The Grace of Christ and the Grace of God in Augustine of Hippo (continued)
Cod in the W,.ititr,qs of ;~ugustmt> the Seeker 87
The Gmce "/ (i{)(/ follows . then, I shall describe tbe ,·ariou. way, in which Augustine and his friends drew nearer to God in tll Cir conve~tion< and meditations.
2. The God or WL~dom and Beauty
The foregoing look ao the God of Augustine ·s Confu.fions took as its staning point the now commonly accep1ed view that in this autobtographical WOrk. 3 diStinction must be made between the St Ory (narratio} nnd renecuon on it (nwduatifl}. As the Bishop of Hippo confessed his own wretchedness and the divine mercy. he recalled what he bad thought about God ns a young man.
a) Cod. the Source of Happiness
Answer 10 the Skeptics"
The fit•st work of Augustine that ha> come down to us is the thl'ee books of the Answer ro the Skeptics (Cum't' Acadtmicos or De Acodemlcis). lL was composed at Cassiciacum in the fall of 386f' This work, the fruit of a joint h is obviou ~. mct1nwhile, 1ha1 his earlier wrilings. composed be Lwecn 386 ::tnd 388. more immcdimely renect his theological thought dut·i••s those years." These Wtll'ks of the cmechumen and neophyte have greatl)' interested reading of Cicero,63 does not say much ubout Cod.'" lt .-enects rather Augustine's intention of engaging his f1·iends. especiully Licentius and Trygctius, iu an e.rercittttio or exercise in dialectical nrgumcnt.f>l The point was to demonstnHc that a wi$e person is t:apablc of reaching n mo1-e certaio ktlO\vledge of
la 1·s down 10 t)ur d~ly. This is nOL surpri:;ing when we keep in mind how many questions they raise concerning theil' precise chronology. their historical conlc:<c. lhcil' biogn1phical re Uabi.lity. their literary charuciCI' and sources. a> well :1s, in particular. the rather difficult quc;tion• they pose (JU the relationship between Chl'istian faith and ancien! philosophy." In what follows. I 'hall concern my,cl f only with this last set of que~Lion~. Even here there can be no question of discussing all aspects of the matter. bul I mu>t nddres.~ myself at lea't to those that make possible a clearer grasp of the sense in which Augu>tinc >peak$ of God in these writings which are clearly philosophical in orientation.
truth. But m bottom, Augustine intended 10 give a rational justification for having himseu· abandoned skcpticism at hb convcrsion.66 In any case. when he cndcavored to find an answer to the question of whether the happy life prc· suppos..'d knowledge of the truth or only a ' enrch for the truth. he was laying the foundation for the later. more detailed discussion of the cenaimy of truth, without which no one can live happily.
As early. moreover. as tbe third book of the AIISII'er w th~ Sk~ptics. the tll Ctne of the divine authority required for religious knowledge is announced.
I hnvc no imcmion. however. of distinguishing in principle between these so-called philosOI>hical works of Augustine and hi~ U~eolog ica l works. Although tl1e later distinclion between pltilosophy and theology is all'eady announced in a
Augustine also speaks explicitly here of the Most High God who in U>e divine goodness sent the authority of the divine intellect into a human body in order fu!o.hion, \uc.:h a division is no1 appropriate. 5~ The lir:rst writings. which were composed or :u least begun before 389, desel've to be callc.d philoS<)phieal only because in them the conll'HSI between Christianity and the philosophical culture of antiquily seems h) he more ckarly defined. Jn reulity, uvcn in thcs~,; writings, the. autho1· is alway~ engaged in theology. in a reflection lhat even in questions of anthropology nnd the theo•y of knowledge is based on the faith.~' to awaken and instruct souls through the words und deeds of the incamale mind of God and thereby to enable them to emc•· int<) 1 hcmse lvc~ and remember their heavenly homeland, without having 10 ongage in philosophical discussion.67 Authority, 'vhich is the basis of ChristilUl faith. also grounds tJ1c certainty that there is an absolute truth ...
Now. il is evident that the teaching on God. which we urc discussing here. is at the centcr of these early writings. Augustine himself emphasizes thi~ m the beginning of the Soliloquies: .. , wanted to know God and the soul:·»nus basic theologic;al orient:&tion is undoubtedly connected with the fact that Augustine's con,-cr.ion ''Oil">ted first and forc'lllOSI in the cffon to bring his inherited faith in God into hannony "ith his scientific concerns." But this existential search.
The Happy Life69
On November 13, 386. in celebration of Augustine ·s birthday, he and his friends broke off tl.eir discussion of the Ac:ldemics for three days and, a> it say> in 111e Happy Ufe. held a spiritu:tl banquet in the form of con,-ersations on human happiness and the conditions for it."' Later on in the Re>isio11s, when referring to those friendly conversation~. Aug\lstine observes that tbe answer to that basic question w"' simply that "the happy life consists in the pel'fect knowledge of God.""
which h ~ chamcteristic of these writings. doe.< nOl allow us 10 be smisfied with the diMinction made by thOSl! scholars who \VOt.dd sec three a!-pccl"O in the idea of God in these worls: God as Being beyond all becoming. Cod as the fullness of all pet1'ections. :uld God as tnllh."' Rather, we must auemptlO gru<p the spiritual and intCIIt;etual circumstances within which Augul>lim! was a1 this time retlecting 011 the mystery of' God. Funhcnnorc, it has lightly been said chat hi!\ concept of God :u·ose out of the cl'isis that was occupying all his thoughts and affections. and that coll'-eCiliCntly he experie11ced his God plimari ly ns rcdccme1'.60 In what
The d i :;;cu~sions themselves= however. we,·e less simple. As we learn from the book on The Nappy Ufe. during the fot'l't two days, the subject of discussion was tlle complex..hy of the striving for hnppine.~~ in which aJI human beings are engaged. ln Lhcsc first steps. the p:wcicipams reached tbe concJu .. l'ion lhal human beings can OJtly strlve ror an abiding g:O{)(I, that is. God. Hul
