Part of St. Augustine of Hippo’s enduring legacy is the supposed dialectic between sacred and profane, between the transcendent and the secular. This emerged from Augustine’s writing of the City of God and the distinction between the city of man and the city of God and the unfolding of the two cities to their respective … Continue reading Augustine on the Sacred and the Secular
Catholicism
Augustine on the Nature of Evil
Although Confessions is long-winded prayer and an autobiography, Confessions is also a work of profound philosophical and psychological importance. The first half of Confessions roughly deals with anthropology, the tension between desire and reason, and the need for reason to order desire to achieve what desire seeks. The second half of Confessions shifts to a more philosophical and theological commentary, which includes Augustine’s … Continue reading Augustine on the Nature of Evil
Typology and Logos in the Gospel of John
The opening prologue of the gospel of St. John is theologically rich, puzzling, and poetic, thereby imbuing it with rich symbolism and imagery. The declaration that “In the beginning was the Word…[and] through him was life, and that life was the light of all humanity. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (Jn. 1:1-5), … Continue reading Typology and Logos in the Gospel of John
Love, Sex, Sacrifice, and Salvation: A Critical Analysis of Sci-Fi Filmography
The Enlightenment mythology usually goes something like this: Humans had been wallowing in darkness and superstition for a long time, then, sometime in the seventeenth century, a few heroic philosophers and proto-scientists broke the chains of religion and freed humanity from the darkness and superstition that had ensnared them since Neolithic times and the more … Continue reading Love, Sex, Sacrifice, and Salvation: A Critical Analysis of Sci-Fi Filmography
The Allegory and Symbolism of Dante’s “Inferno”
In our exploration of Dante’s Inferno I wish to highlight, in some greater detail, what has already been referenced to in our previous posts, but also bring additional emphasis upon Catholic teaching and how it impacts the construction of Hell from Dante’s pen. Why is hell cold and dark? Color and Image Symbolism Dante’s hell is … Continue reading The Allegory and Symbolism of Dante’s “Inferno”
The Love & Friendship of Dante and Virgil in the “Inferno”
In continuing our examination of some of the themes of Dante’s Inferno, we now turn to examine the transformative relationship between Virgil and Dante within the first part of the Divine Comedy. The theme of guide and relationship runs throughout the Divine Comedy. Virgil is Dante’s guide through Hell and Purgatory. Beatrice takes over for Virgil and … Continue reading The Love & Friendship of Dante and Virgil in the “Inferno”
Dante’s Inferno: Understanding Hell
Dante’s three-part epic poem the Divine Comedy, or Commedia, is one of the most influential and dense works of poetic literature in the Western tradition. Building off Homer and Virgil, and influencing the likes of Chaucer, Milton, Blake, and Tennyson, as well as bringing to popular consciousness and form the modern Italian language, Dante’s epic delves into … Continue reading Dante’s Inferno: Understanding Hell
Augustine and the Politics of Love
Augustine’s recognition of the lust to dominate and how it veils itself in concepts like “glory,” “honor,” and “nobility” are as relevant today as in his own time. Augustine’s deconstruction of Romanitas was done to offer all the people of Rome a greater project in its place. How often do we hear, like the Roman … Continue reading Augustine and the Politics of Love
Catholic Cosmological Theology: The Sacraments
All confessional forms of Christianity affirm at least two sacraments: Baptism and Eucharist. While degraded forms of Protestantism may no longer even affirm these any longer, all forms of confessional Protestantism (i.e. Confessional Reformed, Confessional Lutheran, Confessional Baptist, and Confessional Anglicans) do. Catholicism and Orthodoxy affirm seven sacraments: Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation, Reconciliation, Anointing of the … Continue reading Catholic Cosmological Theology: The Sacraments
Catholic Cosmological Theology: Sacramentals
Sacramentals are the second aspect of Catholic cosmological theology. Where sacramentality is universal and abstracted, sacramentals are more personal and specific. Sacramentality is meant for man in the universal sense. Sacramentals are meant for persons in the specific sense. Sacramentals, then, is the realization of sacramentality for individuals. Like sacramentality there is also a very … Continue reading Catholic Cosmological Theology: Sacramentals
