Episode 97 - What does God look like? How Augustine Wrestled with God's Appearance
Send us a textWhat happens when philosophical training clashes with biblical revelation? In this profound exploration of Augustine's theological development, we unpack his fascinating struggle with the Bible's vivid descriptions of God's appearance and the heavenly throne room.Augustine's journey begins with his immersion in Neoplatonic thought, which viewed ultimate reality as entirely non-physical, formless, and inherently unseeable. This philosophical framework created significant tension when he encountered passages from Daniel, Revelation, and Ezekiel describing God the Father seated on a throne with visible form and appearance.We trace how Augustine initially resolved this conflict by reinterpreting biblical language through abstract philosophical categories—much like Friedrich Schleiermacher would do centuries later with the Enlightenment worldview. For the young Augustine, "seeing God" didn't mean literally perceiving a divine form but achieving intellectual comprehension of divine truth.What makes Augustine's story particularly valuable is witnessing his evolution. As he matured in faith and engaged more deeply with Scripture, he began taking the Bible's physical descriptions more seriously. Though never fully abandoning his philosophical presuppositions, he developed a more nuanced position that acknowledged how God might adopt visible forms to facilitate human understanding.This episode highlights a pattern that continues today—the temptation to reframe biblical language to accommodate prevailing intellectual paradigms. Whether it's 18th-century rationalists explaining away miracles or contemporary theologians recasting the gospel in psychological terms, Christians continually face the challenge of letting Scripture speak on its own terms.The fundamental question we explore cuts to the heart of Christian theology: Is our separation from God due to an unbridgeable metaphysical gap between Creator and creature? Or is it, as Scripture suggests, primarily a consequence of sin that Christ's work overcomes? Your answer shapes not just abstract theology but your entire approach to spiritual life.How do you picture God when you pray? Join our conversation about embracing the beauty of biblical imagery and the joy of encountering the living God as He truly is.The theme music is "Wager with Angels" by Nathan Moore
Send us a textAugustine of Hippo towers over Christian theology, yet our understanding deepens dramatically when we see him through the lens of family relationships. This exploration of Augustine's older brother Navigius challenges centuries of dismissive portrayals and reveals a spiritually mature man whose wisdom often surpassed his more famous sibling's rhetorical brilliance.The podcast begins by examining how Church Fathers are frequently misrepresented by those claiming theological authority. Modern interpreters often reduce these diverse thinkers to mouthpieces for contemporary denominational positions – Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, or Protestant – when the reality was far more complex and nuanced.When examining Augustine's relationship with Navigius through his writings, particularly the Cassiacum dialogues, we discover a brother who saw through Augustine's dazzling rhetoric to identify logical fallacies and philosophical pitfalls. In one striking example, Navigius challenges Augustine's neo-Platonic assumptions about innate knowledge, advocating instead for evidence-based understanding – a position remarkably aligned with modern scientific approaches.Historical records paint Navigius as deeply spiritual, raising children who became religious leaders and helping establish the Augustinian monastic tradition alongside his mother Monica. While Augustine's spiritual journey was dramatic and tumultuous, Navigius lived a consistently faithful life that bore abundant fruit. His biblical wisdom manifested in knowing when to speak and when to remain silent, when to challenge and when to support his brilliant but sometimes misguided brother.This fresh perspective doesn't diminish Augustine's theological importance but makes him more human and relatable. By meeting Augustine's family, particularly his wise older brother, we gain deeper appreciation for the saint himself and the complex human relationships that shaped his thinking. Augustine's family reminds us that wisdom manifests not just in eloquent treatises but in quiet faithfulness and lived spirituality.The theme music is "Wager with Angels" by Nathan Moore
Send us a textMonica, Augustine's mother, has been historically eclipsed by her famous son, yet she stands as a theologian, philosopher, and the true founder of Augustinianism who shaped early Christian thought far beyond her role as Augustine's mother.• Monica wasn't exclusively focused on Augustine but cared deeply for all her children, once exiling Augustine to protect her other children from his Manichaean ideas• As a widow in early Christianity, Monica held an important leadership position that was almost like a church office, giving her spiritual authority and respect• The rediscovery of Monica's relics in Italy sparked renewed interest in her legacy and highlighted her often overlooked African identity• Monica should be recognized as the founder of Augustinian thought, with Augustine's famous "Rule" based on his sister Perpetua's abbey rule, which itself stemmed from Monica's guidance• Despite lacking formal philosophical training, Monica possessed theological insights that Augustine himself acknowledged as superior to academic approaches• Our narrow view of Monica comes from overreliance on Augustine's "Confessions" rather than his letters and other writings that reveal a more complete pictureTo appreciate Monica fully, we must engage with the broader historical record beyond the Confessions and see her as the powerful theologian and founder of the Augustinian tradition she truly was.The theme music is "Wager with Angels" by Nathan Moore
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Episode 94 - Holy Bath Houses and Invisible Wine: The Real Patrick Behind Augustine's Father
Send us a textThe story of Augustine's family has been distorted through centuries of scholarly misinterpretation. What happens when we strip away these layers of projection and examine what Augustine actually wrote about his father Patrick, his mother Monica, and his brother Navigius?Traditional portrayals depict Patrick as a villain - habitually unfaithful, violently abusive, and perpetually drunk. Monica appears as a long-suffering Christian wife enduring her pagan husband's cruelty. But these characterizations serve a specific narrative purpose: they make Augustine's spiritual journey seem more remarkable by contrast. When we examine the primary sources carefully, however, a very different picture emerges.The "wronging of the marriage bed" that Monica endured wasn't adultery, but Patrick's unwillingness to observe periods of sexual abstinence during religious festivals - a common practice among Berber Christians that continues in some Eastern churches today. The infamous "bathhouse incident" wasn't Patrick taking his son to an orgy, but simply expressing joy that Augustine showed interest in women, meaning he might marry and produce grandchildren. And the "invisible wine" that intoxicated Patrick wasn't alcohol but spiritual excitement.Most tellingly, Monica herself appears throughout Augustine's writings not as a timid, abused woman, but as forthright and courageous - someone who started riots over religious principles and wasn't afraid to discipline her son when necessary. These details paint a complex but far more positive portrait of the family that shaped Western Christianity's most influential theologian.By understanding Augustine's family more accurately, we gain insight into his theological development and can better discern where his thinking reflects genuine Christian tradition versus his own philosophical innovations. This exploration invites us to question how our modern assumptions color our reading of ancient texts and challenges us to develop a more Christ-centered perspective on church history.The theme music is "Wager with Angels" by Nathan Moore
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Episode 93 - Augustine: Philosopher or Theologian? Unpacking the Complex Legacy
Send us a textWelcome to a deep dive into the life and philosophy of Augustine of Hippo. We explore the substantial and debated aspects of Augustine's legacy—his influence on Western thought, the complexities of his identities, and the core themes that resonate today. - Analysis of Augustine's dual identity as a philosopher and theologian - Examination of 'Confessions' and its impact on Christian psychology - Discussion of Augustine's views on the Trinity and original sin - Contrast between earthly kingdoms and the City of God - Reflections on how Augustine's historical context mirrors modernity - Invitations to read more about Augustine and explore your own faith journey Listen to gain insights into how Augustine challenges our contemporary understanding of identity and civilization. The theme music is "Wager with Angels" by Nathan Moore
Rod Dreher wrote “to order the world rightly as Christians requires regarding all things as pointing to Christ”Christ is the One in Whom in all things consist and humanity is not the measure of all things. If a defining characteristic of the modern world is disorder then the most fundamental act of resistance is to discover and life according to the deep, divine order of the heavens and the earth. In this series we want to look at the big model of the universe that the Bible and Christian history provides.It is a mind and heart expanding vision of reality.It is not confined to the limits of our bodily senses - but tries to embrace levels fo reality that are not normally accessible or tangible to our exiled life on earth.We live on this side of the cosmic curtain - and therefore the highest and greatest dimensions of reality are hidden to us… yet these dimensions exist and are the most fundamental framework for the whole of the heavens and the earth.Throughout this series we want to pick away at all the threads of reality to see how they all join together - how they all find common meaning and reason in the great divine logic - the One who is the Logos, the LORD Jesus Christ - the greatest that both heaven and earth has to offer.Colossians 1:15-23
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