Yes the main corrupter of the church which was Calvin’s idol.
What did Augustine say about Platonic philosophy?
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Augustine engaged with Plato’s philosophy in a dynamic and critical manner, rather than passively accepting ideas.
He sought to reconcile classical wisdom with Christian faith, enriching theological discourse during his time1. Augustine’s thought was not merely a subspecies of Christian Platonism; it was unique and became known as
Augustinianism. Here are some key points about Augustine’s relationship with Platonic philosophy:
- Anthropology: Like Plotinus and Porphyry, Augustine insisted on the soul’s superiority to and independence from the body. He believed that the body could not act on the soul because the soul held a higher position in the hierarchy of reality2.
- Ethics: Augustine developed the Platonic idea of the rational soul into a Christian view. He saw humans essentially as souls, using their bodies as a means to achieve spiritual ends3.
- Epistemology: Augustine’s doctrine of illumination was Neoplatonic. He emphasized that human minds are aware of God due to His direct action on them, rather than reasoning solely from sense experience2.
- Theology of History: Augustine’s original theology of history and his views on human society were less influenced by Plotinus and Porphyry, focusing on different aspects2.
In summary, Augustine’s engagement with Platonism enriched Christian thought and left a lasting impact on Western philosophy and theology. His unique blend of classical wisdom and Christian faith continues to resonate today.
and that is just part of the story
Augustine admits his in-debtedness to Plato as Platonic philosophy eventually led him to embrace Christianity (Augustine, Basic Writings Bk. VII). Plato provided a way for Augustine to escape materialism and grasp a metaphysical reality above his own (Kenny).
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Saint Augustine of Hippo dealt with Platonism, and its ensuing philosophical ideas, by incorporating it into his Christianity, a fairly common practice among the early church fathers. However, not only did Augustine incorporate and utilize Platonic ideas into his theology, but it was his study of Platonism that led to his conversion to Christianity. Augustine believed that the tenets of Platonism and Christianity were compatible, as the one led him, quite naturally he contended, to conversion to the other. However, he writes of Platonism differently in his works. In The Confessions, Augustine speaks of how the ideas of Platonism led him to a more Christian outlook, and provided answers that he had been seeking through his life, as he felt unfulfilled by his past notions of Manicheanism. Platonism spoke of Truth, of a higher plane, of evil as the absence of something, instead of a merely equal physical force, acting on the good with the same amount of intensity. Augustine’s search for truth, for purpose, and for direction, according to The Confessions, led him straight to Platonism and from there to Christianity.
Unfortunately some Platonism thought began to creep into the church before Augustine
Bishop Ambrose
At Milan he underwent the influence of
Bishop Ambrose (339–397), who taught him the allegorical method of Scriptural exegesis, and of some Neoplatonically inclined Christians who acquainted him with an understanding of Christianity that was philosophically informed and, to Augustine, intellectually more satisfactory than Manicheism, from which he had already begun to distance himself.
