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Essay / Synchronizing Religion and Philosophy in the Works of St. Augustine
One of the most important Christian writers, St. Augustine acts as a bridge between the classical period and late antiquity. His autobiography of personal struggles, conversion, and contemplation of God sheds light on both how people in late antiquity observed Christian traditions and how Neo-Platonism influenced Christians' relationship with God . Augustine constantly probes the question of evil in his Confessions. To seek an answer to this dilemma, he draws on Christian tradition and Neoplatonic philosophy. Neither one nor the other alone is sufficient to answer the problem of the existence of evil. By combining the two traditions, Augustine is able to achieve spiritual wisdom through Christian initiation, studying biblical texts, and contemplating God inwardly and upwards. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay In the first part of the Confessions, Augustine struggles to abandon the temptations of the material world and become a devout Christian. He relies heavily on Christian traditions to make the decision to convert. Monica, Augustine's mother, influences her son through her demonstration of faith and dedication. His piety and visions inspired Augustine to convert. As a good Christian, she obeys the rules of Bishop Ambrose and concentrates on the personal worship of the saints. Augustine, seeing these actions, naturally feels guilty for not converting. An important vision he receives in the garden of Milan shows an important Christian belief that happiness and comfort are in God. Lady Continence reveals to Augustine that only belief in God can lead to true continence. Furthermore, following the command to “take and read,” Augustine finds the answer in the Bible. Then he is able to let go of his attachment to lust and desires. These events show the impacts of Christian traditions on Augustine's initiation process. Additionally, Augustine believes in salvation through storytelling and the importance of the present as a critical moment for redemption. These beliefs are rooted in the Christian tradition that past sins are forgivable as long as one begins to believe in Jesus and God in the present. In the Gospels, for example, Jesus reaffirms that whoever believes in him will be saved and forgiven. Paul's letter to the Romans shows that Christians are not to be slaves of sin but slaves of God. After Augustine's conversion, he no longer enslaved himself to his flesh and bodily pleasures. Instead, he turns to God for help and guidance. His idea of salvation through storytelling offers Christians a way to redeem themselves from their sinful past. The Gospel teaches that one must submit to God as an innocent child and with a pure spirit. Augustine, on the other hand, believes that children are essentially sinners. Accordingly, he argues that Christians can gain God's favor by reflecting on the past and learning from their past mistakes. Essentially, a person can return to their childhood and repent of crimes committed through retelling and interrogation. Thus, Augustine's conversion and remembrance of the past are influenced by Christian traditions. Augustine's profound analysis of biblical stories and texts draws on and reshapes Christian tradition. Instead of taking the Bible literally, Christians should have a spiritual understanding of the written text. This figurative interpretation of the Bible is not new. The Gospel of John, for example, begins with the Word and the Word made flesh..