Analysis of Augustine's Political and Social Opinions

Agustin's political and social opinions flow directly from his theology. The historical context is essential to understand its objectives. Augustine, more than any other figure of Late Antiquity, is at the intellectual intersection of Christianity, philosophy and politics. As a Christian priest, he proposes the task of defending his flock against the incessant assault of heresies engendered at a time not illuminated by the immediate divine revelations that characterized the apostolic age. As a philosopher, he places his arguments in the context of Greek philosophy in the Platonic tradition. As a prominent Roman citizen, he understands that the Roman Empire is the divinely ordained medium through which the truths of Christianity should be extended and safeguarded.Augustine died reciting the penitential psalms while the Vandals besieged the city of Hippo on the coast of North Africa (today the city of Annaba, Algeria). This happened two decades after Alaric sacked Rome. Agustin's willingness to address important political and social issues does not mean that the presentation of his ideas is pre-packaged as a simple system, or even as a system.

On the contrary, his political arguments are scattered throughout his voluminous writings, which include autobiography, sermons, expositions, commentaries, letters and Christian apologies. In addition, the contexts in which political and social problems are addressed are also varied. However, it would be a mistake to suggest that their arguments are not informed by a convincing theory. Taken together, their political and social dreams constitute a remarkable tapestry. In fact, the obvious coherence in the expression of his varied but related ideas leads both equally and directly to the assumption that Augustine's political-philosophical statements derive from a coherent set of premises that guide him in his conclusions. ; in other words, they reveal the presence of an underlying theory, if it is not stated. Because Augustine considers that the Christian Scriptures are the touchstone against which philosophy must be analyzed, including political philosophy, his worldview necessarily includes the Christian principles of creation, the fall of man and the redemption. In contrast to the pagan philosophers who preceded him - who considered the development of history as a cyclical phenomenon - Augustine conceives history in strictly linear terms, with a beginning and an end.

According to Augustine, the earth was created ex nihilo by a perfectly good and just God, who created man. The earth is not eternal; Earth, as well as time, have a beginning and an end. Man, on the other hand, was created to last forever. The condemnation is the just desert of all men due to the fall of Adam, who, having been created with free will, chose to disturb the perfect order established by God. As a result of the fall of Adam, all human beings are heirs of the effects of Adam's original sin, and all are vessels of pride, greed, greed and self-interest. For reasons known only to God, He predestinated several men for salvation (as a demonstration of His unmerited mercy - a purely gratuitous act without even considering God's prior knowledge of the good works these men could do on earth. ), while He predestined the majority for condemnation as a just consequence of the fall. The march forward of human history constitutes, therefore, the unfolding of the divine plan that will lead to one or another result for each member of the human family.

Within this framework of political and legal systems, the state is a divinely ordained punishment for fallen man, with his armies, his power to command, coerce, punish and even kill, as well as his institutions such as slavery. and private property. God molds the ultimate ends of man's existence through him. The state simultaneously serves the divine purposes of punishing the wicked and refining the righteous. At the same time, the State is a kind of remedy for the effects of the Fall, since it serves to maintain a minimum of peace and order, since it is possible for fallen man to enjoy the present world.