Augustines God Vs. Epictetus God

1061 Words3 Pages

At first glance, I was immediatly inclined to argue in epictetus' favor, because it pains

me to argue that Christianity is good for anybody. In the following paragraphs, i will

contrast the God of Epictetus, and the God of Augustine, and in the end, my stand will

be clear.

Epictetus and Augustine both identify God on basic level.

Epictetus says,

"Where the essence of God is, there too is the essence of good. What is the essence of

God?......Right Reason? Certainly. Here then, without more ado, seek the essence of

good."

He says strive for goodness, live in conformity with it, and you will find God. God is

the vital force that creates all things and the cosmic intellegence that governs it from

within.

Augustine says:

"Where I found truth, there i found my God, who is truth itself."

He says strive for truth and understanding...In loving God, we love truth. Persons can

come to know truth though inner experience and conviction, he holds that you can't

obtain true knowledge without faith. you must have faith in God, who is the essence of

all truth.

Both philosophers address man's powerlessness in the face of God. Epictetus asserted

that humans are basically limited and irrational beings, but that the universe, ruled by

God through pure reason, is perfect. Because human beings can neither know nor control

their destiny, they must cease striving for the attainment of worldly ends and pleasures

and instead calmly accept the fact of their own powerlessness before fate. The only thing

in a person's power is their response to events or outlook, namely, their morality.

Augustine believed faith preceded reason. He believed people are good, but not perfect.

But in Augustinean theology, each person is predestined to either heaven, or to fry like

bacon, and there's nothing you can do about it. Salvation is a "free gift" with purchase,

but only to every 7,000th caller. This is where i would think morality means squat. If you

know God decided when you were born whether or not you were going to heaven,

nothing you do makes any difference. You can step all over everbody, and run with

scissors and it doesn't matter. If you go to hell, you were going there anyway. If you're

going to heaven, you've got a few good stories to tell when you get there. On top of all

this, Augustine says that no human mind can penetrate the mystery of of God's wisdom.

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