Saint Augustine: Theology, Ethics, and the Problem of Evil

Theology of Saint Augustine

God and Creation: Saint Augustine posits that God is absolute fullness. He argues that ideas exist within the mind of God and are co-eternal. Augustine maintains that this is the best possible world, created freely by God ex nihilo (out of nothing). He describes the creation process with two primary features: the belief that the world was created instantly and in its totality.

The Problem of Physical Evil

Augustine addresses the problem of physical evil, arguing that it is fundamentally good because it is a created being. He asserts that evil is not a substance but the absence of being or good. Because all created things are limited, they are inherently imperfect; therefore, the limitation of being within the physical world is what we perceive as evil.

Ethics and Free Will

Augustine emphasizes that God created humanity with free will, allowing us to choose between good and evil. God prefers to create free individuals, granting us the capacity to choose moral actions or commit sin. By choosing to create a free man, God provides the freedom to act righteously or to fall into moral evil.

The Polemic Against Pelagius

Augustine engaged in a significant theological debate with Pelagius regarding original sin:

• Pelagius's View: Argued that Adam's original sin affected only him, suggesting humanity does not need a savior.
• Augustine's Response: Accused Pelagius of undermining God's power. Augustine argued that humanity exists in a fallen state and requires divine intervention to reverse the effects of original sin.

Augustine maintained that without the incarnation and death of Jesus Christ, humanity would be inevitably bound to evil. He taught that we are free to accept the grace of God; once accepted, it becomes impossible to sin.

Divine Foreknowledge and Determinism

Regarding the tension between divine omnipotence and human freedom, Augustine argues that God's foreknowledge does not necessitate determinism. He explains that God knows what will happen, but that knowledge does not force the individual to act. Furthermore, Augustine clarifies that because God exists outside of time and space, He does not "foresee" the future in the human sense of the word, as He is not bound by temporal constraints.