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Book No. – 4 (Political Science)
Book Name – Western Political Thought (Shefali Jha)
What’s Inside the Chapter? (After Subscription)
1. SAINT AUGUSTINE (354-430 CE)
2. THOMAS AQUINAS (1224-1274)
2.1. THE PLACE OF POLITICS IN CHRISTIAN THOUGHT
3. A CONCEPTION OF LAW
4. THE CONCILIAR MOVEMENT
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Augustine and Thomas Aquinas: Christian Political Thought in the Middle Ages
Chapter – 4
Table of Contents
- The advent of Christianity led to scepticism about the link between individual virtue and the design of political institutions, as established in Greek thought.
- In classical Greek thought, the political community was essential to an individual’s well-being, fulfilling both material and moral/spiritual needs.
- The form of the political community shifted from a polis to an empire, but the debate on the value of a life in service to the political community continued.
- With the rise and dominance of Christianity, the pre-eminence of the political community was displaced by the religious community (the Christian community).
- Individual virtue began to be linked to one’s religious life rather than one’s political life.
- Between the time of the Stoics and Machiavelli, Europe was dominated by Christian philosophy.
- The works of Aurelius Augustine and Thomas Aquinas will be discussed to explore the role of politics and the political community in this religious worldview.
- Early Christianity was marked by struggle and oppression, with Christian groups persecuted by Roman officials for over 300 years.
- In the 4th century, after the conversion of Constantine to Christianity in 312 CE, things began to change.
- By the 390s, Theodosius I enforced Christianity through legislation, banning non-Christian pagan religions.
- The Roman Empire began to be seen as the vehicle of Christianity and “God’s providentially intended instrumentfor the establishment of Christianity in the world.”
- Some Christian thinkers questioned the alignment between political and religious authorities.
- A key issue was the role of the political regime in the salvation of individuals.
- The spread of Christianity led to the establishment of the Roman Catholic Church, which became an extremely powerful institution in the Middle Ages.
- The Church’s hierarchy (pope, cardinals, bishops, priests) influenced its model of how authority should be organized to maintain its community.
- The conciliar movement of the 14th century contested the Church’s hierarchical organization.
- The Church’s organization could be seen as either a complementary or competing model for how political powershould be organized.
- Questions arose about whether members of the political community should be administered like the religious community.
- If the functions of the state and Church differ fundamentally, should their principles of organization also differ?
- These issues raised significant new political questions in the Middle Ages, which Christian thinkers debated and sought answers for.