Augustine on Creation, Providence and Motion

Abstract : Augustine's theology of creation has been criticized for its Platonic tendency to denigrate matter and for a supposedly extrinsic view of divine providence that is reminiscent of design and even deism. This article counters such criticism and argues that Augustine explicitly blends extrin...

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Bibliographic Details
Author:Simon Oliver
Published: S.n., s.l., 2016
Volume:18
Pages:379-398
Language:English
Periodical:International Journal of Systematic Theology
Number:4
ISSN:1463-1652
Format:Article
Topic:- Doctrine > The World > [Création (materia spiritualis)] > [Création (monde/matière/créature.)]
- Doctrine > God. Trinity > God > Providence
Status:Active
Description
Summary:Abstract : Augustine's theology of creation has been criticized for its Platonic tendency to denigrate matter and for a supposedly extrinsic view of divine providence that is reminiscent of design and even deism. This article counters such criticism and argues that Augustine explicitly blends extrinsic and intrinsic notions of providential teleological order. For Augustine, God ‘administers externally the natures he has created internally’ by inscribing the rationes seminales within creatures and conferring motion through the mediation of measure, number and weight. By resisting a dualism of intrinsic and extrinsic teleological order, Augustine avoids many of the problems that characterize modern theologies of creation and provides a more coherent account of divine providence.

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