates ever+thing. 7he
$on"li$t o" interest is the term he #uts to the 'is#leasing* not the la$) o" Goo'.
Augustine also starte' having #roblems (ith himsel" as a #erson. He starte' to sa+ that he
(ante' to air himsel" as a ,(ise #erson*- an' (as ,#u""e' u# (ith )no(le'ge- .140/. He
%uestione' (hen the latonist boo)s (oul' tea$h him the ,$harit+ (hi$h buil's on the
"oun'ation o" humilit+ (hi$h is >esus Christ- .140/. Ho(ever* he "in's his ans(ers (ith the
s$ri#tures o" the a#ostle aul* an' in his rea'ings. ,0 began rea'ing an' "oun' that all the truth 0
ha' rea' in the latonists (as state' here together (ith the $ommen'ation o" +our gra$e* so that
he (ho sees shoul' 2not boast as i" he ha' not re$eive'2 both (hat he sees an' also the #o(er to
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see- .1408141/. !o even i" +ou see the (is'om or 'o not see the (is'om* it sim#l+ 'oes not
matter be$ause in the en' Go' (ill ma)e a #ath (here he $an see +ou in an+ $ase. ,7he #erson
(ho "rom a 'istan$e $annot +et see* nevertheless (al)s along the #ath b+ (hi$h he ma+ $ome
an' see an' hol' +ou .141/. !o no matter the (is'om or sight a #erson ma+ have* Go' (ill ma)e
a #ath "or +ou to "ollo( an' "in' +ou. &hen he "in's +ou* (is'om is in the e+e o" the behol'er*
an' no e+e is as all8)no(ing or (ise as Go'2s e+e. Augustine2s a(e at Go' is not overloo)e' in
the ne1t se$tion.
Augustine states that none o" the latonist boo)s has #ages that $ontain ,'evotion* tears
o" $on"ession* +our sa$ri"i$e* a trouble' s#irit* a $ontrite an' humble s#irit* the salvation o" +our
#eo#le* the es#ouse' $it+* the guarantee o" +our Hol+ !#irit* the $u# o" our re'em#tion- .141/. 0n
summar+* another #roblem he has (ith the latoni$ te1ts is that it is more #hiloso#hi$al
anal+?ing rather than a singing u# to Go' "or re'em#tion. Go' is the ultimate (a+ to salvation*
but the latoni$ te1ts 'o not seem to rea$h "or it* an' merel+ e1#lain the #hiloso#hi$al (or)ings
behin' the bibli$al si'e. 5" latoni$ te1ts* Augustine sa+s ,=or +ou have $on$eale' these things
"rom the (ise an' #ru'ent an' have reveale' them to babes- .141/. 7his $oul' mean that the
latoni$ te1ts have been e1#ose' onl+ to those that (oul' not un'erstan' it* to those that $oul'
not $om#rehen' the greatness o" Go'. Augustine then also states that ,0t is one thing "rom a
(oo'e' summit to $at$h a glim#se o" the homelan' o" #ea$e an' not to "in' the (a+ to it* but
vainl+ to attem#t the 3ourne+ along an im#ra$ti$able route surroun'e' b+ the ambushes an'
assaults o" "ugitive 'eserters (ith their $hie"...- .1418142/. 7his sim#l+ means that although +ou
ma+ see the 'estination but not "in' a route to it* it is better to go the im#ra$ti$able route to
heaven* 'es#ite atta$)s or ambushes that ma+ be"all +ou. 7o hol' on to the eas+ (a+ but onl+ to
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vie( the 'estination (oul' be to sim#l+ a$$e#t that there is a 'estination (ithout moving
to(ar's it at all.
Augustine2s #roblems (ith #latoni$ te1ts* in retros#e$t* are more about the $ause o" evil
as (ell as the la$) o" #raise. Although both agree that there is evil in the (orl'* the te1ts 'isagree
on the #oint that sa+ (hat the evil a$tuall+ is. Augustine asserts that evil is the name (e #ut to
(hat is 'is#leasing to us. 0" Go' has or'aine' (hat must be* then it must be goo' sin$e he is
goo' an' #ermeates all. lotinus* on the other han'* sa+s that Evil is an absolute la$) o" Goo'. 0t
must be an absolute la$)* as 3ust a la$) is 3ust non8Goo'ness* an' not Evil. 7heir 'e"initions o"
,absolute la$)- 'i""er* as to lotinus the la$) 'es$ribes the em#tiness that the la$) o" Goo'ness
leaves. 7o Augustine* ,la$)- re"ers to the i'ea that Evil 3ust sim#l+ 'oes not e1ist. Evil* as
mentione' be"ore* is the term (e use in or'er not to 'isres#e$t Go'* or to asso$iate an+thing
'is#leasing (ith Go'. Augustine goes through his o(n trials an' tribulations (ithin his soul in
or'er to "in' the meaning o" Evil* an' ho( the meaning is "la(e' (ithin the latoni$ te1ts* to
him. 7his asserts that even i" #eo#le believe that (hatever #eo#le believe Evil or Goo' to be* that
(e $an "in' our o(n meanings "or either i'eal (ithin oursel"* as Augustine an' lotinus have
'one. An+ 'is$re#an$ies ma+ be e1#laine' through ourselves* an' through Go' in the en'.