1.3.11

Saint Augustine

Test yourself

Saint Augustine

Saint Augustine was one of the most important thinkers in early Christianity. He lived from 354-430.

Illustrative background for Saint AugustineIllustrative background for Saint Augustine ?? "content

Saint Augustine

  • Saint Augustine is sometimes called one of the Church Fathers. This shows how important his ideas were to Christianity.
  • He was a Bishop (a leader of the local Christian community) in part of North Africa.
    • He also worked in Rome when the Roman Empire was beginning to fall.
Illustrative background for Saint Augustine's ideasIllustrative background for Saint Augustine's ideas ?? "content

Saint Augustine's ideas

  • Saint Augustine's ideas were important for developing Christian ideas at his time.
  • Among his most important writings were his 'Confessions' and a work called 'The City of God'.
    • For Christians, the Roman Empire had often been a time of terrible persecution.
    • In the period when the Roman Empire began to lose power, there was a rise in immoral behaviour.
    • So, Augustine started to think about sin, and why human beings often seem drawn to evil behaviour.
Illustrative background for Adam and EveIllustrative background for Adam and Eve ?? "content

Adam and Eve

  • To try to answer the question of why people sin, Augustine went back to the Book of Genesis.
  • Genesis contains the story of the Fall of Adam and Eve.
    • The story says they ate fruit from a forbidden tree, an act of disobedience against God.
    • For this, Adam and Eve were thrown out of paradise, the Garden of Eden.
Illustrative background for Adam and Eve (cont.)Illustrative background for Adam and Eve (cont.) ?? "content

Adam and Eve (cont.)

  • Adam and Eve eating the forbidden fruit is the first sin. It was the first time human beings did something against God’s command.
    • It is often called Original Sin.
  • Augustine wondered why Adam and Eve disobeyed God when they had a perfect existence in paradise?
    • Augustine believed answering this question would teach us why human beings are sometimes drawn to sin.
Illustrative background for Free will and prideIllustrative background for Free will and pride ?? "content

Free will and pride

  • Christians believe that God gave human beings free will, so they can choose how they behave.
  • Adam and Eve chose to do what they wanted, and eat the forbidden fruit.
    • Augustine said this was an act of pride and self-centredness. He said that all human beings have an urge to be selfish and do what they want, and so disobey God and sin.
    • Original Sin is not just an action, it is a condition (of pride and selfishness) inherited by all human beings.
    • So it is pride that separates human beings from God.
Illustrative background for The need for BaptismIllustrative background for The need for Baptism ?? "content

The need for Baptism

  • If all human beings have this condition of pride, then that applies even to babies.
    • It is only with God’s help that human beings can escape the consequences of their pride and sinfulness.
    • Augustine argued God's gift of love and forgiveness can overcome Original Sin.
    • Overcoming Original Sin requires believing in Jesus, and that he saved people from their sin.
  • The first step in showing this belief in Jesus is through Baptism.
    • Washing with water in Baptism is a symbol of washing away Original Sin.

Jump to other topics

1Year 7

1.1Origins of Abrahamic Faith

1.1.1Genesis

1.1.2Noah & the Flood

1.1.3The Importance of Noah

1.1.4Abraham

1.1.5The Covenant

1.1.6Abraham's Sacrifice

1.1.7Ibrahim's Sacrifice

1.1.8Ibrahim & Hajar

1.1.9Ibrahim & the Ka'aba

1.1.10Isaac & Jacob

1.1.11Moses & the Exodus

1.1.12The Tabernacle

1.1.13Leviticus & Sacrifice

1.1.14Teachings in Leviticus

1.1.15Jesus' Teachings

1.1.16Jesus the Rebel

1.1.17Jesus' Death & Resurrection

1.1.18The Meaning of Jesus' Sacrifice

1.1.19The Relationship Between Judaism & Christianity

1.1.20The Ka'aba

1.1.21The Prophet Muhammad

1.2Judaism

1.2.1What Do Jews Believe?

1.2.2Moses

1.2.3The Jewish Scriptures - The Written Law

1.2.4The Jewish Scriptures - The Oral Law

1.2.5The Tradition of Discussion & Debate

1.2.6Orthodox Judaism

1.2.7Reform Judaism

1.2.8The Daily Practices of Orthodox & Reform Jews

1.2.9The First Temple

1.2.10The Tabernacle's Journey & End

1.2.11Orthodox & Reform Synagogues

1.2.12What is Shabbat?

1.2.13Traditional Rituals for Shabbat

1.2.14What is Pesach?

1.2.15What is Yom Kippur?

1.2.16How Have Jews Been Persecuted?

1.2.17The Persecution of the Jews Throughout History

1.2.18The Black Death

1.2.19Antisemitism in Nazi Germany

1.2.20The Holocaust

1.2.21Genocide

1.2.22How the Holocaust has Impacted the Jewish Identity

1.2.23Holocaust Memorial

1.3Christianity

1.3.1The Nativity

1.3.2Christian Beliefs about the Baby Jesus

1.3.3Jesus' Ministry

1.3.4The Sermon on the Mount

1.3.5The Crucifixion

1.3.6The Last Supper

1.3.7The Resurrection

1.3.8Christian Beliefs about the Resurrection

1.3.9The Council of Nicaea

1.3.10The Nicene Creed

1.3.11Saint Augustine

1.3.12Protestantism

1.3.13The Reformation

1.3.14Christianity Today

1.3.15Evangelical Churches

1.3.16The Future of Christianity

1.4Buddhism

1.4.1Religion in India

1.4.2The Caste System

1.4.3Meditation

1.4.4Caste & Religion

1.4.5Puja

1.4.6Karma & the Cycle of Rebirth

1.4.7The Four Noble Truths

1.4.8The Three Marks of Existence

1.4.9The Buddha’s Noble Eightfold Path to Enlightenment

1.4.10How do Buddhists Live?

1.4.11The Four Sights

1.4.12The Buddha

1.4.13The Middle Way & Enlightenment

2Year 8

2.1Islam

2.1.1Pre-Islamic Arabia

2.1.2The Prophet Muhammad & The Qur'an

2.1.3The Hijrah & The Conquest of Mecca

2.1.4The Prophet Muhammad: The Final Sermon

2.1.5The Sunni/Shia Split

2.1.6Islamic Caliphates

2.1.7The Five Pillars of Islam

2.1.8Origins of Hajj

2.1.9Hajj Rituals

2.1.10Jihad

2.1.11Islam Today

2.2Hinduism

2.2.1The Prehistoric Roots of Hinduism

2.2.2Key Ideas in Hinduism

2.2.3The Caste System

2.2.4The Vedic Period

2.2.5The Upanishads

2.2.6Alexander the Great & The Mauryan Empire

2.2.7Revelation & The Sharing of Knowledge

2.2.8Understanding the Self

2.2.9Karma, Yoga & the Self

2.2.10The Divine Presence

2.2.11Hindu Statues and Icons

2.2.12British Colonialism & Gandhi

2.3Atheism

2.3.1Where Did Atheism Come From?

2.3.2The Impact of Scientific Developments

2.3.3Plato's Cave

2.3.4Challenging the Bible

2.3.5The Enlightenment

2.3.6Evolution

2.3.7Evolution & Religion

2.3.8Morality & God

2.3.9Morality Without God

2.3.10Frederick Nietzsche - How to Live Without Religion

2.3.11Militant Atheism

2.3.12Humanism

2.3.13The Future of Atheism

2.4Philosophy of Religion

2.4.1Who is God?

2.4.2Theists, Atheists & Agnostics

2.4.3Faith & Empiricism

2.4.4The Design Argument

2.4.5Is The Design Argument Convincing?

2.4.6The Cosmological Argument

2.4.7Criticisms of The Cosmological Argument

2.4.8The Problem of Evil

2.4.9Free Will Theodicy

2.4.10Soul-Making Theodicy

2.4.11Religious Experience

2.4.12Types of Religious Experience

2.4.13Criticisms of Religious Experience

3Year 9

3.1Life & Death

3.1.1What is the Right Thing To Do?

3.1.2Thomas Aquinas - Natural Law

3.1.3Building a Moral Code

3.1.4Criticisms of Natural Law

3.1.5Joseph Fletcher - Situation Ethics

3.1.6Understanding Situation Ethics

3.1.7Criticisms of Situation Ethics

3.1.8Sanctity of Life

3.1.9Quality of Life

3.1.10Abortion

3.1.11Moral Questions About Abortion

3.1.12Euthanasia

3.1.13Moral Questions About Euthanasia

3.1.14Capital Punishment

3.1.15Arguments Against Captial Punishment

3.1.16Animal Rights

3.1.17Alternative Views on Animal Rights

3.2Extremism

3.2.1What Does Extremism Mean?

3.2.2Extremism Explained

3.2.3Why do People Become Extremists?

3.2.4What are Conspiracy Theories?

3.2.5Why do People Believe Conspiracy Theories?

3.2.6What is Anti-Semitism?

3.2.7Anti-Semitic Stereotyping

3.2.8The Holocaust

3.2.9After the Holocaust

3.2.10Religious Fundamentalism

3.2.11The Problem of Fundamentalism

3.2.12Nationalism

3.2.13Nationalism & Extremism

3.2.14What is a Terrorist?

3.2.15Political & Religious Terrorism

3.2.16Free Speech

3.2.17Hate Speech

3.2.18How do we Fight Extremism?

3.3Equality

3.3.1Introduction to Equality

3.3.2Is the UK an Equal Society?

3.3.3Religion and Equality

3.3.4Interpreting the Scripture

3.3.5Racism and Scripture

3.3.6Scripture Against Racism

3.3.7The Fight for Racial Equality

3.3.8Gender Equality and Scripture

3.3.9Gender Equality; Women in Worship

3.3.10LGBTQ+ Matters

3.3.11The Fight for LGBTQ+ Equality

3.3.12Disability Matters

3.3.13The Fight for Disability Equality

Go student ad image

Unlock your full potential with GoStudent tutoring

  • Affordable 1:1 tutoring from the comfort of your home

  • Tutors are matched to your specific learning needs

  • 30+ school subjects covered

Book a free trial lesson

The Nicene Creed

Protestantism