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    3. (Ch 6) The sinful nature of infants
a. By crying, waving arms and leg and throwing tantrums, as an infant, he was a sinner.
            b. Infants want to make adults slaves to them.
c. God is the one that fashions us and feeds us even though food comes from mother.
4. (Ch. 7) “God created man, but not the sin in him.”  We are conceived in sin.  There is not a day that passes that we do not sin.
        -original sin derived from Adam
5. (Ch. 9-11) Augustine’s boyhood
    a. He neglected his schoolwork and was whipped for it.
    b. As an adult he realized that it was sin not to do his assigned homework.
c. His first prayers were to a God he did not know.  He prayed that he would not be beaten at school.
d. He was not baptized, but his mother always prayed for him and for his salvation.  He asks, “What good was it for me not to be baptized?”


D. Book II
1. (Ch. 1-2) God placed his anger upon Augustine by allowing him to be a slave to his sin, but will not let Augustine be content.
2. (Ch.3) His parents and friends.
a. His father does not care about his soul and praises Augustine for becoming a man by going to the Roman baths.
b. His mother warns him of his ways, but he calls them foolish.  Later on in life Augustine realizes that the warnings were from God
c. Augustine sinned to make his friends think better of him.  Even exaggerating and lying to impress others.
3. (Ch.4) The Pears
a. While hanging out with a group of friends, he sins by stealing pears not for hunger, but only because he knew it was wrong.
b. They throw the pears to the pigs after having eaten only a taste.
c. “I did not desire to enjoy what I stole, but only the theft and the sin itself.”
    E. Book III
Augustine reads Cicero in his studies and begins to read the Bible as well. He finds the Bible inferior to Cicero, but becomes interested in philosophy.  Augustine becomes proud in his intelligence (why does education have to be Christian…because otherwise we are teaching pagans to be intelligent.)
    A. What is evil is it the physical?
    B. Does God have a body?
    F. Book IV
This covers Augustine’s life from 19 to 28. He has a child by a woman who is not his wife, and begins teaching rhetoric in Africa.  
    G. Book V
        1. Augustine moves to Milan, meets and is impressed by bishop Ambrose of Milan.
2. Augustine questions his beliefs and commits a quote of Ambrose to memory “The letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life.”  He searches for truth in Christianity.
“Already I had learned from thee that because a thing is eloquently expressed it should not be taken to be as necessarily true; nor because it is uttered with stammering lips should it be supposed false. Nor, again, is it necessarily true because rudely uttered, nor untrue because the language is brilliant. Wisdom and folly both are like meats that are wholesome and unwholesome, and courtly or simple words are like town-made or rustic vessels--both kinds
of food may be served in either kind of dish.
    H. Book VI
1. The mother of his illegitimate son leaves him and he simply finds another mistress.
2. He remains a slave to his sins.
    I. Book VII    
1. Questions how God can have a human body which is sinful.  If he has a sinful body he cannot be God.
2. Augustine struggles with the question of evil and finally decides that it is not matter, but a distorted will.
    J. Book VIII
1. Augustine is caught in a battle of his wills.  He hates his sin, but it is still calling and enticing him.
2. He begins crying uncontrollably because he feels the full weight of his sin, runs from his friend.
3. He hears a child singing “take up and read, take up and read.”  He opens the Bible directly to Romans 13:13
“Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy.  But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh.”
4. Augustine is given assurance of what he had hoped for.  His burden of guilt and sin is gone, and he immediately goes with his friend to tell his mother of what happened.
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I. The Popes
    A. Successors of Peter (Matthew 16: 13-19)
        1. Christ gives the keys of the kingdom to Peter (the power of salvation)
2. Historically, Peter is believed to have been the bishop of Rome (some early Christian writers credit Rome with holding superiority to other Churches)
3. The Pope is the “papa” or father of all others, second only to God (term of respect and love).
        4. Errors in this begin with the interpretation of Matt. 16.
    B. Monasticism-
        A. The word “monk is derived from the Greek word for “solitary.” 
B. Early monks would deny themselves worldly pleasures, so that they could pursue godliness without distractions.
C. In a world of destruction and chaos, monasteries provided security, spiritual order and peace. 
D. What needs were served by the monastaries?
    1. Developed schools
    2. Served as hospitals
    3. Provided lodging
    4. Preserved literature by copying manuscripts
E. St. Jerome (AD 405)
1. Translated the OT Bible into Latin from the original Hebrew language.  Latin was the common language “Vulgate”
2. This was done to fix errors in another translation which was from Greek to Latin.  It took 23 years and done while living in Bethlehem.
3. This included the apocrypha, even though he and others did not regard them as “inspired.” 2 Tim 3:16
 
        F. The Rule of St. Benedict
            1. Physical work is required.  “Idleness is the enemy of the soul.”
2. Prayer is the “proper work of God.”  Both communal and private prayers—they would meet 7 times a day to pray and sing Psalms.
            3. Vows
                a. poverty- they cannot own private property
                b. chastity- cannot marry or have sexual relations
                c. obedience – submission to the rules of the order
        G. Errors
1. By becoming a monk, one can become more holy.  The sinner’s heart is cleansed by fleeing the world.
2. What does the Bible say?  Col. 2:20-23, Col. 3:5-17, Matt 28
3. They had the right motives.
 

Saint Augustine of Hippo (AD 356-430)

I. Life
A. Augustine was born a Roman citizen in North Africa.  His mother was a devout Christian, but his father was a pagan.
B. Augustine rejected his mother’s prayers and warnings and instead followed his father’s example in living a life of selfishness and sinful pleasure.
C. Augustine moved to Milan in Italy to study and become a teacher of Rhetoric.
    a. Rhetoric = the art and skill of speaking and writing persuasively.
D. God used the words of the great preacher Ambrose of Milan, to convict him of his sinful lifestyle and lead him to Christ.
E. In AD 386 he was converted to Christianity from the false beliefs of Manichaeism.  The following year he was baptized by Ambrose.
F. After his conversion became a monk, later a priest, and finally the Bishop of Hippo.

II. Accomplishments
    A. During his time as bishop, he taught against false teachings.
1. Manichaeism-light/dark, two natures of man good/evil.  Man is not responsible for evil.  
2. Pelagianism-teaches that men do not inherit sinful natures and are not really that bad.  We have complete free will and play a large part in our own salvation.
3. Taught predestination, later reintroduced by John Calvin.
    B. His thoughts and writings have influenced both Catholics and Protestants—(vital to the Reformation of the 1500s, man cannot save himself.)
    C. His writings, more than any other, shaped the next 1200 years.

III. Confessions.
A. Confessions is his recalling the events of his life which led him from
B. Augustine wrote this so that others can know that even when they are in the depths of sin they can call out to God to save them.
    
C. Book I
        1. “Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in thee.”
a. We all have a need to be united to God our creator.  We can look for other things to satisfy us, but will never have true joy until we look to Christ for rest.
b. C.S. Lewis said that joy differs from pleasure and happiness, because once we have tasted true joy, we will never want to go back to seeking only pleasure.
2. (Ch. 4) He questions how incomprehensible the nature of God is.  God seems to be a paradox.
     a. God is “jealous, yet free from care,”
     b. God is “angry, yet serene”
     c. God “Owes men nothing, but pays them as if in debt to your creature, and when you cancel debts lose nothing.”

Reviewed other notes on religion

4. Tiew(Tiu)-
    a. The god of single handed combat. His name means “god”
    b. Typically is the son of Odin and wields a sword in battle.
    c. His name is the source for our day Tuesday.

C. Valhalla-
1. this is the heaven of the Germanic peoples.
2. Valhalla was reserved only for great warriors and brave men who were slain in battle.
3. In Valhalla, warriors could fight each other all day long, and when body parts were lost in battle, the could be regained the following day.
4. Heroes would drink wine and Meade from the skulls of their enemies, and the great hall was decorated with shields and bones of the dead.
5. Valkyries were blonde-haired warrior maidens who would take dead bodies from the battle field in their chariots up to Valhalla.  

IV. Religion
    A. The major gods
1. Odin (Woden)-
a. “mighty warrior,” he is the father of the gods, and was associated with wind.
b. He has only one eye, the other was traded for a drink that could give him tremendous wisdom (hung on a tree for 9 days.)
c. From him we get the name for Wednesday.
d. He is associated with wisdom, war, and death and also magic, poetry and prophecy. He is able to turn into other animals.


2. Frija (Frigg)-
a. She is the wife of Odin, Frigg means “wife,” or “beloved lady”.

b. She is the queen of all the goddesses.
c. She was associated with married women and giving birth.    
d. Friday derives its name from her.

3.  Thor (Thunaer)-
a. The son of Thor and his mistress.  His name translates into “thunder”
b. His weapon was a golden hammer that would never miss its target and always returned to his hand.  It could produce lightning and made the sound of Thunder.
c. Rides on a chariot drawn by goats that he may eat when hungry, he has the power to revive them if bones are not broken.
d. Thursday is the day of Thor.

The Germanic Tribes/Barbarians
I. Where were they from?  Around 500 BC they migrated from the North in Scandinavia to the South, settling in the Balkan region, Germany and the Ukraine.
II. What were they like?  
A. They were a violent and hard-working people who were savage and cruel warriors.  
    B. Often they would make treaties with the Romans.  Many fought as Roman soldiers.
C. Weaponry included stone or iron battle axes, swords, long spears and leather helmets and shields.  Clothing was made of animal skin
D. Gambling was a favorite pastime, which often ended up in slavery.
E. Trial by Ordeal
III. Who were the tribes?
    A. Visigoths-(the west Goths) Goth=to pour forth/manly strength
1. Originally from north of Greece in the Balkan Mountains, but were forced into Rome during the mid 4th century AD by a nomadic tribe called the Huns.
2. Rome promises assistance and allows them to settle in the empire, offering protection if they will fight as Romans.  Rome does not keep its promise, so they revolt in 378 and kill the Roman Emperor Valens
3. Visigoth King Alaric plunders Rome in 410, and the tribe finally settles in Spain. (Nicaen Christians.)
    B. Vandals
1. They travelled from Southern Russia to conquer N. Africa and in 455 they sack Rome worse than Alaric had, destroying whatever was in their path.
2. In 476, their leader Odoacer overthrows the Roman Emperor Romulus Augustus, and was acknowledged as the ruler of what was left of Rome. (This marks the end of the Western Roman Empire.)
    C. Ostrogoths-(east Goths)
1. King Theodoric desired to settle his people in Italy.  He successfully took control of Italy from Odoacer in AD 493.
2. Theodoric was educated in the Constantinople and thus preserved Roman culture rather than destroy it.  His people were Arian Christians.
    D. Franks- (Free)
1. Clovis (c.482-511), the leader of one group of Franks united all the Franks as their king.  
2. Was converted to Catholicism by his wife in AD 500, and enlarged his territory as a leader of anti-Arian Christianity.  His people converted along with him.
3. In his final years he murdered many relatives to guarantee the continuity of his dynasty. (Merovingians).
4. This was the longest lasting Germanic kingdom, the settled the lands of Germany and France.
 
    E. Angles and Saxons
1. With the invasions caused by the other tribes, Rome abandoned Britain early in the 5th century to protect its borders.  The Angles and the Saxons easily occupy the land.
2. In the 6th Century, these tribes are converted to Christianity by the work of missionaries.