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Augustine’sArgumentationagainstReligiousFreedom
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togainpowerandcommitatrocities,buttheRomanrulerasaguard-
ianofrights,andlawenforcementareperceivedbyAugustineasgood.
DespiteallhiscriticismofthesinsofRome,AugustineisaRomanwho
appreciateseverythingthatcontributedtothepowerofRome,thatis,
itslegalstructureandthusthestructureofauthorityenforcingthelaw.
Thereisnoexplicitmentionofit,butthisistheareawhichAugustine
perceivesasoneofthepathsofGod’sgraceratherthantheworksofphi-
losophers.
Asweknow,Augustineisconvincedthatamanafterhisdeathwill
bejudgedbyChrist,andifhediesinsinhewillbepunishedwitheter-
naltormentsinhell.Augustineknewtheeasternopinionsderivedfrom
OrigenandopenlyexpressedbyGregoryofNyssaonthefinaluniversal
salvationofallpeople,andfirmlyrejectedandevencombatthem.
Augustinewasawarethatitisdimculttoreconcilethedoctrineofthe
absolutegratuityofgracewiththedoctrineofjudgmentandhellwhich
assumesman’spersonalresponsibilityforsins,buthedidnottrytofind
any“goldenmean”andstoodbybothstatements.Thistensionisalways
presentinhiswritingsandprovidesnewprofounddimensionoftheo-
logicalandphilosophicalreflectiononhumanfreedom.Wecansaythat
beforeAugustinefreedomasanessentialcharacteristicofthemandid
notconstituteanimportantsubjectforphilosophers.Theywouldrather
assumethatthemanisfreeandcapabletomakedecisions.OnlyAugus-
tine’sjuxtapositionofhumanfreedomandabsoluteomnipotenceofGod
andhisprimacy
,raisedthisissuetoanewlevelofdiscussion.Itseems
thatitisonlymodernandcontemporarythoughtthattakesAugustine’s
questionregardingexistentialdimensionofhumanfreedomseriously
.
PracticalimplicationsofAugustine’stheology
Augustineasashepherdregardedthathismaintaskistotakecare
ofsalvationofthefaithfulentrustedtohim.Ashewasconvincedofthe
realityofhell,heknewthatthiswasanimmenseresponsibility
.Alsoas
abishopheintervenedintheDonatistdisputeanditshouldbeperceived
asaformofhispastoralcarenamelyhiscareforsalvation.Anyexternal
elementssuchaspoliticalsystemsandrelationshipbetweenthestateand
thechurchandeverythingthatseemstoexplainquitewellpreviously
describedsituationisforAugustineofsecondaryimportance.Heisprima-
rilyapersonwhoshouldcareforsalvationofthefaithfulandasashep-
herdhedoesnotwanttointerferewiththegraceofGodwhichisinthe