ONLINE SEMINAR
September 21 | Augustine and Aquinas: A Soul for a Reason
$250.00
For the fourth-century Christian thinker Augustine and generations of believers after him, faith in God is a prerequisite, but faith in God is not sufficient; humanity must strive to understand God’s influence over laws, nature, culture and the whole of human behaviour. There are no easy answers, and there is no escape from the dilemmas created by a belief in God.
This seminar is theology for the non-theologian. Anyone who wants to examine humanity’s place in the universe and who cares about striving for answers to the most vexing questions of life on this planet should enroll.
When: Four weekly sessions on Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m. Eastern, starting September 21, 2021
Duration: 2 hours per session
Cost: C$250 plus 13% HST (approx. US$201 plus 13% HST)
Group Size: 12-participant limit
How: We meet on Zoom; you will receive joining instructions approx. 3 weeks before the seminar start date. For your privacy, all our Zoom seminars are password-protected and are never recorded. See full conditions at the bottom of this page.
All seminar payments are nonrefundable. All discount codes must be used at time of purchase. If you would like to apply your Toronto Pursuits 2020 deposit to this seminar, please contact us.
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Description
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LEADER
As an instructor at Benedictine University, John Riley conducted many classes on the Benedictine and Catholic tradition that focused on the contributions of Augustine and Aquinas to understanding the central values of Christianity.
READINGS
Selections from Augustine’s Confessions and City of God, the Summa Theologica of Thomas Aquinas, and several other works. Readings will be provided to registered participants via PDF and web links.
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“Seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand.” — Saint Augustine
For the fourth-century Christian thinker Augustine and generations of believers after him, faith in God is a prerequisite, but faith in God is not sufficient; humanity must strive to understand God’s influence over laws, nature, culture and the whole of human behaviour. There are no easy answers, and there is no escape from the dilemmas created by a belief in God. Augustine and Aquinas are the greatest of all Christian theologians because they faced the most difficult questions with their faith in God intact: Why does evil exist? Why does God grant us free will and then punish us when we make bad choices? How can sinners write just laws, form good government and treat those who are poor with compassion and justice?
Augustine and Aquinas are prolific thinkers and writers; there is no course of any length that could do justice to all they wrote. This seminar will distill their thinking down to their most essential responses to the most pressing questions. The structure of the class is topical and comparative–their ideas on key problems will be explored separately and then examined together. The following subjects form the basis of discussion:
Week One — The Nature of God and the Existence of Evil
Week Two — Having Faith and Reason/Free Will
Week Three — Living a Righteous Life
Week Four — Governance and Law in God’s Eyes
This seminar is theology for the non-theologian. Anyone who wants to examine humanity’s place in the universe and who cares about striving for answers to the most vexing questions of life on this planet should enroll.
All online seminar payments are nonrefundable. All discount codes must be used at the time of purchase; no retroactive discounts will be issued.
Classical Pursuits does not record seminars. By participating in any seminar, registrants agree not to make their own seminar recordings and to abide by the Classical Pursuits code of conduct.
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Additional information
| Choose registration type | Standard registration, Toronto Pursuits 2020 credit |
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