Augustine: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions #38), Henry Chadwick

Augustine was arguably the greatest early Christian philosopher. His teachings had a profound effect on Medieval scholarship, Renaissance humanism, and the religious controversies of both the Reformation and the Counter-Reformation. Here, Henry Chadwick places Augustine in his philosophical and religious context and traces the history of his influence on Western thought, both within and beyond the Christian tradition. A handy account to one of the greatest religious thinkers, this Very Short Introduction is both a useful guide for the one who seeks to know Augustine and a fine companion for the one who wishes to know him better.

تاریخ خوانش روز دوم ماه جولای سال 2016 میلادی

آگوستین معروف به «آگوستین قدیس» از تأثیرگذارترین فیلسوفان، و اندیشمندان مسیحیت، در دوران باستان و سده های چهارم و پنجم میلادی به شمار می‌آیند؛ ایشان از شکل دهندگان سنت مسیحی غربی (کاتولیک و پروتستان) هستند. در باب فلسفه ی تاریخ، و سیاست، «آگوستین» به جهان، به شکل ثنوی یا «مانوی» نگاه می‌کنند. فلسفه ی تاریخ ایشان در کتاب «در باب شهر خدا» یافت می‌شود. آگوستین ملت‌ها را در طول تاریخ، به دو قطب شهر خدا، و شهر دنیا، تقسیم‌ بندی می‌کنند؛ مردم شهر خدا کسانی هستند که مرکزیت آن‌ها همان «اورشلیم»، یعنی زادگاه «عیسی مسیح» است. اینان مردمی خدایی هستند که به توحید باور دارند، و به خداوند عشق می‌ورزند. نقطه ی مقابل این شهر، شهر دنیا قرار دارد، که مرکزیت آن‌ها شهر «بابل» است، و این امر به خاطر فساد، و فحشایی که در «بابل» آن روزگار رایج بوده‌، می‌باشد. مردم شهر دنیا، انسان‌های مغرور و متکبری هستند، و دین آنان ادیان چند خدایی، یعنی مشرک هستند. نکته جالب توجه در نظریات آگوستین در این باره این امر است که ایشان باور داشتند که افرادی هستند که به ظاهر در شهر دنیا هستند، ولی در واقع در شهر خدا زندگی میکنند و همچنین عکس آن یعنی مردمی هستند که به ظاهر در شهر خدا هستند ولی در باطن در شهر دنیا می‌باشند. این امر دیدگاه شمول گرایانه آگوستین به مسیحیت را نشان می‌دهد، که از پایه‌ های شکل‌گیری نظریه پلورالیسم دینی «جان هیک» در دوران کنونی است. در واقع در اینجا «آگوستین» صرف انجام اعمال ظاهری را، مبتنی بر پذیرش مسیحیت نمی‌دانند، بلکه آنچه اهمیت دارد باطن، و نیت اعمال است، که برای عشق به خداوند صورت گیرد. همچنین این افراد شهر دنیا و شهر خدا، در روز قیامت از یکدیگر جدا می‌گردند، و در قیامت است که مشخص می‌شود که کدام یک اهل شهر دنیا و کدام اهل شهر خدا هستند. این نظریات از این حیث در مقوله فلسفه تاریخ می‌گنجد، که در واقع «آگوستین» اقوام کل تاریخ را به دو قسمت تقسیم‌ بندی می‌کنند، یعنی به اقوام عالم از دیدی تاریخی می‌نگرند، و همچنین به خاطر اینکه مسیحیت حاضر نتیجه گناه تاریخی است که از آدم تا حالا به افراد رسیده‌ است. در مقوله ی فلسفه سیاست قرار می‌گیرد، به این خاطر که اقوام و ملت‌های جهان را، با ذکر نام شهر به عنوان مرکزیت این اقوام، در دو قسمت شهر دنیا و شهر خدا تقسیم‌ بندی می‌کنند. ا. شربیانی

I knew almost nothing of Augustine other than the Confessions before this read. I now have a firm grasp of the basics of his theology as well as the importance of his influence during his life and in Christina history thereafter. Chadwick spends scant time on the biographical details of Augustine's life since much of that is covered in the Confessions. Instead he introduces us to the philosophy of the age and how those philosophies shaped and challenged Augustine. Probably the most striking thing for me was the depth and richness of the intellectual life in the 3rd and 4th C. I truly am guilty of "anachronistic snobbery" in thinking that people of this time were polytheistic dullards. Nothing could be further from the truth and Augustine's rich development of theology as well as the intricacy of the Neo-Platonists prove. I also learned that nothing really changes. The spiritual struggles of the church seem to be the same as today: clergy scandals, sinful parishioners, theological issues causing divides (the Donatists). The attacks against Christians also seem to be the same: the virgin birth is a myth, only stupid people believe, there is no one way to faith, etc. Augustine's contribution to this period though is incalculable.

As for the book itself it tends to get a bit wordy. As a "short introduction" it also tends to be a bit terse at times, ending suddenly and moving on to another topic well before you think expect it to. But still a good read and worth your time.

Standard VSI. Good well rounded introduction to Augustine's thought. Not massively invigorating but if you are looking for an informative starting point it is excellent.

Despite the title 'short', it is a dense introduction to a complex and proliferate writer, philosopher and theologian.

Agreeing with him or not. It is impossible not to admire his effort and reasoning 1.600 years ago.

For my purpose, it was wonderful.

هو بيتكلم عن حياة أوغسطينوس أكتر من أعماله .. كتاب مفيد وبسيط وعرفني على أعمال مكنتش اعرف عنها حاجة

This was informative but was not "very short" except on the amount of pages. I was hoping for a quick intro overview but got a deep philosophical book that is written for a PhD audience. Unfortunately I didn't finish the whole thing because it was above my head.

Augustine: A Very Short Introduction (Paperback)
by Henry Chadwick

Very readable. It covers a broad array of complex ideas and makes them accessible.

Very good, rather heady. Curious readers just wanting information on Augustine's thoughts on issues of current evangelical interest (Calvinism, creation, etc.) might find themselves thrown too much into the deep end of the pool. Chadwick expertly places Augustine in his own context rather than in ours. Very interesting discussion of the Donatists.

I found the style of Chadwick’s writing in this introduction to the philosophy of Saint Augustine easy to understand. (Readability is incredibly important to me, especially when reading an aide to a text that’s innately hard to understand.) His structure never became fully clear to me, but the chapters nevertheless avoided rambling. In tracing the classical and non-Christian influences of Augustine, Chadwick details the tenets of the movements (namely Manichaeism and Neo-Platonism, among others) and their short-term and long-term effects on Augustine. He also studies with clarity how he came to internalize and reconcile them in one succinct system of faith. Chadwick does not over-glorify Augustine; even toward the end of the book when relating Augustine’s responses to various controversies, Chadwick doesn’t emphasize that those very works of Augustine’s later years become THE principal writings that shape the formal Christian religion of medieval times. Chadwick balances detailed theology and dense philosophy with more tangible historical events; thus, the reader learns how Augustine developed his thoughts and why he wrote them with such passion.

Good overview of the influences on Augustine's thinking.

Short Review - Augustine: A Very Short Introduction by Henry Chadwick - worth reading, but bogs down in Neo-Platonism discussion. I have really liked some of the Very Short Introduction series and really not liked others. This is in the middle. Chadwick tried to be chronological as he discussed Augustine's views and I think he probably needed to because Augustine changed his mind about many things (or at least moderated his position). But that made it hard to feel like I was getting an overview.

I have a discussion of what I actually learned on my blog at http://bookwi.se/augustine/