Augustine of Hippo is the most influential theologian of the Latin West. His works are rich in subtlety and detail, and set the terms for a number of theological discussion down to the present day. Yet his works can be daunting because of their size, depth, or structure.
This course will familiarize you with the big picture of St Augustine’s magna opera The Confessions, De Doctrina Christiana, and The City of God. From The Confessions you'll learn how Augustine frames desire, memory, time, and conversion as pedagogical realities, showing students that learning is a reordering of love as much as an acquisition of information. In De Doctrina Christiana you'll master Augustine’s core distinctions: signs and things, “use” and “enjoyment”, the rule of charity, and the concept of the teacher as the servant of Truth. The City of God equips you to frame history, politics, and culture against Augustine’s notion of the “two cities” and the ordering of loves.
Lessons
Lesson 1: Introduction
Lesson 2: Augustine's Confessions (part 1)
Lesson 3: Augustine's Confessions (part 2)
Lesson 4: Augustine's De Doctrina (part 1)
Lesson 5: Augustine's De Doctrina (part 2)
Lesson 6: Augustine's City of God (part 1)
Lesson 7: Augustine's City of God (part 2)
Note: you will need to sign up for a free ClassicalU account (if you don't already have one) before you can complete your purchase.
$50 for lifetime access
Note: you will need to sign up for a free ClassicalU account (if you don't already have one) before you can complete your purchase.
For more great discussions of classic works, subscribe to The Classical Mind, with hosts Junius Johnson and Wesley Walker!
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Dr. Johnson’s passion for the subject is evident as he walked us through the various nuances of Theology. Junius does a great job of keeping us engaged while shedding light on complex concepts that I honestly didn’t even think twice about growing up. The best thing is that I have grown in my relationship with God on a personal level due to meditating on the truths we’ve discussed in class and it’s challenged me to not take for granted any piece of “truth” that I may have uncovered.
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He guides his students towards the discovery of deep and meaningful truths through engaging discussions and well organized lectures. I learned more in this six-week class than I have in twenty years of reading and listening to sermons.
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Through the context of the historical writings of some key Church Fathers, Dr. Johnson dives deep to help us understand how we settled into our theology of today. His course gave me an even greater appreciation for the amount of Spirit-inspired prayer, thought, and discussion that went into the theological understanding of Christianity based on the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.