The Pillars: Jerusalem, Athens, and the Western Mind The Classical Christian: Augustine's Life and Legacy
May 20, 2025
A lively look at Augustine's life, from his restless childhood to his dramatic conversion. Discussion of how he fused Greco-Roman thought with Christian theology and reshaped ideas about time, creation, and human significance. Exploration of his views on the soul, free will versus divine power, and the redemptive purpose of history.
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Confessions As Prayerful Autobiography
- Augustine frames The Confessions as part prayer, part autobiography, and part philosophy reflecting on life in the Mediterranean basin.
- Rocklin highlights Augustine's intimate tone, addressing God as friend while reconciling God's greatness and closeness.
Augustine Invented The Moral Child
- Augustine pioneers a reflective account of childhood, seeing the child as a restless, self-seeking being needing moral formation.
- Rocklin notes Augustine's concupiscence idea: the child is a malformed adult requiring rectification and salvation.
Protect The Soul To Achieve Immortality
- Augustine develops a body-soul framework where the soul inhabits the body and must be protected and led to rest in God.
- Rocklin explains immortality comes by overcoming earthly nature through Christ as mediator and divine grace.
