Augustine Of Hippo And Lady Julian Of Norwich

There has been much debate over the interpretation of Genesis 1:1-2 throughout the years and continues today. The reason for this debate is because of the wording of Genesis 1:2 that the “earth was without form and void” (formless and empty). The real debate is the relationship of this verse to Genesis 1:1. When trying to interpret this text or any text in the Bible one must look at the grammar and structure of the passage – the original Hebrew as well as well as principles of hermeneutics to determine which interpretation is the best fit for the text. This essay will evaluate the interpretation of Genesis 1:1-2 especially the view known as the Gap theory in determining whether there is any justification for a long gap of time between the two verses (Genesis 1:1&2). This will be done by analyzing the grammatical-syntactical relationship between these two verses.

Both St. Augustine’s Confessions and Confucius’s Analects are significant teachings that have influenced people around the world not only in ancient times but in current history as well. Both doctrines provide discussion on the ethical values of society back in the ancient time they were written and lead us to discover similarities between the two beliefs. Although we find these connections, there are significant differences between St. Augustine and Confucius’s views on life and beliefs since they were living in different time periods and environments. Their experiences are the influencers that have impacted to the way that philosophies and traditions have grown today between the West and the East. I agree that Confucius celebrated social

To study Genesis in terms of its literary and historical content is not to say that we are in any way being irreverent in our reading of this part of the Old Testament. In other words, it is possible to read Genesis in both a spirit of appreciation for its position as the opening exegetical narrative of the Bible and as a document that reflects literary and historical realities and influences during the time when it was being written down. This paper examines some of the contemporary sources that influenced the two sets of writers who recorded the events of Genesis.

As per the 1948 Universal announcement of human rights, all individuals regardless of their background are all born equal before the law. This declaration made by the powerful nations and signed by all nations strong and weak that belong to the United Nations reflects the thoughts of many earlier philosophers to include the 16th & 17th Century Martin Luther, Thomas Hobbes, and John Locke. However, each philosopher -based on their times and experiences gave a different value to how men use their freedom and equality in presence of the other in a society, and in relation to political authority. As determinant of his freedom to act and think, the three writings focused on the will of man, the promise that shapes the social contract, and the

In this paper, I will discuss how three influential scholars in this order: Augustine, Aquinas, Galileo, delimit science or the bible and the ways their beliefs overlapped or didn’t.

Augustine’s Confessions is an autobiography written around 400 A.D which details his spiritual journey, and each of the books address a certain element of Augustine’s steps in his spiritual path. In Book III, he develops his overcoming of lust by introducing the book with the line: “I went to Carthage, where I found myself in the midst of a hissing cauldron of lust.” (III.1, pp55). The theme of non-sexual lust instantly becomes the focal point of the book and Augustine presents the “hissing cauldron” as a low point in his relationship with God, for he wanders away from his creator by loving his own ways; however, he later discovers this was merely lust compared to the true love of God. In this essay, I will argue that Book III of Confessions

Early Christian theologian and philosopher Augustine of Hippo once declared that “we ought to wish ours (teachings) to conform to that of sacred scripture.” In this essay, we will be analyzing theological perspectives of Saint Augustine and will discuss his ideas about the role of women in the Fall of Man, his views on intentionality and the nature of evil, and the ways in which his teachings influenced C.S. Lewis and his literally works in The Chronicles of Narnia. To begin, Saint Augustine had a utilitarian view of women, and his writings would influence the early Catholic and Protestant churches for centuries to come. In addressing the Fall of Man, Augustine believes that Adam and Eve had different motives for eating the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden and is forced to explain these different roles because of 1st Timothy 2:14, which states, “Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.” Augustine theorized that Eve ate the fruit because she saw it as pleasing to the eye, and when she was approached by the snake had neither the wisdom nor the prowess to avoid falling into temptation. She was, after all, only a companion to Adam and in the end, Adam chose her companionship over the will of the Lord. There is also an early Christian theology that supports the idea that beautiful women are temptresses, and modest beauty is much more pleasing to God. We see this idea in many of C.S. Lewis’ works, but we will draw on an example from The

Faith operates in a unique way by providing the average, the noble, or the distasteful with a means to understand the world we inhabit. However, our worldly experiences also operate as a means to understanding the complexities of our faith. For St. Augustine, faith provides more questions than answers, but consequently leads to his life as a bishop and eventually sainthood. For some, however, the Bible provides the answers to all the questions that go unanswered by common sense. In St. Augustine’s Confessions, Augustine is able to further understand himself and his faith in Christ by reflecting on anecdotes of his past. Conversely, the Bible’s use of etiology provides spiritual justification for physical realities.

To understand Julian and her theological account of her visions it is important to recognize the state of the church during this era as well as its probable influence this had on her life and works. In the 13th century the church was very much in the midst of a tension between the church defined as ecclesiastical hierarchy and the church defined as a community of believers. That is to say that there was a growing gap between the church’s forms and formulas and the beliefs of its members. In broad terms, Christianity tended to become more and more clerical whereas lay society tended to become more religious which generated an increase in the number of spiritual initiatives. Also during this time there was great anxiety amongst lay people over issues of sin, death, and a desire for security of the soul. This was perhaps the most common and burdensome anxiety of the Middle Ages. The doctrine of purgatory, however effective it may have been in providing consolation and hope it also caused great

Julian of Norwich was an important Christian mystic and theologian in the fourteenth century. Her most well know work, Revelations of Divine Love is based on a series of sixteen visions she received while she was lying on, what was thought at the time, to be her deathbed. Having received these revelations at a time of great pain for herself, Julian’s visions focus on the mysteries of Christianity, in particular, the vast love of God and the existence of evil. Her constant positive attitude and optimism while facing unfortunate circumstances really stood out and I will focus on what makes her unique and this attitude also makes her work more useful.

The question that I will be exploring over the course of this essay is: What is the best explanation we can give why Adam and Eve take of the forbidden fruit in the Genesis story of the Fall ( see Genesis 1-3 )? I will be dividing this essay into two sections and look at two aspects: Theological and Philosophical. In regards to this I will also look at the Genesis story and outline three things:

Throughout history, Biblical Adam (whose story is outlined in Genesis and whose significance was later expounded upon by Paul in his epistles to the churches of Rome and Corinth) has undergone much scrutiny based on the zeitgeist and scientific breakthroughs of each age. Each interpretation of the historicity of Adam has different implications which drastically alter the Christian’s view of original sin, man’s place in creation, and his relationship to God. This will be a brief discussion of some of the different interpretations of scripture that lead to different views on Adam. Each view will have different implications for those who hold that particular view of Genesis, creation, and specifically Adam. Lastly, we will look at what Christians

Oakley and Milton highlighted the theological origins of the concept not from the old tradition of the Ancient Testament, as it was originally argued by Zilsel and Needham, but from the specific conceptions held by Scotus and Ockham, reworked and widely accepted in the seventeenth century. Whilst these studies turned the spotlight on a fundamental tradition disregarded or rejected by the previous works, they still cannot explain how a theological idea, clearly shaped four centuries before the emergence of modern science, became so dominant during the seventeenth century. In Henry’s view, Oakley and Milton cannot answer why the appeal to laws of nature took place in the seventeenth century and not before, bearing in mind that the conceptual

throughout early Christian history is important, and the biblical text is usually the starting place. The garden myth that opens the biblical text portrays humanity living happily in community with God, who walks through the garden and catches up with the man and woman on the events of the day. It is a peaceful, picturesque, idyllic life that is upended by divine punishment, so the story goes, because Adam and Eve were tricked by a snake into accessing the knowledge which had been specifically forbidden by God. So begins the tenuous relationship between God and humanity, or perhaps more accurate given the topic of this work, the tenuous relationship between God, humanity, and knowledge. While this is certainly a surface treatment of the garden myth, the importance of the second creation narrative in both shaping various Christian approaches to knowledge and Christian theology demands an early recognition of its prominence and influence. At the end of the narrative, the close connection with God that humanity had experienced is destroyed because of a pursuit of the knowledge of God. The Church has certainly, at various moments throughout the centuries, understood the story of Adam and Eve’s “Original Sin” to be a cautionary tale about the dangers of knowledge and its

In his writing, especially in “Paradise Lost,” John Milton is unmistakably conscious of Holy Scripture. His celebrated epic, for example, features many references, which come directly from Bible verses. In Book VII of “Paradise Lost,” Milton offers his own adaptation of the creation narrative in Genesis; Raphael responds to Adam’s curiosity regarding the formation of the world and chronologically describes God’s creation in six days. Milton, aware of the incongruities of the Genesis creation story, attempts to unite the differing accounts. In doing so, the author, like Raphael, condescends among the readers to describe a seemingly inexplicable story.