The concept of man in St. Augustine.
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Abstract
The purpose of this thesis is to present and evaluate the concept of man, as found in selected works of St. Augustine. Included in their presentation and evaluation is a comparison with Plato's own concept of man and with Neo-Platonic concept. Examination of his thought reveals that St. Augustine had no explicit systematic theory concerning man. Therefore, emphasis is placed on the construction of the development of St. Augustine's concept of man. from a philosophical point of view.
The first step in constructing St. Augustine's theory of man is to examine his ontological views, his knowledge of the self. He was convinced that everything was created by God, and to be united with Him was to know all things. He therefore introduced a threefold hierarchy of being; namely, the rationes aeternae, the rationes hominum, and the rationes seminales. The degree in each being is measured by the soul's participation in the pure and true Reality. The soul in turn was for St. Augustine the intermediary between God and matter, and the body was perfected by the soul. [TRUNCATED]
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Thesis (M.A.)--Boston University
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