2. Augustine of Hippo
b. c. 354 in Thagaste,
Numidia (in modern-day
Souk Ahras, Algeria)
An unjust law is no law at all.
On Free Choice of the Will, 387-9
CE
d. 430 in Hippo Regius,
Numidia (in modern-day
Annaba,
Algeria)
.
3. Augustine of Hippo
Saint
Augustine of Hippo, also known as Saint Augustine or
Saint Austin, was an early Christian theologian whose
writings were very influential in the development of
Western Christianity and Western philosophy.
Born: November 13, 354 AD, Tagaste
Died: August 28, 430 AD, Hippo Regius, Algeria
Full name: Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis
Nationality: Algerian
Parents: Saint Monica, Patricius Aurelius
4. He converted to Christianity at the age of 31 and
spent his career developing the theology of his faith.
With the theology, it provided a means to conduct
one’s life. His biggest works were the
autobiographical Confessions (c. 400) and City of
God (c. 420), which attempted to place Christianity
standing in history.
5. His philosophy was a component of his faith with
expositions on free will and ethics. While he felt a
universal good exists, free will could create evil. He
emphasized the fall of man and the curse of original
sin, lifting only through God’s grace. Calvinists used
the idea of the elect recipients of grace as part of
their belief in predestination. Ludwig Wittgenstein
spoke of his admiration of Augustine. He died as the
Vandals were at the gates of Hippo
6.
7.
8.
9. Peter Abelard
b. c. 1079 near Nantes, France
d. 1142 near Chalon-sur-Saône, France
Constant and frequent
questioning is the first key
to wisdom….For through
doubting we are led to
inquire, and by inquiry we
perceive the truth.
10. He lived as a monk in various monasteries in France
and his work, always controversial, was condemned
in 1121. Bernard of Clairvaux called him heretic for
Abelard’s attempt to define Plato as a Christian.
Abelard’s belief that logic and faith were not
mutually exclusive was a direct attack on the
mysticism of St. Bernard. He held that sin was not
so much an act but a mindset towards contempt of
God. He condemned the notions of universals and
also pointed out some of the discrepancies between
scripture and early Christian writings.
11. He also provided a means of correcting such
quagmires with a logical, scholastic approach. He
most influential work is Sic et non, consisting of his
revelation and correction of those quagmires. Some
of his students included John of Salisbury and
Arnold of Brescia. After his condemnation, he
retired to the protection of another former pupil,
Peter the Venerable, the abbot of Cluny.
15. Maimonides
b. c. 1135 in Códoba, Almoravid Empire (in modern-day
Spain)
d. 1204 in Fostat or Cairo, Egypt
Accept the truth from whatever
source it comes.
Shemonah Peraqim, 1158
16. He is considered the greatest Jewish philosopher of
the medieval world. The majority of his writing
focused on Jewish law but his biggest philosophical
contribution was the Guide for the Perplexed,
influenced by the teachings of Aristotle. He made
distinction between existence and essence and went
so far as to say that a positive essence is not the
result of God’s work.
17. Furthermore, he established the notion of God’s
existence, as well as his nature. His mixture of the
realist and the spiritual was part of his attempt to
bring more rationalism to Judaism. This component
of his work influenced Christian philosophers. His
death sent the Jewish community in Egypt in
collective mourning and he was later taken to Galilee
to be buried.