Image, Identity, and the Forming of the Augustinian Soul (AAR Academy Series)

In our current pluralist context, there is no clearly designated means of valuing or defining the human person. Matthew Drever shows that in the writings of St. Augustine we find a concept of the human person that is fluid, tenuous, prone to great good and great vice, and influenced deeply by the wider spiritual and material environment. Through an examination of his account of the human relation to God, Drever demonstrates how Augustine can offer a crucial resource for a religious reorientation and revaluation of the human person.Drever focuses particularly on the concepts of the __imago dei__ and __creatio ex nihilo__, significant for their influence on Augustine's understanding of the human person and for their potential to bridge his and our own world. Though rooted in Augustine's early work, these concepts are developed fully in his later writings: his Genesis commentaries and __On the Trinity__ in particular. Drever examines how in these later writings the origin (__creatio ex nihilo__) and identity (__imago dei__) of the human person intersect with Augustine's understanding of creation, Christ, and the Trinity.__Image, Identity, and the Forming of the Augustinian Soul__ constructs an interpretation of Augustine's view of the person that acknowledges its classical context while also addressing contemporary theological and philosophical appropriations of Augustine and the issues that animate them. In our current pluralist context, there is no clearly designated means of valuing or defining the human person. Matthew Drever shows that in the writings of St. Augustine we find a concept of the human person that is fluid, tenuous, prone to great good and great vice, and influenced deeply by the wider spiritual and material environment. Through an examination of his account of the human relation to God, Drever demonstrates how Augustine can offer a crucial resource for a religious reorientation and revaluation of the human person. Drever focuses particularly on the concepts of the imago dei and creatio ex nihilo , significant for their influence on Augustine's understanding of the human person and for their potential to bridge his and our own world. Though rooted in Augustine's early work, these concepts are developed fully in his later writings: his Genesis commentaries and On the Trinity in particular. Drever examines how in these later writings the origin ( creatio ex nihilo ) and identity ( imago dei ) of the human person intersect with Augustine's understanding of creation, Christ, and the Trinity. Image, Identity, and the Forming of the Augustinian Soul constructs an interpretation of Augustine's view of the person that acknowledges its classical context while also addressing contemporary theological and philosophical appropriations of Augustine and the issues that animate them. "In our current pluralist and often secular context, there is no clearly designated means of valuing or defining the human person. Matthew Drever shows that in the writings of St. Augustine we find a concept of the human person as fluid, tenuous, prone to great good and great vice, and influenced deeply by language, history, and society. Through examination of his account of the human relation to God, Drever demonstrates how Augustine may be regarded as a crucial resource for a religious reorientation and revaluation of the person. Drever focuses particularly on the concepts of the imago dei and creatio ex nihilo, significant for their influence on Augustine's understanding of the human person and for their potential to bridge his and our own world. Though rooted in Augustine's early work, these concepts are developed fully in his later writings: his Genesis commentaries and On the Trinity in particular. Drever examines how in these later writings the origin (creatio ex nihilo) and identity (imago dei) of the human person intersect with Augustine's understanding of creation, Christ, and the Trinity. This book constructs an interpretation of Augustine's view of the person that acknowledges its classical context while also addressing contemporary theological and philosophical appropriations of Augustine and the issues that animate them"-- Provided by publisher This study of Augustine takes its orientation from the set of contemporary theological and philosophical problems associated with post-Enlightenment conceptions of the human being and critiques of religion. Augustine is an intriguing case study because while he has convictions at odds with our post-Enlightenment context, his anthropology also has a surprising resonance today. In Augustine we find a conception of the human person that is fluid, tenuous, prone to great good and great vice, and influenced deeply by language, history, and society. In a post-Enlightenment context where there is no clear center of value through which the human self is defined, Augustine’s anthropology has the potential to offer crucial resources for a religious reorientation and revaluation of the self. These anthropological resources find their voice in the context of Augustine’s account of the human relation to God. In particular, the concepts of the imago dei and creatio ex nihilo are significant both for their influence on Augustine’s understanding of the human person and for their potential to bridge his and our own world. Working with a cross section of sources, this study offers a constructive interpretation of Augustine’s anthropology that acknowledges its classical context while also addressing recent theological and philosophical appropriations of Augustine [Flaptekst] In our current pluralist context, there is no clearly designated means of valuing or defining the human person. Matthew Drever shows that in the writings of St. Augustine we find a concept of the human person that is fluid, tenuous, prone to great good and great vice, and influenced deeply by the wider spiritual and material environment. Through an examination of his account of the human relation to God, Drever demonstrates how Augustine can offer a crucial resource for a religious reorientation and revaluation of the human person. Drever focuses particularly on the concepts of the imago dei and creatio ex nihilo, significant for their influence on Augustine's understanding of the human person and for their potential to bridge his and our own world. Though rooted in Augustine's early work, these concepts are developed fully in his later writings: his Genesis commentaries and On the Trinity in particular. Drever examines how in these later writings the origin (creatio ex nihilo) and identity (imago dei) of the human person intersect with Augustine's understanding of creation, Christ, and the Trinity. Drever constructs an interpretation of Augustine's view of the person that acknowledges its classical context while also addressing contemporary theological and philosophical appropriations of Augustine and the issues that animate them korica 1 1 Introduction - Oxford Scholarship 2 2 Sounding the Silence of the Deep - Oxford Scholarship 15 3 Have We Nothing to Say_ - Oxford Scholarship 39 4 Sightings - Oxford Scholarship 67 5 Know Thyself! - Oxford Scholarship 86 6 In the Presence of God’s Own and the Absence of One’s Own - Oxford Scholarship 109 Contents FRONT MATTER 1 Introduction 2 Sounding the Silence of the Deep 3 Have We Nothing to Say? 4 Sightings 5 Know Thyself! 6 In the Presence of God’s Own and the Absence of One’s Own END MATTER