It’s “obvious” only in the Phil 100 sense where you combine higher-level concepts according to the rules of ordinary language If I choose for you to do X, then you did not choose to do X (I chose it for you); that rule does not apply to God as creator and king
Undoubtedly you have different treatments in mind that you consider better models than your own exegesis, I understand that - just realize why this sounds weak as a defense of your own position
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It is worth actually reading the “philosophical” parts of Augustine carefully b/c it makes the distinction between Christian doctrine and Christian philosophy v clear
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The whole point is that there can't really be a "Christian" philosophy. There can be philosophies which Christians can (at least in parts) accept, but a "Christian adaptation of, say, Plato is spurious. It's attempting to reconcile systems that God tells us not to reconcile
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lol, there is. when Augustine is asking doctrinal questions, he focuses on Bible. But accepting Biblical doctrine gives him (Christian) opinions on certain matters. Now when he goes to ask *philosophical* questions, what happens?
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Augustine didn’t think the Bible was a philosophy handbook of course. He has a letter or sermon condemning ppl who bring ridicule upon the Church by acting as though the articles of faith give them technical expertise on q’s astronomy, etc
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But he still does have faith in the truth of the doctrine the Gospel *does* contain, and those truths can in effect serve as axioms for philosophical inquiry
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You say he’s a platonist and elsewhere imply he fell afoul of Paul’s strictures on pagan vanity
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But he wasn’t a platonist. Augustine’s philosophy is bizarre. His answers to a number of phil. questions are simply unique (well, him and Tertullian)
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It IS bizarre, but I don't think we can really deny that he was heavily influenced by platonic thought, even as he sought to differentiate Christianity from Platonism in areas such as creation, nature of the soul, etc.
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