St. Augustine Accepts Platonic Concept

St. Augustine was a Christian Platonist. He Christianizes many of Plato’s Greek concepts. In Confessions, St. Augustine used many Neo-plationic terms and ideas but in Book VII is when he finally has a revelation about the similarities of Philosophy and Christianity. In class, we have discussed a number of ways in which St. Augustine accepts the ideas of Plato; one of those being the theory of forms. Plato’s theory of forms describes the divine to be in the invisible, perfect, intangible world. St. Augustine believed that Plato’s theory of the forms was compatible with his Christian beliefs because of a vision he had while trying to picture God.

We are introduced to the Forms in Plato’s dialogue the Phaedo. The Theory of Forms says that there are two distinct levels of existence: the visible world of sights and sounds that we live in and the intelligible world of Forms that stands superior to the visible world and gives it being. For example, Plato says that in as well as being able to identify a beautiful person or a beautiful object, we also have a general conception of what Beauty is itself, and that we are able to know the beauty in a person or an object only because we have this conception of Beauty in the Form. We know that things are beautiful because it participates in the Form of Beauty. In Plato’s words, “if there is anything beautiful besides the Beautiful itself, it is beautiful for no other reason than that it shares in that Beautiful.” This Form of Beauty is invisible, eternal, and unchanging, unlike the things in the visible world that change and lose their beauty. The Theory of Forms envisions a whole world of things such as these, a world that exists outside of time and space. This is where Beauty, Justice, Coura...

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...is “world of being” is perfect. The world of being through Augustine point of view would be where God dwells and where his presence is. St. Augustine might say that in his presence there is no evil. It is intangible, invisible but without a doubt it exists. He also believes as described in book VII, that evil comes from separation from God .He might also disagree that you absolutely cannot enter into the existence until you die, because he’s experienced this when he had his vision. As a Christian he believes in being in the presence of God and this could be a perfect and unchanging presence. Although he might say to stay in the place forever is to be in heaven with God and with Jesus where everything is perfect. Overall, St. Augustine agrees with the platonic concept of there being two existences. He just might describe them differently being that he is a Christian.