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Augustine Of Hippo Research Paper

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Throughout Christian history, (Christianity before and after Nicaea in 325 A.D), there have been a large number of important influential people also called ‘gifted thinkers’ who are now usually referred to as ‘Church Fathers’ and Early Christian Theologians. These theologians helped shape the course of Christian history and contributed significantly to our understanding of Christianity, its doctrines and beliefs and most important God and how He works, it is through their writing that several significant doctrines emerged that helped with the consistency of the Christian faith and also strengthened Christianity within the Roman Empire. Among the great, is Augustine of Hippo. “It is not hyperbolic to say that during his lifetime he was the most …show more content…

pg. 3) It is from here that he draws the emphasis that mankind is born with sin from Adam. “In whom, that is in Adam, all have sinned… From him therefore all are sinners, because we are all produced from him” (155. Original Sin pg. 216). In addition to Augustine’s understanding of the notion of original sin, we find more quotes of the gravity of the burden of sin from Adam onto mankind, whom God created without sin but stained from the actions of one man. It was through Adams actions that God had no choice but to punish mankind with a label of original sin, however as a Merciful God, there is relief from the ‘righteous punishment’ he gave to man. “Truly the nature of man was originally created blameless and without any vice; but that nature of man, with which each is born of Adam, now needs a physician because it is not healthy,… it needs illumination and healing, was not derived from its blameless Maker, but from original sin which was committed through free choice; and on this account a penal nature, is a part of a most righteous punishment.” (Augustine, 160. …show more content…

He could not yet speak and pale with jealousy and bitterness, glared at his brother sharing his mother’s milk”. (Book 1. pg. 9). It is this kind of sin that is deep-rooted in mankind’s core and thus the unexplained attraction of man to sin. Augustine believes through the power of God he was able to point out the unique characteristics of sinfulness in mankind and concludes that it is indeed it is without a doubt that traits of temptation to sin is within humans even as early as birth and carries on into infancy, but as we leave infancy we build on the deep-rooted traits to commit more sin. In the Confessions Augustine says, “So ‘I acknowledge you, Lord of heaven and earth’ (Matt.11:25), articulating my praise to you for my beginnings and my infancy which I do not recall. You have also given mankind the capacity to understand oneself by analogy of others, and to believe much about oneself on the authority of weak women. Even at that time I had existence and life, and already at the last stage of my infant speechlessness I was searching out signs by which I made my thoughts known to others. Where can a living being such as an infant come from if not from you, God? Or can anyone become the

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