12/6/21

The most important voice in political thought throughout the Middle Ages, influencing even St. Aquinas, was that of St. Augustine. Through excerpts of sermons, letters, and selections from City of God, the 4th-century theologians’ view of the world of man is shown both in its maturity and development.

Covering almost 360 pages, the vast majority of it being the words of St. Augustine, this book’s quality comes down to the introduction by Henry Paolucci and the appendix containing a lecture by Dino Bigongiari. Instead of helping set the stage for understanding the works the reader was about to encounter Paolucci’s introduction really didn’t do anything to give context just information about the man and his works overall. However the lecture of Bigongiari opens the reader’s eyes to understanding what they had just read, but that’s only if they made it to the very end of the book after potentially giving up trying to figure out why some of these selections were included. In fact the reader learns more in the last 15 pages of the book about St. Augustine’s political thoughts than the previous 340+ by the theologians own hand. It would have been better to have Bigongiari’s lecture as the introduction so as it give the reader insights about how to understand the author’s thinking.

The Political Writings of St. Augustine is a nice selection of the theologian’s writings about political subjects, however because of the way the book is structured the reader will not understand the man until the very end if they even get that far. I can only recommend the lecture by Dino Bigongiari presented at the end of the book, the rest is unfortunately worthless. ( )

I appreciate Augustine for the power and articulation of his ideas, while also finding in them the roots of much about what I find disagreeable in current political philosophy. I most appreciated his ideas about natural law and civil rights, based on Christ's teachings, including "due unto others." Unfortunately, these concepts seem to be a small part of Augustine's writings

Some of his ideas, while obvious, are often overlooked still today. For example, he recounts an anecdote in which a pirate boldly addressed Alexander the Great: "What thou meanest by seizing the whole earth; but because I do it with a petty ship, I am called a robber, whilst thou dost it with a great fleet art styled emperor." (p. 30, citing City of God, II). He also observes that a great historical reputation can come both from great deeds and from having great writers.

A recurring theme through this collection of Augustine's writings is that the "good man, although a slave, is free; but the bad man, even if he reigns, is a slave." (p. 13) It's introduced initially as such: But the dominion of bad men harms themselves far more than their subjects, for they destroy their own souls in their greater license to exercise their lusts; while those who are put under them in service are not hurt except by their own iniquities." (p. 13). He strengthens this concept with the underlying belief that God gives power to rulers, even the evil ones ("the true God, who gives happiness in the kingdom of heaven to the pious alone, but gives kingly power on earth both to the pious and the impious, as it may please Him." In the subsequent passage, he cites numerous examples ranging from the Assyrians to Caesar. In short, he advocates that even the evil empires are established by God and all that good men can due is serve well within them. Peace is a lack of discord, which sometimes requires taking cruel actions out of obedience.

Under Augustine's philosophy, war is just when the monarch ordains it. Civil wars are wrong, because they are against God's appointed authority. There is evil in war, but only when the participants begin love the violence more than their duty. "When war is undertaken in obedience to God... it must be allowed to be a righteous war." (p. 165). He continues to cite the military service of David as an example of how military service is pleasing to God. In other letters, Augustine also supports coercing acceptance of the church, since it ultimately leads to voluntary acceptance.

Augustine held deep beliefs about right and wrong as clear absolutes. These extended beyond politics and behavior, even into posture: "Suppose a man hangs with his head downwards, this is certainly a perverted attitude of body and arrangement of its members; for that which nature requires to be above is beneath, and vice versa." (p. 142, citing City of God, XIX).

When you consider all of Augustine's political writings together in a collection such as this, you can see elements of his thinking in the later stages of Rome, the history of the Catholic church, the concept of the Great Chain of Being, and in our own contemporary opinions about war and civil rights. ( )

The political writing of Augustine of Hippo, which flows from his theology.