Augustine on Creation, Providence and Motion

Oliver, Simon

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.

Citation

Oliver, S. (2016). Augustine on Creation, Providence and Motion. International Journal of Systematic Theology, 18(4), 379-398. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijst.12171

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jun 24, 2016
• Online Publication Date: Sep 29, 2016
• Publication Date: Oct 1, 2016
• Deposit Date: Jun 24, 2016
• Publicly Available Date: Sep 29, 2018
• Journal: International Journal of Systematic Theology
• Print ISSN: 1463-1652
• Electronic ISSN: 1468-2400
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 18
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 379-398
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/ijst.12171
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1380493