Plato And Augustine Of Hippo Philosophy - 1769 Words

Elvis Presley once said, â€Å"Values are like fingerprints, nobody’s are the same, but you leave them over everything you do.† While Elvis Presley was not an ancient historical philosopher, his quote is applicable to the lives of two of the most well-known ancient philosopher: Plato and Augustine of Hippo. Both men dedicated their lives to the work of philosophy and higher thinking and both men developed revolutionary ideas for their time, influencing the world around them in the process. By looking at the lives and beliefs of both Plato and Augustine of Hippo through their written works, their backgrounds, worldviews, views of reality, and values are made apparent and able to be compared. Augustine did not begin his life as a Christian. In†¦show more content†¦God completely broke through Augustine’s wayward heart and when he was done with him Augustine became one of the most prominent Latin Church Fathers. Plato, on the other hand, was from an aristoc ratic and upper-class family in Athens. He was also one of Socrates’s most highly regarded students and ended up opening his own Academy. Plato’s life was heavily influenced by the ideas of Socrates and heavily impacted by â€Å"the deterioration of Athenian politics (Pg. 80).† After the conclusion of the Peloponnesian War, political tensions in Athens began to arise between different groups of people and Plato despised it. More specifically, Plato despised democracy, as he thought it allowed unqualified people within the government to make important decisions. After the execution of his beloved teacher, Plato vowed to make a change. After Augustine’s conversion, he wrote about his worldview, which is laid out in his written work, The City of God. In this work, Augustine’s â€Å"Two Cities† concept is explained. Augustine wrote about two worlds or cities: an earthly and a heavenly world. One world was formed by the love of the individual, wh ile the other was formed by the love of God. One is grounded in the power and abilities of man, while the other is grounded in the power and abilities of God. In short, man is at the center of everything in the earthly world, while God is at the center of everything in the heavenly world. Augustine condemned the earthly world for its corrupt waysShow MoreRelatedSaint Augustine s Influence On The Development Of Western Christianity And Western1220 Words   |  5 Pages Saint Augustine, also known as Augustine of Hippo was an early Christian philosopher and theologian. He was born on November the 13th, 354 CE in Thagaste and died on August the 28th, 430 CE in Hippo Regius. Saint Augustine s writings and works have had a profound influence on the development of Western Christianity and Western philosophy. Augustine was born in the municipium of Thagaste (now Souk Ahras, Algeria) in Roman Africa. His mother was a devout ChristianRead MoreEssay on A Review of Peter Brown’s Augustine of Hippo1539 Words   |  7 PagesA Review of Peter Brown’s Augustine of Hippo   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Peter Brown’s Augustine of Hippo is a dense, scholarly work outlining the entire life of the Catholic bishop.   The University of California Press in Berkeley, California published the work in 1967.   My version was the 1973 second paperback printing, found in the University library.   Its smallish, scholarly, serifed, typewritten font allows for a instant respect for the subject matter:   the words are at first imposing, but then revealing asRead MoreEssay about St. Augustine916 Words   |  4 Pages Saint Augustine of Hippo Theologians, Biblical scholars and Christians all over the world often wrestle with two extremely important questions about their faith. These questions are, quot;What is God like?quot; and quot;How should we live in response to God?quot; Some feel that we need others to direct us, some feel we need them to challenge us, but everyone agrees that we need others. That is exactly how Saint Augustine struggles to find his faith and beliefs. He found it extremely difficultRead MoreSaint Augustine Of Hippo And Saint Thomas Aquinas1590 Words   |  7 Pagestheologians. From Thales to modern day philosophers, ideas surrounding philosophy and religion have transformed, faded, and attempted to bring concrete answers to questions regarding human life. Saint Augustine of Hippo and Saint Thomas Aquinas are considered to be the greatest of their times, and are influential in understanding current Christian Church teachings along with philosophical teachings in general. The keystone work of Saint Augustine must be his very personal Confessions while Saint Thomas Aquinas’sRead MoreThe Existence Of God And The Renaissance Era821 Words   |  4 PagesDuring the medieval period in philosophy, the existence of God was a philosophical topic that was shared by most of the well-known philosophers and theologians of the time. The very name medieval (meaning, the in-between time) philosophy suggests the tendency of modern thinkers to go directly from Aristotle to the Renaissance era. What seems to justify this attitude is the tendency of philosophers during this period to seek truth along with orthodoxy. Most of the medievalRead MoreRelationship between St Augustine and Plato1773 Words   |  8 PagesSt. Augustine and Plato Great philosophers over time have shared ideas about their lifetime. There were no more captivating philosophers than Plato and Augustine who fed off one another. Even though they were born at different times, their ideas impacted the life they lived in and future lives. St. Augustine was a student of the wise Plato, who fed off his ideas and created his own form of philosophy. Plato on the other hand orbited the idea of the theory of forms which, later St. Augustine incorporatedRead MoreAristotle And St. Augustine846 Words   |  4 PagesAristotle and St. Augustine both wrote philosophical works in order to teach us something that they have learned, in hopes that we will apply it to our own lives. However, Augustine uses a type of autobiographical style in addition to treatise in his works, while Aristotle only uses the treatise style in his works.What were they both thinking when they were writing these famous works? Did they use their respective styles to achieve a goal? Both authors used their work to teach lessons in a wayRead More Saint Augustine Essay1445 Words   |  6 PagesMany consider Saint Augustine of Hippo a main figure in the development of orthodox Christian doctrine during the early Christian Church. Augustine was born in Northern Africa in AD 354. His father was a pagan and his mother a Christian. Though his parents were not extremely well to do, they had enough money to allow Augustine to obtain an education in the liberal arts. This education will eventually affect how he sees Christianity, especially concerning the use of neo-Platonic ideas in ChristianRead MoreSt. Augustine: A Man of Great Genius Essay1778 Words   |  8 Pages Throughout the ages, there have been countless influences on not only social and political life, but on religious character and prevalence as well. Aurelius Augustine, who would eventually rise to the position of bishop in the early Catholic Church, was one of the most interesting characters that wo uld surely leave his mark on the Roman Empire, especially in the few decades before the western part of the empire was to be taken over by Germanic tribes from the North. Perhaps, his most influentialRead MoreSocrates And St. Augustines Views On Death1305 Words   |  6 PagesLouis Ferrara Dr. Edwards Philosophy 101-02 October 13, 2017 What is Death? Death is the most inevitable and unknown aspect of life. It is unescapable, and by most of today’s population, it is feared in the utmost regard. Our materialistic views and constant desertion of religious ideals has forced our society to view death as an ultimate end. Socrates and St. Augustine’s views on death differ from many views on the subject in 2017, however, for their time, these men had the power to influence a