Augustine of Hippo
2/21/2014
Augustine of Hippo who provided the definitive statement of a nondualist theology, which had such a major impact on western thought. – Everything that exists owes that existence to God.
There is no alternative source or origin of existence. Everything that exists was created good by a good God. The evil that exists within the world is not to be thought of as something positive and real, possessing its own distinct substance. Rather, it is to be thought of as a “lack of goodness”. He uses the image of a dormant seed as an analogy for this process. God embeds seeds(ratines seminales, seed bearing reasons) God created the world complete with a series of dormant powers, which were actualized at appropriate moments through divine providence.(p. 218, McGrath) God made all things simultaneously, while envisaging that the various kinds of living things make their appearance gradually over time-as they were meant to by their creator. The “seed” implies that the original creation contained within it the potentialities for all the living kinds that would subsequently emerge. (p. 219, McGrath)
The general Greek understanding of the origins of the world(platonist worldview) – God is to be thought of as an architect, who ordered pre-existent matter. This idea was taken up by Most Gnostic writers, who were here followed by a few early Christian theologians such as Theophilus of Antioch and Justin Martyr. They professed a belief of in pre-existent matter, which was shaped into the world in the act of creation. Creation was not “from nothing(ex nihilo)”; rather, it was to be seen as an act of construction. The existence of evil in the world was thus to be explained on the basis of the intractability of this pre-existent matter. (p. 219, McGrath)
But several major Christian writers of the 2nd and 3rd centuries argued that everything required to be created out of nothing.(Irenaeus, Tertullian ‘the world depended on God for its existence.’, Augustine)
The doctrine of God as creator has several major implications, 1) a distinction must be drawn between God and the creation, while at the same time to affirm that it is God’s creation. 2) Creation implies God’s authority over the world. The doctrine of creation leads to the idea of human stewardship of the creation.(it contrasted with a secular notion of human ownership) 3) the doctrine of God as creator implies the original goodness of creation.(Gen 1:10, 18, 21…) 4) Creation as recounted in the book of Gen. implies that human beings are created in the image of God.(p. 220-221, McGrath)
There are several models of God as creator. The 1st one is widely used by early Christian writers. Emanation was used to clarify the relation between God and the world. This image of creation suggests that the creation of the world can be regarded as an overflowing of the creative energy of God. There is a natural or organic connection between God and the creation. This model has two weaknesses, the image of a sun radiating light implies an involuntary emanation but the Christian tradition has emphasized that the act of creation rests upon a prior decision on the part of God to create, which this model cannot adequately express. Thus, the idea of a personal God, expressing a personality both in the very act of creation and the subsequent creation itself, is difficult to convey by this image. 2nd model is the ‘construction’. God as a master builder, deliberately constructing the world. The weakness is that this portrays creation as involving pre-existent matter. But it includes the fundamental theme of ordering. And the 3rd, Artistic expression. Many Christian writers speak of creation as the “handiwork of God,” comparing it to a work of art which is beautiful in itself, as well as expressing the personality of its creator.(Jonathan Edwards) this model also could easily lead to the idea of creation from pre-existent matter.(Sculptor) But this weaknesses has a possibility of thinking about creation from nothing; the author and the composer. (p. 221-222, McGrath)
There is no alternative source or origin of existence. Everything that exists was created good by a good God. The evil that exists within the world is not to be thought of as something positive and real, possessing its own distinct substance. Rather, it is to be thought of as a “lack of goodness”. He uses the image of a dormant seed as an analogy for this process. God embeds seeds(ratines seminales, seed bearing reasons) God created the world complete with a series of dormant powers, which were actualized at appropriate moments through divine providence.(p. 218, McGrath) God made all things simultaneously, while envisaging that the various kinds of living things make their appearance gradually over time-as they were meant to by their creator. The “seed” implies that the original creation contained within it the potentialities for all the living kinds that would subsequently emerge. (p. 219, McGrath)
The general Greek understanding of the origins of the world(platonist worldview) – God is to be thought of as an architect, who ordered pre-existent matter. This idea was taken up by Most Gnostic writers, who were here followed by a few early Christian theologians such as Theophilus of Antioch and Justin Martyr. They professed a belief of in pre-existent matter, which was shaped into the world in the act of creation. Creation was not “from nothing(ex nihilo)”; rather, it was to be seen as an act of construction. The existence of evil in the world was thus to be explained on the basis of the intractability of this pre-existent matter. (p. 219, McGrath)
But several major Christian writers of the 2nd and 3rd centuries argued that everything required to be created out of nothing.(Irenaeus, Tertullian ‘the world depended on God for its existence.’, Augustine)
The doctrine of God as creator has several major implications, 1) a distinction must be drawn between God and the creation, while at the same time to affirm that it is God’s creation. 2) Creation implies God’s authority over the world. The doctrine of creation leads to the idea of human stewardship of the creation.(it contrasted with a secular notion of human ownership) 3) the doctrine of God as creator implies the original goodness of creation.(Gen 1:10, 18, 21…) 4) Creation as recounted in the book of Gen. implies that human beings are created in the image of God.(p. 220-221, McGrath)
There are several models of God as creator. The 1st one is widely used by early Christian writers. Emanation was used to clarify the relation between God and the world. This image of creation suggests that the creation of the world can be regarded as an overflowing of the creative energy of God. There is a natural or organic connection between God and the creation. This model has two weaknesses, the image of a sun radiating light implies an involuntary emanation but the Christian tradition has emphasized that the act of creation rests upon a prior decision on the part of God to create, which this model cannot adequately express. Thus, the idea of a personal God, expressing a personality both in the very act of creation and the subsequent creation itself, is difficult to convey by this image. 2nd model is the ‘construction’. God as a master builder, deliberately constructing the world. The weakness is that this portrays creation as involving pre-existent matter. But it includes the fundamental theme of ordering. And the 3rd, Artistic expression. Many Christian writers speak of creation as the “handiwork of God,” comparing it to a work of art which is beautiful in itself, as well as expressing the personality of its creator.(Jonathan Edwards) this model also could easily lead to the idea of creation from pre-existent matter.(Sculptor) But this weaknesses has a possibility of thinking about creation from nothing; the author and the composer. (p. 221-222, McGrath)
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