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Throughout history, influential leaders like Saint Augustine and Plato have shaped the development of our world. Their works, such as Plato’s Allegory of the Cave and Augustine’s The City of God, offer different perspectives on ancient beliefs. While both aim to guide human life and beliefs, they present contrasting views. Plato's Allegory emphasizes the search for truth outside a dark cave, while Augustine's work envisions a world where heaven and earth exist together. Despite some similarities in dualistic concepts, these philosophers held unique principles and beliefs.
During the fourth century, Augustine lived in Tagaste, a Roman province in northern Africa, while the Roman Empire was going through a period of decline that ultimately led to its collapse.
Brian Levack explains that the empire's downfall was caused by factors like invasions from various sides, poor decision-making, weak leadership, and military failures (Levack 190). Constantine (AD 272-337) tried to Christianize the Roman Empire during this time, which resulted in Christianity spreading throughout the empire.
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However, disagreements over Christian beliefs caused divisions among Christians and contributed to the fragmentation of the Roman Empire.
Monasticism and Donatism were popular during the fourth century, alongside Greek and Roman philosophical ideas. These philosophies had their origins in ancient Greece, influenced by philosophers like Plato (ca.429-327 B.C.E) who shaped their beliefs based on earlier scientific thinkers such as Socrates. Plato's teachings also greatly impacted Aristotle.
In his Allegory of the Cave, Plato uses a dialogue between Socrates and Glaucon to convey his philosophical ideas.
The allegory illustrates individuals in a cave, chained and only able to see shadows of passing objects cast on the wall from a fire above them. If one prisoner were freed and exposed to the light outside, they would initially struggle before adjusting. Despite being told that the shadows are illusions, this newly liberated prisoner may choose to return to the darkness they know, believing it is reality.
However, if he is forced to stay in the world above, he will see the reality, the objects themselves: “And first he will see the shadows best, next the reflections of men and other objects in the water, and then the objects themselves.” After gaining a thorough understanding of the reality in the world above, if he returns to the cave, his vision will be filled with darkness and will require time to adjust. His ideas and beliefs will not be accepted among the other prisoners. The works and contributions of these philosophical thoughts and ideologies have shaped influential people in Christianity, including Augustine. In his early days, his parents sent him to Carthage for rhetorical education. During his stay, he was struck by a search for truth that led him to explore the widely spread Manichaeism ideology.
However, after discovering that the ideology could not bring the solutions he was longing for, Augustine became interested in Neo-Platonic ideas while he was in Milan. This interest compelled him to become a Neo-Platonist (Gonzalez 210). During Augustine's time, Christianity was spreading throughout the Roman Empire before its downfall. Divisions in the Empire occurred after the death of Constantine, who attempted to unify the churches in the Empire. Levack notes that the Huns, Alaric, and Vandals played significant roles in contributing to the collapse of the once great empire in A.D. 410 (191). Many sources cite various reasons for the Empire's downfall, but most point to the conversion of the Empire to Christianity. Historians indicate that polytheists claimed Christians were more interested in serving God than the Empire and showed forgiveness towards enemies. Both polytheists and pagans asserted that the Christian God failed to protect the Empire.
Augustine wrote The City of God to demonstrate that Christianity was not a threat and to dispel the misconception that the Church hastened the collapse of Rome. The book explores the contrast between the Earthly city, inhabited by pagans and polytheists, and the Heavenly city, which resides on earth but is dependent on God. Augustine highlights the difference in their foundations: the Earthly city is driven by self-love, while the Heavenly city is fueled by love for God. He criticizes the pride and idolatry of those in the Earthly city, particularly the neo-Platonists.
Augustine delineates the contrasting aspects present in the city: peace and Conflict. He describes the earthly city as filled with disputes, wars, and conflicts, where victories are temporary and destructive. In contrast, the heavenly city embodies eternal triumph and uninterrupted peace. Augustine emphasizes the importance of faith to avoid being misled by worldly distractions. He advocates for the practice of monasticism and pilgrimage, popular concepts in his time, as a means for families to obtain heavenly blessings and ease earthly burdens. Although both cities share the common goal of seeking peace and fulfillment, their paths diverge as the earthly city follows the whims of men.
Augustine believed that the earthly city, influenced by philosophers like polytheists, was misguided in their wisdom and understanding of truth. He cautioned that those who deceived themselves would also deceive others in the earthly city, as some philosophers promoted beliefs condemned by divine teaching, advocating for the worship of multiple gods. Augustine proposed that true peace could only be achieved through unity in worshiping one God, emphasizing a discord between the earthly city and the heavenly city. His work, City of God, had a lasting impact on future generations, shaping medieval culture with a blend of Scripture and neo-Platonism. This demonstrates Augustine's deep immersion in the philosophical ideas of Greek and Roman culture during his time (Goheen and Bartholomew 77).
Furthermore, Goheen and Bartholomew argue that Augustine's deep engagement with neo-platonic ideas had a negative impact on the development of western culture (77). This influence is evident in many of his works that carried a neo-Platonic influence (Gonzalez 212). Without Augustine's contributions, Christianity as we know it today would likely be different. By becoming a significant theologian, he laid the foundation for both medieval and modern Christianity: Walsh and Middleton dub him as "the father of the Middle Ages" (111). Despite criticism of his immersion in neo-platonic philosophy, Gonzalez notes that he was the most quoted theologian in the Middle Ages and ultimately became a prominent figure in the Roman Catholic Church (216). While his biblical worldview shows traces of platonic philosophical ideas, some of these concepts align with biblical teachings.
Plato's belief in a supernatural power, the "One," as the origin of all existence and the existence of a higher world, known as the "above world," is similar to the concept of the Heavens in the Bible. Augustine's ideas, influenced by Greek and Roman philosophies, have made him a significant figure in Christianity. As a Christian, I am amazed by the continued impact of these works in today's world, which can help Christians better understand the history and doctrine of Christianity. These historical texts also offer insights into theological and philosophical perspectives, expanding one's understanding.
Works Cited
Augustine. "The City of God-excerpts on the Two Cities", Medieval Sourcebook, July 1998. Stephen, Cooper. Augustine for Armchair Theologians, 2002. Print. Plato. “The Allegory of the cave”, The History Guide, May 2004. Goheen, Michael W., and Craig G. Bartholomew. Living at the Crossroads. Grand Rapids: Baker Publishing Group, 2008. Print. Gonalez, Justo L. The Story of Christianity. Peabody: Prince Press, 2007. Print. Levack, Brian, Edward Muir, Meredith Veldman, and Michael Mass. The West. N.p.: Pearson Education, 2007. Print. Walsh, Brian J., and Richard Middleton. The Transforming Vision. Downers Grove: Inter Varsity Press, 1984. Print.
Influential Philosophers: Plato and Augustine's Views. (2016, Apr 01). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/plato-vs-st-augustine-of-hippo-essay
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