Friday, May 23
Re:Book 2 Questions
When Augustine says it should have been incumbent on those gods to publish laws for a good life, I think he is appealing to the fact that these gods should set forth a standard of goodness/virtue. It would be incumbent upon them insofar as it was in their nature to do so and not otherwise. I think Augustine would apply this to God, who, being by nature perfect, good, etc., would never act in a way that was not in accordance with His nature. I don't know about this language of "incubent" and perhaps I'm just twisting the meaning that seems appropriate to me out of this quote, but, I think the point is that Augustine also wants to show that there does exist a sense of moralilty and shame at licentiousness- recall the women who going to the rites of a certain virgin goddess would out of prudence turn their eyes away from watching the rites... why? Because such women have a conscience, that tells them such behaviors are not in accordance with purity. So then I think Augustine- by highlighting the absurd nature of the Romans' beliefs and the demonic/evil nature of their so-called "gods"- is showing that the gods should be responsible for upholding purity, but instead it becomes just a fluke of some mere humans who feel called to a goodness and purity apart from these gods... and that is absurd. Humans should not be the standards of goodness. The gods, if that is what they are, should not encourage the people to sink to depths of impurity when in their consciences they know otherwise- that it is purity they should uphold instead.
Re: Dwight's Thoughts
Augustine says in 22, "But in all this the demons only looked after their own interest, and cared not at all how their worshippers lived, or rather were at pains to induce them to lead an abandoned life, so long as they paid these tributes to their honour, and regarded them with fear."
My guess is that we often underestimate the role these gods played in the lives of the Romans (and Greeks for that matter- sidenote: when i was in Greece, Sir Robert noted that people were extremely generous and hospitable, and he attributed this to their culture in which at one point in time, the Greeks would extend hospitality to strangers incase it was Zeus or another god in disguise. It seemed this might have been ingrained in them over time. Interesting.). Augustine says that the demons simply wanted man to regard them with fear... I wonder if this is related at all to our fear of God, but I sense it was more of a terror than an awe. They feared the calamities of these gods. Which is also interesting taking into account another quote by Augustine- that these gods "neither hurt those whom they hate nor profit whom they love" (23). It seems man would be always walking on eggshells, afriad to make a god mad, but it would always be in question whether they would anger a god from purity or impurity, following and fearing or ignoring... hmm. Yet in that same quote in 24, Augustine questions "why are they worshipped, why are they invoked with such eager homage?" Clearly the gods did play a large role in the lives of the Romans. Even when so much seems to us now absurd.
I have to go, so I will try to expand on this point later. I want to say a few things in response to MJ as well...
Neat.
"Let them read our commandments in the Prophets, Gospels, Acts of the Apostles, or Epistles;... which strike the ear, not with the uncertain sound of a philosophical discussion, but with the thunder of God's own oracle pealing from the clouds." (2.19)
YES!
also: I will be happy to supply an opening question Monday. have fun at oneday dwight!
i do not want emails of the posts. thanks for the offer though.
