Augustine Of Hippo Analysis
Saint Augustine of Hippo was a very influential theologian in early Church history. Augustine had many profound ideas that continue to stand in our churches today. He is a man who had a stirring conversion to the Christian faith. Augustine struggled with many ideas, being determined to find the Truth in the World. His early life was full of radical ideas and rebellion, which helped guide Augustine later to his final teachings. Augustine argues in his book, Late Have I Loved Thee, that love is the most important virtue a man can have, even more essential than faith or hope. Augustine emphasizes two types of love found in this world by way of his analogy, the Two Cities. He also demonstrates, in his City of God, that there are two kinds of love
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These two types of love are love of God, and love of the neighbor. The first is the Love of God. Augustine goes into great detail on this love in the Confessions. He speaks on how we are not to love the pleasures of this world, but simply find pleasure in God. Augustine speaks of his lustful pleasures that he indulged in during his early life, and how he later on struggled with them while trying to love God completely. “Loving and being loved were sweet to me. The more so if I could also enjoy a lover’s body.”(the Confessions, 13). Looking back Augustine realizes the foolishness of this sin. From this sin Augustine finds that serving and loving God is far more joyful and fulfilling to the mind and body. He states in Book V, “But allow my soul to give you glory that it may love you the more,” (the Confessions, 15). The second type of love Augustine outlines is that of loving the neighbor (Christian Doctrine, 79). Augustine realizes the importance of loving ones neighbor and describes how an individual is to show this love. “loving his neighbor as himself, a man turns the whole current of his love both for himself and his neighbor into the channel of the love of God.” (Christian Doctrine, 43). If one first loves God they will find that they love their neighbor as well. This plays a major role in Augustine’s World view. To show love to one another is to truly love
These two types of love are love of God, and love of the neighbor. The first is the Love of God. Augustine goes into great detail on this love in the Confessions. He speaks on how we are not to love the pleasures of this world, but simply find pleasure in God. Augustine speaks of his lustful pleasures that he indulged in during his early life, and how he later on struggled with them while trying to love God completely. “Loving and being loved were sweet to me. The more so if I could also enjoy a lover’s body.”(the Confessions, 13). Looking back Augustine realizes the foolishness of this sin. From this sin Augustine finds that serving and loving God is far more joyful and fulfilling to the mind and body. He states in Book V, “But allow my soul to give you glory that it may love you the more,” (the Confessions, 15). The second type of love Augustine outlines is that of loving the neighbor (Christian Doctrine, 79). Augustine realizes the importance of loving ones neighbor and describes how an individual is to show this love. “loving his neighbor as himself, a man turns the whole current of his love both for himself and his neighbor into the channel of the love of God.” (Christian Doctrine, 43). If one first loves God they will find that they love their neighbor as well. This plays a major role in Augustine’s World view. To show love to one another is to truly love