Lecture 4: Books V and VI

Dr. Ann T. Orlando

Books V and VI

• Historical context

• Reading the Text

• Influence

Historical Context

• Roman Blood Sports

• Manichean Hierarchy

• Two philosophical schools– The Academics– Epicureans

• Rome and Milan

• Arian Heresy

• St. Ambrose

Manichean Hierarchy

• Mani (15-277 AD), founder, considered himself among other things reincarnation of apostle Paul and/or incarnation of Holy Spirit

• Established a hierarchy of ‘apostles’– Final level of initiation into Man’s secret – Controlled Manichean catechesis – Interpreters of Manichean sacred texts

• Saints– Those willing to live completely according to Manichean beliefs

• Hearers– Catechumens– Served the saints and bishops

Two Philosophical Schools• The Academics

– Later development from Plato’s Academy– Questioning very important– But implicit (sometimes explicit) assumption that Truth cannot be found– Truth always provisional

• Epicureans– Founded by Epicurus 341 – 270 BC– Opposed to Plato on almost every issue– Started with theodicy question; answered that god(s) if they do exist

have nothing to do with human life– No life after death; material world is all we have– Morality based on seeking pleasure and avoiding pain– Justice based on social contracts– Atomic motion accounts for seemingly random occurrences in universe

and human affairs

Rome and Milan

• Rome was the ancient, venerable center of Empire

• But political and military capitals were in– Constantinople in East– Milan in West

• Milan– North of Rome, near frontier with Germanic

tribes– Western Emperor ruled from Milan

Arianism and 4th Century Christological Controversies

• Who was Jesus Christ? What was the relationship between His divinity and humanity?– What happened at the Incarnation?– Recall that earliest heresy denied His humanity (docetism)

• How to describe the relationship of the “persons” in the Trinity?– Three Gods?– One God with three aspects?

• Controversies used technical philosophical language• Controversies hinged on proper interpretation of Scripture:

– Proverbs 8:22 ff– Genesis 1-3– John 1:1-14

Key Figures in Arian Controversy

• Arius, presbyter in Alexandria, 250-336– Studied in Antioch– Jesus as Word, but Word created– “there was when he was not”– Wanted to firmly support monotheism

• Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria, 293-373– Strong opponent of Arius– Wrote On the Incarnation against Arius to support

Jesus as fully divine– Wrote On Life of Anthony

Nicene Creed

• Council of Nicea called by Constantine in 325– to resolve Arian controversy and – bring unity to Church, and – therefore unity to Empire

• Virtually all Eastern bishops and some Western bishops attended

• To be ‘orthodox’ meant that one agreed with Nicea and the Council of Nicea and the Nicene Creed

Imperial Politics and Arianism

• After Constantine’s death his sons divided the Empire– Two were orthodox– One was Arian

• Later emperors in 4th Century were Arian

• Theodosius the Great in 381 made Orthodox Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire.

St. Ambrose (340-397)

• Civil administrator in Northern Italy• When orthodox bishop of Milan died in 373, people

acclaimed Ambrose bishop– Ambrose tried to flee, but was stopped

– Baptized, ordained priest, then bishop within a week

• Friends with Cappadocians St. Basil and St. Gregory Nazianzus– Greatly influenced Ambrose concerning allegorical

interpretation of Scripture

• Wrote a very influential Duties of Clergy• Also wrote many hymns

Confessions Structure

Augustine's Reflection on His PastBook I: From God; birth and relationship of infant with mother

– Book II: Bondage of Flesh• Book III: Slavery of eyes and mind; problem of evil

– Book IV Ambition of World» Book V Encounter with Faustus, Manichaeism, philosophy;

moving from Carthage to Rome– Book VI: Recognition of emptiness of world’s ambition

• Book VII: Freedom of mind; resolution of problem of evil– Book VIII: Liberation from bondage of flesh

Book IX: Relation to Monica, her death, return to God

Augustine’s PresentBook X: MemoryBook XI: TimeBook XII: Interpreting ScriptureBook XIII: Trinity and Church

Outline Book V

• Opening Prayer V.i.1 – V.ii.2

• Doubts about Manicheans V.iii.3 – V.vii.13

• Carthage to Rome V.viii.14 – V.viii.15

• Milan and Ambrose V.xiii.23 – V.xiv.25

Opening Prayer V.i.1 – V.ii.2

• Book V is the deepest ‘descent’ and beginning of return to God

• Note beginning with a prayer about confession

• Augustine describes not only a departure from God, but a departure from self– Genuine personhood is found only in God– Man as imago dei

Doubts About Manicheans V.iii.3 – V.vii.13

• Augustine compares what he hears from the Manicheans with other sources fo knowledge– Philosophers– Astronomers

• Key point: “I was ordered to believe Mani. But he was not in agreement with the rational explanations which I had verified by calculation…”– Lesson for orthodox Christians: see V.v.9

• Augustine has an unsatisfactory encounter with Manichee bishop, Faustus– Faustus pleasant and a good debater– But disconnected form the truth

• Augustine privately abandons the Manichees

Carthage to Rome V.viii.14 – V.viii.15

• Goes to Rome to find better students and to advance his career– Sneaks away from Monica– Notice importance of Monica’s prayers for him in his

sickness of body and soul

• Considers becoming a skeptic, but does not abandon Manichee community because of his friendships there– Also because they helped to advance his career

• Note how discussion of sin and evil leads to discussion of Scripture

Milan and Ambrose V.xiii.23 – V.xiv.25

• Augustine goes to Milan (capital) to advance his career

• Augustine goes to hear Ambrose to advance his career– Ambrose the orator– Did not matter what he was saying

• But the truth of Ambrose’s homilies entered into Augustine– Truth about understanding Scripture

• Augustine leaves the Manichees and becomes a somewhat skeptical Catholic catechumen

Outline Book VI

• Monica joins Augustine in Milan VI.i.1 – VI.ii.2• Ambrose explains Scripture VI.iii.3 – VI.v.8• Augustine and the drunk VI.vi.9 – VI.vi.10• Alypius and Nebridius VI.vii.11 – VI.x.17• Augustine’s soliloquy VI.xi.18 – VI.xii.20• Continence and marriage VI.xii.21 – VI.xv.25• Death and judgment VI.xvi.26

Monica joins Augustine in Milan VI.i.1 – VI.ii.2

Influence

• Ambrose and silent reading

• Augustine, Science and Galileo

Silent Reading

• Almost all works written were expected to be read aloud in antiquity

• ‘Reading’ was a help to memory– Expected that classics like Homer or Scripture would be

memorized – Recited, performed, before a group

• Augustine probably expected that his Confessions would be– Recited aloud– In a group after dinner as each Book was received

• Thus Ambrose’s silent reading seemed very unusual– This comment by Augustine in Book V is often cited today as the

prime example of changes in reading habits

Church and Physics in the Thirteenth through the Seventeenth Century

• Just as scholastic theology relied on Aristotle, so did medieval physics– Earth-centered cosmology– All substances composed of matter and form– No change to celestial spheres beyond the moon

• Solar, lunar, stellar and planetary motion relative to earth computed using epicycles– Ptolemy (2nd C AD), Alexandria– Very, very accurate– Math very complex see

http://astro.unl.edu/naap/ssm/animations/ptolemaic.swf (University of Nebraska)

• NB Everyone in antiquity and the Middle Ages knew the earth was ROUND

Galileo (1564-1642)• Impact of Telescope

– Becomes obvious that entities above the sun do change

– Far more variety in celestial sphere than previously imagined

• Mathematical simplicity of heliocentric system very appealing– Circular orbits

• Note Galileo’s contributions to physics far beyond astronomy– Dynamics (pendula)– Motion (weight not relevant to speed at which

a body falls, Tower of Pisa experiment)– But most of all using mathematics to describe

laws of physics• Galileo part of broad-based reaction against

Aristotelianism

St. Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621)

• Concerned about interpretation of Scripture, especially Joshua 10– Heliocentric system okay to make math

easier, – Draws distinction between easier math and

reality

• But also concerned that circular-orbit heliocentric system not as accurate as epicycles and geocentric system– ….And he was right

Galileo vs Church• Conflict begins during Pope Paul V pontificate

– Background of Reformation and Council of Trent• 1616 “Copernicanism” condemned,

– De Revolutionibus placed on index – Galileo told not to teach it

• 1623 Maffeo Barberini becomes Pope Urban VIII– Admirer of Galileo

• 1632 Galileo publishes Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, Ptolemaic and Copernican– Published with approval of censors in Rome and Florence– Made fun of Pope, who saw himself as Simplicio, defender of Ptolemy

• 1633 Galileo brought before Inquisition– House arrest– Galileo tries to defend himself using….Augustine– Allowed to return to Florence after recanting

Augustine and Science

• See Confessions V.v.9

• On Literal Interpretation of Genesis

• See also Galileo, Letter to Duchess Christina, http://bertie.ccsu.edu/naturesci/Cosmology/GalileoChristina.html

Resolution of the Physics: Elliptical Orbits

• By carefully analyzing data, Kepler concludes that orbits are elliptical– Mathematics of three laws of planetary motion

• Kepler supported by Jesuit astronomers• Description at

http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/history/kepler.html