AUGUSTINE - THE ANSWERS

<BODY> <CENTER><FONT SIZE=5><B><FONT SIZE=6>AUGUSTINE</FONT><BR> THE CONVERTED CONVERTER</B></FONT></CENTER><P> <FONT SIZE=4><B>All is Revealed</B></FONT><P> <FONT SIZE=4><B>MAN OF HIS TIMES</B></FONT><BR> Augustine described himself as a "man who writes as he progresses and progresses as he writes". He addressed the many issues dividing the Church and Empire of his time. Some of his works are aimed specifically at the <A HREF="../t03/g029.html" TARGET="_top">Manicheeism</A> he had for a time followed. At least he knew what he was fighting - in this case, the idea of evil as an equal and opposite force to good. Elsewhere, he attacked the various Christian sects, by promoting the "catholic" or universal church. His magnum opus, "The City of God" was occasioned by the sack of Rome 410 when pagan critics blamed weakness of Empire on Christianity. It is one of most detailed, comprehensive and definitive apologies ever written. It aims to provide a total world view from a Christian perspective. (Epistulae 143)<P> <FONT SIZE=4><B>COSMIC PLAN</B></FONT><BR> <TABLE ALIGN=Left BORDER=0 CELLSPACING=2 CELLPADDING=1> <TR> <TD><IMG ALIGN=Left SRC="0904a.jpg" WIDTH="150" HEIGHT="155" ALT="CIVITAS"></TD> </TR> </TABLE> Augustine tried to outline the position of Christians in the less than holy Roman Empire. He did so by postulating two cities - one earthly, one heavenly. Augustine uses his metaphor of the two cities to reveal God's plan for his creation. For him, history is linear and works toward a predestined end. It has as its beginning, the Creation, as its centre point, the redemptive act in Christ, and continues in the spirit towards the consummation, the judgement and transformation of all into a new heaven and a new earth. The Christian was not just involved in his own personal salvation, but was part of the Creator's master plan. The earthly and heavenly cities have their respective culminations in <A HREF="../t03/g021.html" TARGET="_top">Hell</A> and <A HREF="../t03/g019.html" TARGET="_top">Heaven</A>.<BR clear=left> <BR clear=left><BR> <HR width=100%> <A HREF="http://www.creatorix.com.au"><IMG SRC="../creatorix.gif" WIDTH="85" HEIGHT="40" BORDER="0" ALT="Creatorix" align=right></A> </BODY>