WJEC/Eduqas RS for A2/Yr2: Religion and Ethics (DRAFT)

T4

Determinism and free will

This section covers AO1 content and skills

A: Religious concepts of predestination, with reference to St Augustine and

Specification content St Augustine: Doctrine of Original Sin: role of concupiscence, humanity as ‘a lump of sin’ (massa peccati), an essentially ‘free’ human nature (liberium arbitrium), the loss of human liberty (libertas) to our sinful nature, God’s grace and atonement of the elect/saints.

John Calvin St Augustine

Aurelius Augustinus was born in 354CE and lived most of his life in Roman North Africa. Raised as a Christian by his mother, he rejected Christianity regarding it as a religion unworthy of a philosopher. After being a member of the sect of Manicheans he then converted to Christianity and from 396CE until his death in 430CE was bishop of a busy seaport, Hippo, now named Annaba, in Algeria. Augustine was instrumental in merging the Greek philosophical tradition with the Judeo-Christian religious and scriptural traditions. His writings were numerous and reflect his thinking on various theological controversies of the time. Over the course of his lifetime, Augustine rethought old positions in the light of new situations and demands. It is therefore often quite difficult to package neatly his views. However, what cannot be doubted is the influence he had on later philosophers such as Aquinas, Descartes and Wittgenstein. Probably his most well- known writing is The Confessions (397–401CE) which is a spiritual autobiography containing an account of his conversion. Influences on Augustine To understand Augustine, it is helpful to be aware of the various influences on his thinking. The most important influence was the writings of the Platonists which provided him with intellectual satisfaction when he examined the Church and its scriptural tradition. It was this that persuaded Augustine to turn to Christianity. He saw authority represented by Christ and reason represented by Plato. At first, he saw Platonic morality and metaphysics as being compatible with Christian teachings. Platonic ideas allowed for a spiritual creator who is the cause of all things and he saw true spiritual enlightenment achievable through union with God. As time went by he was confronted to respond to various controversies and there became points of divergence. In particular, the Pelagian controversy reshaped his views on human freedom and predestination. The Pelagian debate engaged him from about 411 until his death in 430. The Pelagian controversy The free will theology of Pelagius (354–420CE) worried Augustine because, to him, it seemed to diminish the power of God and make God something less than an omnipotent being . Pelagius’ theories proposed that a person could decide freely whether to be morally good or sinful. The implication of this was that the person would then have the moral right to claim salvation from God on their own merit. That, argued Augustine, was an intolerable denial of God’s omnipotence and an insult to God’s divine majesty. Therefore, Augustine argued that Pelagius’ free will theology was a heresy .

DRAFT

Key quote For Thyself Thou hast made us, And restless our hearts until in Thee they find their ease. (Augustine, The Confessions )

Key terms Heresy: a belief that is contrary to orthodox Christian theology/dogma and therefore seen as against the will of God Manicheans: a dualistic religious system who had a basic doctrine of a con ict between light and dark, matter being regarded as dark and evil Omnipotent being: a being with unlimited power Pelagian controversy: the debate concerning the means by which people obtain righteousness Platonists: the philosophy of Plato that asserted that the phenomena of the world are an imperfect and transitory re ection of the eternal reality of the ideal forms

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