Yesterday in a hurry I bought the "De vera religione" for the train trip, didn't read it much though. Today I read Chapter I to VII. To be noted is the description of Plato as a crypt Christian. The search of Plato after the stable, never changing beauty is taken by Augustine as the search after God. The similitude between Plato's thinking and the Christian teaching consists according to Augustine in the followings: 1) the truth should be seen through the mind, not through eyes (non corporeis oculis sed pura mente veritatem videri), and that to adhere to this truth is the perfect luck, and that to achieve this one must live an ascetic life without the distortion and delusion which are brought up by the lusts; 2) to see the unchanging beauty, the soul must be healthy (sana); 3) among all creatures only the rational and intellectual soul is able to see the eternity of God and to enjoy the eternal life. But Augustine opines that Plato was afraid to act against the conventions of his society and thus didn't give up a life in the world and to seek God in a life style whilst all the secular interests were left behind. In comparison, the Christians achieved what Plato originally intended to.
From Chapter V to VII Augustine writes that the True Religion is only in the Catholic Church. His definition of what is catholic is quite interesting: that is the community which is free from heresy and schism (which comes up due to the arrogance). Although people can have the same liturgy, but the difference in belief can excommunicate one from the catholic community. And it is possible, thus Augustine, that very orthodox and pious people can be excommunicated through mistake. But a true saint will endure all this injustice and will never start an act of disobedience (nr. 33: "quam contumeliam vel iniuriam suam cum patientissime pro ecclessiae pace tulerint neque ullas novitates vel schismatis vel heresis moliti fuerint, docebunt homines quam vero affectu et quanta sinceritate caritatis deo serviendum sit").
To be continued.
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