The Concept of Providence in St. Augustines Philosophy of Histor
The Concept of Providence in St. Augustines Philosophy of Histor
The Concept of Providence in St. Augustines Philosophy of Histor
Loyola eCommons
1943
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Copyright © 1943 Roland E. Turnbull
THE OONOEP'l' OF PROVIDENCE
IN S'!. AUGUSTDTE' S
PHILOSOPHY OP HISTORY
'ID7
Roland E. '!urnbull
.A. ~esis
of the
Ja.De 19~.
VITA
BIBLIOGRA-PM..... • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 71
Introduction
many ot his 'basic concepts are to 'be found throu.gb.ou.t his other
polemio&l writings.
and es)'&oially how the history ot ma.n woul4 work out in relation
thereto; emphasis on the shape of thincs to 'lOII8 or, as we might
word "proTidentia" and also from the Greek word 7Tf'" Y'(N.IfL
wortb1' or a clo eer ex&Jii.na ti on. I.n the Oreek New Testament
there are six different wor4s tranala ted i.nto .lnclish i.Y so1111
root the word "YPV.t' " (the mind) am has mu.c h more i.n it than
and direction.
and does now sustain, bu.t He .bas formulated plans and pm.-poses
for its achievement. Thu.a, then, in the idea of :Di Tine ProTi-
dmce, there is not only the toreseei.ug or the ru.tu.re, bu.t cleti-
For the most part we are apt to use tne words Providence
tual process or 1he directing of' things to their proper end. st.
the least. !hese critics maintain that religion and philosophy are
dismissed as ~possible.
To 1he :first question we reply - that so far as we have read, st. Au-
«U&tine does not appeal to reason at all for his concept of providence;
show that the fact of it comes for St. A~stine through revelation;
but, in addi'tlion, that the details of that concept working out in hie
For st. Augus tim, the philosopher does not precede "the
Thi.8 is not tb.e denial or reason but, as he argues, the true li"Dera-
~of reason.
reason, he 8&38:
When the obscurity o t 1hings perplexes us, we fol-
low a no--fold path: reason, or at least, authori-
ty. PhilosophJ' sends forth reason, am it frees
scarcely a few. :But by itself 1't compels these not
only not to spurn those mysteries, but to understand
them Iii'Sofar as they can be understood. The philo-
sophy that is true - the genuine philo so phJ', a o to
apeak - has no other function than to teach what is
the First Principle of all 1hi.ngs, - ••• these myster-
ies teach t !:at this First Principle is one God om-
nipotent, am that He is tripotent, Father and Son
and Holy Spirit ••• 6
Cay the mysteries we understand him to mean the Holy Scriptures as on-
ered first 1n philosophy, since He is before all things and all ideas." 7
ment. The human mind, unaided, cannot solve the great pet""plexing ques-
tiona which revolve around 'the soul and its destiny. !hat this is St.
stresses in the above ~otation and the one preceding 9 that reaeon un-
liberate]J' la,rs as ide the approach of pure reason and leads them at
lowing considerations:
8
Confessions, Philip Schaff Vol.l,p.93, Bk.VI,ch.5
'city or God, p.z
lOOn the Korals of the Catholic Ohu.rch., Philip Schaff vol.IV, ch..6, 7-p.-"l
:U:u.st we a priori decide that Scripme is ou.t or the realm
On 1Vba t basis? And has any proof' been adduced which shu.ts the Scriptures
ou.t of atJ:3 metaphysical enquiry? The Scriptures not only give u.s portions
of ancient hi story - they give u.s interpretations of' history; not only
.!!!!!!. happened, bJlt !'&_ it happened, and that in the light of & teleolo-
{to say no more) to bring great portions of history to unity in the light
'l'.b.is does no1; mean that it is unreasonable. His point of' vin aight be
1
~e Catholic Philosop!ly of His1Drl, Intr. 1v Ross J .s.norrman p.9
This view, while it rrs.y not be unanimously accepted, has been adopted
gustine of Hippo" and he SWDS the matter 11p as follows& "'fhere ia then
12
The Catholic Encyclopaedia, vol.II,p.93: Art."Augustine of Hippo"
by Eugene Portalie
III. PROVIDENCE; POSITED IN HISTOEY
17
(a) 'lhe Auth8rity o~ Scripture far St. Au.g:t.stine
omit it would make histor,y, for him, a chaotic heap of unrelated facts.
The basis of this strong belief was tb.e authority of' Scripture. 19hile
serious attention than some of ou.r liberal theologians today. And such
ply assert st. Augustine's position, that for him tbe Scriptures~
For him, Scripture is "established upon the lll.Jr eme a.n4 heavenly pin-
nacle of' authority," and is produced by the Lord Jesus t through the
agency of the Holy Spirit) with paramount au'thority. The sacred book
find any flaw in his love for the Book, and it is very evident that
tor him it was the revelation of God upon which his f'ai th rested.
In the Old Testament, the suggestions are nany and we have select-
From the patriarchs we have tllt story of Noah and the flood. Here
announced. With the rainba. in the sky, God saidl "!his is the token
ot t.be covenant which I make between me and you. and every living crea-
Again, in the story of J.bram we see him leaving his home at the ·
will make or thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make th.f
A. tinal illu.stra tion tor this section is seen in the life or Jo-
them in the Ec,yptian cou.rt: "And God SEilt me before you. to preserve 70u.
a remnant in the ear'foh, acd to save you. ali Te lily a great deliYerance.
words:
Whatsoever Jehovah hath pleased
that hath He done,
In heaven and in the earth, in the seat
and in all deeps.l2
and this:
A man's goings are establishei of Jehovah;
And he dellghteth in his •Y• ~
The prophets are full of providential concepts, as from the
Israel which God will later u.se as His "elect vessel." Again and again
God is described as planning her f'u.ture, holding out lllessings for obe-
dience and curses for disobedience. One parable of t.."te prophet Isaiah
nation) clearly indicates this special relationship between God and lara-
el by saying: "You. only have I kn01m of all the families of 1he earth;
clares His }:art in the life of Israel, providing, guiding and controli.Dg
her desti~. But His providential work is also indicated in the Old
ah declares that God is guiding "the destiny of tb.e Persian ruler, Cyrus.
liisai&h 6:1-7
l6.1mos 3:2
l7Mio&h 6::3,4
that contirmeth the word of his servant
and per:tormeth the coiUlsel of his mes-
sengers ••• that saith o:t Cyrus, He is '1'1J7
shep~id, and shall perform all my plea-
sure.
Again, in the prophecy of' Daniel there is the striking dream o:t
Nebllch&dnezzar - one o:t the great inage or a man with a head or gold,
breast and arms or silver, belly and thigh o:t brass, legs or iron, :teet
part iron, part clay. Then the stone cut witho11t hands which smites the
inflge on the :teet, bringing it do11n in r11ins. Daniel interprets the dream
imge as indicating the c011rse o:t "the great empires - the head o:t gold
being the Babylonian, and from there one inferior nation after another.
Medo-Persia, the brass as Greece, iron as Roman, etc. As there have been
only :tour World-Empires from Nebuohadnenar's time, until our own, the
interpretation ot a section of world history and God's hand 11pon it, seems
fairlY evident. 19
In the prophecy of Amos, God is represented as ask!~, "Have
not I bro~ht up Israel ou.t at the land or Egypt, and the Philistines
from C&phtor, and the Syrians trom Kiv?"a:> These suttice to show the
trend of aa.ny passages which indicate that the prophets in these and other
18
Isaiah 44:24-28 American Revised Version
19Daniel, eh.2
20Amos 9:7
2lsee also Deu.teronomy 2:26-37
Joshua 23:1-10
1 Kings 9:1-9
(c) 'fhe Concepts of Providence in the History ot the New Testament
words of Jes\ls and also in the apostles. Here also, as in the treat-
ment or the Old Testament, we give simply an indication and not an ex-
have the angelic messengers turning the tide of events. e.g. throagh
the :Providential gllidance of' God the infant JeS\ls was sp1red the Massa-
cre or the Innocents. 22 Again, when the Holy Family returns to Pales-
lllstrations: first, He said that God took care of' His whole creation:
:Behold the fowls of' the air: far they sow not,
neither do they reap, nor gather into barns;
yet your heavenly Fatner teedeth them. Are
ye not m\lch better than they?24
Second: He said that God wou.ld take care of' his witnesses, providing
even the right words before antagonistic men: ":But when they deliver
you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be
2~tthew 2:13-18
2 3rbid 2:19-23
24 " 6:26 & f'f. See also Matt.l0:29
given you in that same hotr wha. t ye shall speak. • 25
ter telling the parable ot the tares planted among the wheat, he announced
tha:t "The Son ot aan shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather
out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iDiquity;
and shall cast them into a tur.nace of tire: there shall be wai:ling and
gnashing of teeth. Then shall the r.ighteoWI shine forth as tba su.n ill
2£5:Matt. 10:19
26Ibid 13:2~
see also
Ibid 16:27
" 24:29-il
27 " 20:18,19
see also
" 21:33-46
".. 17:22,23
28 26:36-44:
character of the teachings of Jesus about God and His own career in re-
lation thereto.
his epistle we read: "Hath not God chosen the poor of 'this warld rich in
faith_ and heirs of the kingdom whieh he hath promised to them that love
him?"29 Speaking of men mking their own plans for life, James writes
in reiu.ke: "For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live,
kept by the power of God through faith W11io salTaUon read,- io be re-
people; that ye sh.oulcl show forth the praises of him who hath called you
out of darkness into his marvelous light. n33 Here surely is a definite
goal. The Tery sufferings of the saints are (for him) no accident:
29 James 2:5
30Ibid 4:15
31 • 5:7
321 Peter 1:5
3 3Ibid 2:9
Wherefore let them that su.f'f'er acoordi.Dg to
the will of' God comi t the keeping of their
sou.ls to him in well doi.tlg, as W'lto a faith-
f'u.l Creator. 34
EYen the trials and clif'ficu.lties of' life are within His pla.n.
And a more Prov id e.ntial sta teme.n t of' his tory it would be hard to find.
God. He says.:
and he co.nti.nu.es to tell of God's dealings with angels and the ancient
theme. We do not propose to ana]Jrse the whole book, bu.t simply indicate
34. I Peter 4:19
35 Acts 2:23
i6 Jade 1:7
7
ibid 1:24
the outline which is ginn in the first chapter: "Write the thincs which
are, and the things which shall be hereafter • ..38 Chapter One of' the Reve-
lation refers to the past; Chapter Two and ~ee to the present and, be-
ginning at Chapter Four we have the future 1 "Attar this, I looked, and be-
hold a door was opened in heaven: and the first Toice ••• said, Come up
hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. " 39 The re-
Turning from tb! wri tinge of tb.e apostles, we conclude with the
evidence of Paul who claimed to be an apostle "born out of' clae time."
Christianity:
And again Lake, quoting Paul's sermon to the philosophers on Mars lUll,
writes:
36Revelation 1:19
39Ibid 4:1
40Epheaiansl:4-ll
and all things; am hath mde or one blood
&11 nations ot men fbr to dwell on all the
face or the earth 8ll4 hath determined the
times before appointed, and the boa..nds ot
their habitation ••• in him we live and move
and have our being. 41
and other su.ggestions surely did not pass unnoticed.~ :But as we ehall
show, he dicl not use any ot these; he atruok out hil 0111 Scriptural provi-
dential scheme tran a source which, to modern eyes, seems very anlikel.y.
God in 6 days, conclu.cling with the 7th day - the day of' rest. st. Augu.s-
tine sees in these seven dqs a very detinUe olltline of 1he history of the
world, an ou.tline tied in (as we shall show) with his concept of Providence.
In this one quot~tion alone we haTe almost a complete swmne.ry of St. Au.-
«see also
Bply to Faustus the Manichaean, vol.IV,:p.l85 Schaff
On the Psalms XCIII, Schaff TOle VIII
Chapter III of this thesis
45o th 8
n Ca techising of the Uninstructed {italics our a) vol. III
~hese two 'topics which he stressesr
in its original sense, of conTeying more than rrsets the eye. And this he
clearly states or 1he first chapt~ of Genesis "in. the opening pages the
nou.nced."
rather than a momfl'l 't cL time or even more than six days; wey ~number
rather than &liJ" other? Here he gives a brief bu.t sufficient answer - "lror
U was in the power of the Almighty to make all things even in one moma1 t
of time," but tm six days were used "that he might sisnity" the six ages
we do not deny the charge: on the contrary, it will be only accu.ra'te expo-
si tion to show that St. A1181lstine so u.sed it, intentionally, and makes his
own defense.
I.n his On the Profit or Belie vi.!§ he wri tesa
He continu.es in this place to give examples of' each of' these things in
i.nterpr eting Scripture is valid am was u.sed by both Jesu.s and Pau.l. e.g.
in the story of Jonah and the whale, where Jesu.s u.sed it allegorically
of' his own death. and resurrection. 47 Again, when Paul u.sed the rabbi.ni-
cal legend of' the rock in the wilderness and u.sed it as a.n allegory of'
Christ48 ; again, turning to Paul he recalls for u.s the Old Testament sto-
ry of' Hagar and Ishmael, where Pau.l distinctly states: "which things are
an allegory. tt49
As an indication of tb.e respect St. 4Uglstine had for this
mode of' interpretation we add this qu.otatio.n from his On the Profit of
Believing:
ln the sam passage he argu.es t.bat the Old Teat 81Ilent, or the
Law, shall .not be taken aw83 but rather in the New Testarmnt the veil
or st. Augustine regardi.[\g the Biblical use of' allegory do .not cover nor
give authority to his own allegorical use of the seven daya of areation.
In the case of Jonah and the whale, tb.e rock in tba wilderness, the story
of' Hapr and Ishmael, the allegorical interpretations are given the au-
thor! ty of' Jesus and Paul in the New Testarmnt writings. No such caae can
fashion.
ing to the homiletical fashions or- his d~, ant his own belief in a four-
fold interpret~tion of all Scripture for those who were introduced to the
:Biblical scholars since, that God has dealt with men in different ~ in
Scripture and the basis for his seven periods can be seen.
the division of world history, it is quite possible that St. Augu.stine be-
gan with the genealogy of Christ as recorded by St. Matthew in his chapter
of his Gospel. At any rate, he makes much of this and three of his his-
Turning back to the Old Testament from Abraham he sees one great crisis
the Advent of Christ, and to surmise that the seventh will be ushered in
J.y in their preaching. e.g. In the Parable of the Good Samaritan the many
details were all~orized after this fashion: Chrysostom said that the wine
was the blood of the Passion, the oil the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
Genesis to the histcr ical periods suggested above had more than allegori-
cal imagimtion far its credibility. The important argwn~mt for him was
the philosophic one: "Why six days to creation rather than one?" as he
suggests - "For it was in the power of 'the Almighty to make all things
even in one moment of time. nS3 God did not require six days, nei1tler need-
ed rest. St. Augu.stine 's answer is t.Mt they were so arranged to signify
answer to any query respecting the need of six days for creation rather
than one. In this exposition or his concept of Providence we are not de-
fending his position, for p01iti.ve proof is not available for thiS alle-
not the least this one or the creative day an4 the reason for six or
them. 55
Note on Numerology
38
(a) Provideace in the Panorama of History
his providential scheme of his tory; the emphasis there was on the Genesis
lieving that it is posited in history in sons vague, geaeral way, but for
St • .AugQstine it is not vague but clear, not general, but exact. In one
hllps thou sayest, God counteth me not in this great multi tu.de. There fol-
lows here a wondrous passage in the Gospela 'the hairs ot your head are
1
all .numbered. '"
Again, discussing the phrase in another Psalm "he showeth con-
believed in tie utter impossibi 11 ty of the individual standing out side the
dence extended not only to the individual life but also to the control of
pat it plainly: St. Augtlstim believed that the very oatli.ne or history
in its epochs and the crises whieh separated them c:oa.ld be understood on
We take issue with this point or view, 'that no special value can be at-
overwhelming that the divisions are not (for St. Augu.stine) accidental or
incidental. For St. Augu.stine the days and the aaalogoUB epochs consti-
t11te a Providential Plan or the Ages. 4 Ou.t of many possible references
5
we offer one which clearly shows u.s St. A~stine•s point or viewa
That these seven ages were m t arb! trarily ab.o sen is seen by
hiS careful reasming. From Adam to the Deluge seEms a reasonable epoch,
also reasonable sime the:re we see the beginning of the nation Israel.
Turning to the New Testaasnt he "adopts" the division which St. Matthew
gives to the genealogy or Christ. Here, too, there is reason and reasons.
From Abraham to David marked the rise and heyday of the nation; from David
to the Capt! vi ty the picture was completely changed as the nation tell in-
to dissolu.tion, and from the Captivity to the Advent of Ohri st there was,
said to deal with the world as a wb.ole, (Adam to Deluge - Deluge to Abra.-
ham) this could not be said or the three which St. Auga.stine appropriates
6
1n other places this is "to the advent of ou.r Lord Jesus Christ"
or "to the travail or the Virgin."
7
On the Psalms - .Psa.XCII, p.457, Sc.ta ff VIII
ST. AUGUSTINE'S PANORAMA OF HISTORY
Da3S Periods
and, in the context, with the life of Christ in particular. They are there
to ou.tline "the generations of Jesu.s Christ, the son of David, the Son of
Abraham." :Bu.t perhaps this was no oo·jection to an allegorical mind like
St. Augu.st ine 's, or perhaps he had ather reas 121s which we ha1'e not discov-
ered.
In another quotation dealing with the same pt.norama of history
ThllB:
three fou.rteens, St. Matthew has omitted three names - Ahaziah, Joash and
to aid the menory and was in tended to show tb.e three great stages or Jewish
its career.
(b) lrorlde.nce i.n the Periods of' History
days treating of the sixth and seventh periods of history, f'or he believed
he was living in the sixth and looked forward to t.ta seventh. We propose
1. !he Sixth Dy
With r eprd to the sixth period: The many passages quoted be-
tore lsee Note 5) settle beyond controversy the limits of it: i.e. from
In the reading of' these passages there are aoae very suggest-
ive phrases. e.g. "the renewing of our mind" and "let us 'Be reformed at-
ter the image of God;" also "are created anew." !hese are clearly
aliped with the sixth period and the inference seems clear that tor st.
Augustine the periods are not only chronological b11t expository- i.e.
Church make us agree with St. Augu.sti.ne that this period is undoubtedly
God has ushered i.n a new dispensation by the Advent of Jesus Christ. The
words or the writer to the Hebrews are significant: "God, who at au.ndry
times and in dhers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the
prophets, hath in these last days s:poken unto u.s by His Son ••• nlS
cannot of course proTe; but th&t the coming of this redeemer was planned
mans, said: "NeTertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, eTe.n over
them that had not sinned atter the similitude of Adam's transgression,
who is the figure of him that was to come. "14 .According to this, the
one shall many be made righ teo11s. nl5 And the allegory is clear between
.Adam and the~ Christ. That s11ch a program for the redemption of man co11ld
be planned and carried ou.t was, for st. AU611stine (and 11s) the ve~ es-
sence of Providence.
1 5:Romans 5:19
(2} The Seventh Day
The Seventh day also has its representatiYe nature, and if tne
sixth signifies Redemption i.n Histoey-, then the seYenth s :ignifies the Con-
Yiew for St. Augustine: e.g. In the City of God he quotes the prophet Eze-
gave them my Sabaths to be a ~between me and them, that they might know
"sign." The Hebrew word bears also the meanings "omen" and "token" - with
In the last chapter of The City of God he speaks o:f the eter.nal
felicity o:f the city o:f God, and the perpetual Sabbath. '!here we shall
rest :forever: "Because there shall be the most great Sabbath having no
evening, which the Lord commended unto us in the first works of the world,
where it is read, 'And God rested the seventh day ••• •" 17 There can be no
dou.bt in st. Augu.stine's mind as to the meaning of the seventh day of the
day since the seYen d~s constitute the complete allegory of human history;
bnt we 'think it is of interest to point out this further thought from st.
ot the spirit bu. t not the body. The eighth clay will u.sher in "the eternal
repose no1i only or the spirit, bu.t also or the body." Ii seems clear also
thai St. Auguiine is ver:f mu.ch impressed with the change of the calendar
from the Jewish seventh clay to the Christian first day or the week - 'the
Lord 'a day. To him the resurrection typified the beginning or another dis-
21
pensation - no1i or historical tim, bu.t or eternity. This "first" day
ot the Ohristian week is therefore the "eighth" day or this passage before
u.s.
I.n another place treating the same theme, he introdu.ces what
monising it. Discu.ssing the title or the sinh Psalm, in his commentary
In this quotation he agrees that the eighth day will be ushered in by ju.d~
ment; bu.t in another place he has already said that ihe aevanth day will
begin with judgment: "The sixth is now in progress, and will end in the
23
coming of the exalted Savior to judgment." The problem faces us of two
judgments%
Our solution is not to regard these as contradictory lu.t as com-
believed that the sixth age was that of the Christian era; he also be-
lieved in what is termed Christ's Second Advent. The Scriptures are quite
teaches that all men will be judged, Christian and non-Christian, bu.t not
all on tts same basis and for 'the same purpose. On su.ch a basis one type
of judgment could well climax the sixth period (The Christian Era) and be
is found in Pau.l' s words to the Corinthian Christians, "We mu.st all stand
'before the judgment seat of Christ. n24 This we believe is a type of judB-
ment which has to do with the Christian's stewardship of life and not hiS
salvation; the Judgment for sin for the Christian falling u.pon Christ on
ca.u.se their names are not in the book of life. In our estimation this is
U II Cor.5:10
25 Rev. 20:11-15
We do not pursue these thoughts further as they are more theo-
logical than philosophical, and have tollowed them onl,y enou.gh to su.pple-
men t the suggested solution of' the problem or the two judgments.
Note on Chronology:
He believed that man was created around 6000 B.O. as he clearly states:
"Whereas the Holy Scripture gives 118 not accoWlt :full Bix thollSand years
since man was made."26 And again: "For seeing it is not ,at six thou-
sand years f'rom the first nan Adam, how ridiculous are they that over-
ters." ~he following quotations show his position very adequately. His
Also,
For the whole of that space over which the pres-
ent dispensation extends, is but a little while;
26"Augus tine here follows the cbronologr of' Eusebill8 who reckoned 5611
years from the creation to the taking of Rome by the Goths, adop~
ing the Septuagint version of the Patriarchal ages."
(Philip Schaff- Ci~ of God, bk.XII, ch.lO) .
27 Ibid " XIV, p.86
28 1 John 2:18 ·
29
On the Gospel of St. John,Yol.VII, p.l47-Schaff
am hence this same evangelist says in his
epistle, 'it is ihe last hour. •30
forward to the end of the age, 811lectant am tense with longing. When he
expoWlds the parable of ti."JS Ten Virgins, he makes it clear that he has no
This passing of the age seems long to some Cbr istia.ns and he counsels pa-
Ir the end of the age were even faintly suspected, human trail-
"When should one pt"epare to die?" The old man answered, "The day before
you d.ia:l." '':But," stammered the youth, "we cannot know that!" "Then,"
continued the wise man, "perhaps you had better treat every d~ as the
ne.nt place in his Panorama of History. His attitu.cle towards what he calls
mystical:
canons t.te interpreter is to work he does not say except in the vaguest
or terms and by inference. The reasons :for the science he has gathered
show forth the Glo:z::y of God, and ~otes Wisdom XI, 20, in support of hia
point: "Thou. hast ordered all things in number, and measure and weight."
Here, as in many other references, we see his linking of the sixth day
to the sixth epoch ot history; in another place he states that "the per-
41
fection of the works (i.e. of creation) was signified by the number six. n
pleteness, the suggestion of the rest of God, the rest His people find in
Church. 42
of' all types of :tarf'ection, am he sees the number seven throughout Scrip-
tu.re prophesying the p erf'ection of God's plans. In one instance, regard-
ing the number seven, there is a gl. int of' humor concerning his pro lif'ic
pen:
So far as we have read, St. Augustine does not say much abou.t the number
of one of' rest am this is the usual connotation given to the nwnber eight.
ber of' rest, hence, as there is nothing beyond perfect divine rest, this
comprehensive i.n its scope. This has been well put by ilurner:
'!hat this is a fair estimate of St. Augu.s tine's posi Uon is evident from
his writings - e.g. he says: "God can never be belieYed w have left the
And this not only in the widest sence, but also in regard to
l His tory of Philosophy, Wm. Turner 1929, Ginn & Co. p.234
2 City of God, bk. V, ch.XI
3 ibid "XIV, p.l04
4 DeOrdine, ch.l,p.7
adopted itle PlAtonic ideas into his total philosophy, but, of course, re-
nity by the feou.ndi~ of His being ••• creative in their turn of everything
else."5 Thu.s, of course, to create things is to goTern them.
Providence then meant not only complete comprehension by God, bu.t
also complete control. God controls nations - yes, bu.t also in ways ob-
scu.re to us, the details of everyday life. One striking illustration st.
Augustine gives u.s with regard to the crucifixion:
Then said the chief priests of the Jews un-
to Pilate, 'Write not, The King ot the Jews,
bu.t tba t He saict, I am King of the Jews. Pi-
late answered, What I haTe written I have
written.' Oh the ineffable power of the
working of God, even in the hearts of the ig-
norant1 Was there not some hidden Toioe that
sounded through Pilate's inner man with a
kind, if one may say so, of loud-toned si-
lence, the words that had been prophesied so
long before in the Tery letter of the Psalms,
'Corrupt not the inscription of the title?'
(Psalm LVII, LVIII.) Here then, you. see he
corrapted it not; what he has written he has
written. Bu.t the h~h priests, who wish it
to be corrupted, what did they say? 'Write
not, The King ot the Jews; bu.t tillt he said,
I am King of the Jews.' What is it, madmen,
that you. say? Why do you. oppose the doi~
or that which you. are utter~ unable to al-
ter?6
answer rests on the theological attitu.de, the permissive will of' God. He
gu.stine su.ggests the prophetical u.se of evil. Discu.ssing some Old Testa-
ment lies he argu.es that while they are not to be copied they do have
This paragraph just quoted, and the om to follow, can also il-
lustrate the fact that for St. Augustine the control of men by Providence
To sum u.p1
Providence uses evil for other goods -
Providence shows evil partly punished, partly permitted -
Providence shows evil used J%'Ophetically-
Providence does not exclude the activity of free-agents.
namely, Does the acceptance of his view involve the discarding of what men
God, who has wound u.p the world machine and left it to work out its self-
own. ends, but they cannot admit a special providence which on occasion will
classified man and beast together; it has been assu.med because of certain
physical properties held in common that the laws which govern physics are
all that are necessary to govern personality. This we do not accept and
~with Gilson, that God governs each creation according to its condition
am its end:
In the case or natures without knowledge,
consequently without freewill, since all
individuals of the species act or neces-
sity and inf'allibly according to the na-
ture of the species, it is sufficient to
establish the law or the species, to en-
sure that the individuals that compose
it shall attain their end .15
But, as he goes on to argue well: " ••• it is otherwise with nan, ~ho excels
That St. Augustine held this view we do not doubt as e.g. in his
Confessions he writes: "Hadst not Thou created me, and separated me from
the beasts of the field, and fowls of the air?"lS For him man was unique
among created things; he alonft could share in tlE divine perfection; there-
fore it is reasonable that God should surround him with a very special
the marcy of natural law; he is a reasonable being and moves toward a di-
·vine end.
While we can see evidences of order and government in th!t world
or nature through the operation of physical law, we can also see the need
tor a higher t,ype of order and govemment in the moral laws applicable on-
ly to creatures with. intelligence, will, and spirit. The laws of physics
tail to explain many problems in both lower and higher forms of life. Even
among the lower forms of life, men are often puzzled at evidences of law
and order mingled with equally striking evidences of seeming chaos and dis-
harmonising and more inclusive order _is possible. Maey wrongs and injua-
16Italics ours
17DeCivitate Dei, 1, 8
lSllcCormick:, Natural Theology, p.232
power is infinite, like His being; nor
again can it be said that He does not
will it, since His will is a will to the
totality of' good. Therefore all things,
whatsoever they are, are ordered towards
God by His providence, for just as He is
their principle, so is He also their end.l9
Natural Law is then related to Providence in that it is usable
for Divine ends; it is related as the piano keys are related to the pianist;
there is both law and spontaneity. Man especially, since he :tarticip:~.tes
pages of Scripture, these constituting for him the record of the revela-
That general propos it ion for St. Augu.stine was the concept of :Providence,
fully V«>rked out :Panorama of History, patterning it after the Genesis nar-
rational attempt to e:z:plain first, why God took six da_ys to creation when
one or even less would not have interfered with his attribute of omnipo-
tine knew them, had worked out as they had, and what course would the events
of the future take from a Christian point of view. For him "the hn;>othesis
siXth and seventh periods; believing himself to be livif€ in the sixth pe-
described by the word "rest" and looked forward to that coming age as the
si ve - even to the extent of utili zing evil within the :permissive will of
God; for him, too, wmt men call natural law was subservient to the Provi-
and once again the claims of revelation within the area or philosophy
should be heard. Here the work of St. Au~stine should make a distinct
contribution.
1. ::P.RIMARY SClJBCES
The Confessions
On 'the Trinity
Doctrinal Treatise
Koral Treatise
Soliliqu.ies
!!Positions on the Book of Psalms
.,,
Bibliograpl!y, continued
2. SECONDARY SCURCES