ENGLISH

"Creatio ex nihilo" and the Theology of St. Augustine: The Anti-Manichaean Polemic and Beyond

By N. Joseph Torchia

Book information

Publisher
Peter Lang Publishing
Year
1999
ISBN
0820437751, 9780820437750
Language
english
Format
PDF
Filesize
13 MB (13185942 bytes)
Series
American University Studies VII:Theology & Religion: Vol.205
Pages
279\308
Time added
2016-10-09 22:25:50
Babylonia & Sumer;Aztec;Egypt;Greece;Incan;Mayan;MSaints;Catholicism;Systematic;Theology;Anthropolog

Description

This study proceeds from an investigation of the significance of the Christian doctrine of creatio ex nihilo in some of the key components of St. Augustine's extended anti-Manichaean polemic. To a great extent, his devastating critique of the Manichaeans' world view, their conception of evil, and their most fundamental theological presuppositions relied heavily upon the affirmation that God ultimately created everything that exists from nothing. In broader terms, the study demonstrates how the doctrine of creatio ex nihilo provided Augustine with an effective means of defining the character of created being as finite and mutable, and drawing a crucial ontological distinction between the Divine Nature and that which God creates. Such teachings were operative in some of the key themes of Augustine's theology.

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