Augustine's Confessions Books 3-9

Manichees

3rd century AD

<p>The Manichees believed in a dualistic cosmology, where the universe is composed of two fundamental principles: light and darkness. Light represents the good, pure, and spiritual, while darkness represents evil, matter, and corruption. These two forces are perpetually locked in a cosmic struggle.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The Manicheans believed that evil originated from the God of Darkness and was inherent within the material world. They saw evil as something fundamentally real that was separate from, and opposed to, good, rather than simply an absence of good.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The Manichees viewed the body as a prison for the light god. They saw sexuality as a product of the darkness, associating it with the material world. Reproduction, according to them, was a means of further trapping the light god. They therefore generally opposed procreation, believing it to be an act of evil.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Augustine, later in life, rejected his earlier Manichean beliefs, embracing the traditional Christian view of a benevolent, omnipotent God. Augustine came to see evil as the absence of good, rather than a fundamental force. Likewise, his views on the body and sexuality shifted, recognizing their role within God's plan.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Augustine argues that a human being, apart from God, is a &quot;great enigma,&quot; a perplexing and contradictory being.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>He has been struggling with the difficult task of reconciling his Manichean beliefs with his growing desire for truth.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>He felt a profound loss of a vital connection, creating a sense of loneliness, emptiness, and despair.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>As a Manichee, Augustine viewed God and the human soul as separate entities. He believed that God was primarily associated with the light principle, distinct from the physical world that was composed of darkness and matter.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Augustine argued that true happiness could only be achieved by knowing God, while Socrates believed a good life was based on self-sufficiency and knowledge.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>No, because true happiness comes from a personal relationship with God, independent of worldly knowledge.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Augustine found Faustus' refusal to answer intellectually stimulating, because it challenged his prior assumptions and forced him to re-evaluate his own opinions. It was a moment of intellectual awakening for him.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>According to Augustine, the sole cause of his error was the Manichean belief that evil originates from the God of Darkness.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Augustine is approaching a pivotal moment in his spiritual journey, where he is open to the possibility of Catholic Christianity.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Augustine found Manicheeism attractive because it offered a plausible solution to the problem of evil, provided a framework for understanding the world, appealed to his intellect, and embraced a dualistic perspective that seemed to align with his personal experience.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Ambrose</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Ambrose taught Augustine about the essential goodness of God and the potential for human redemption through Christ’s sacrifice.</p> Signup and view all the answers