This study of Augustine takes its orientation from the set of contemporary theological and philosophical problems associated with post-Enlightenment conceptions of the human being and critiques of religion. Augustine is an intriguing case study because while he has convictions at odds with our post-Enlightenment context, his anthropology also has a surprising resonance today. In Augustine we find a conception of the human person that is fluid, tenuous, prone to great good and great vice, and influenced deeply by language, history, and society. In a post-Enlightenment context where there is no ... More

This study of Augustine takes its orientation from the set of contemporary theological and philosophical problems associated with post-Enlightenment conceptions of the human being and critiques of religion. Augustine is an intriguing case study because while he has convictions at odds with our post-Enlightenment context, his anthropology also has a surprising resonance today. In Augustine we find a conception of the human person that is fluid, tenuous, prone to great good and great vice, and influenced deeply by language, history, and society. In a post-Enlightenment context where there is no clear center of value through which the human self is defined, Augustine’s anthropology has the potential to offer crucial resources for a religious reorientation and revaluation of the self. These anthropological resources find their voice in the context of Augustine’s account of the human relation to God. In particular, the concepts of the imago dei and creatio ex nihilo are significant both for their influence on Augustine’s understanding of the human person and for their potential to bridge his and our own world. Working with a cross section of sources, this study offers a constructive interpretation of Augustine’s anthropology that acknowledges its classical context while also addressing recent theological and philosophical appropriations of Augustine.