Explanation and Criticism of Augustine's Viewpoint on Angels

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 PhD Candidate of Philosophy of Religion, Department of Law, Theology and Political Science, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.

2 Full Professor, Department of Islamic Philosophy and Thought, Faculty of Humanitarian Sciences, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.

3 Full Professor, Department of Ethics, Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies, University of Qom, Qom, Iran.

Abstract

The current essay tackles Saint Augustine of Hippo’s conception of the issue of angels; and is based on Augustine’s book: The City of God, one of the most influential works of Augustine that contains a synopsis of the foundations of angelology in the era of Church Fathers. In his book, Augustine discusses such issues as the eternity and emergence of the angels and their spiritual and luminal creation; and claims that angels enjoy free will and therefore are divided into two groups: good angels and bad angels; and he focused his book on the former group (good angels). According to Augustine, angels do not have any role in creation and everything is an immediate creation of God; however, their knowledge based on the model of seminal creation influences the phenomena and the creation of other beings in the world. According to Augustine's belief that has its origin in Christianity, although angels have an influence on the life and orientation of mankind in some ways, they do not have a stature to mediate for the prosperity and happiness of mankind, and it is Jesus the Christ solely who is entitled and competent for such mediation.

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References

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