In 380 CE, Christianity was effectively adopted as the official religion of the Roman empire, and as the Church’s power and influence grew, its relationship with the state became a disputed issue. One of the first political philosophers to address this question was Augustine of Hippo, a scholar and teacher who became a convert to Christianity. In his attempt to integrate classical philosophy into the religion, he was greatly influenced by his study of Plato, which also formed the basis for his political thinking.
As a Roman citizen, Augustine believed in the tradition of a state bound by the rule of law, but as a scholar, he agreed with Aristotle predominates. Augustine sees the influence of the Church on the state as the only means to ensure that the laws of the land are made with reference to divine laws, allowing people to live in the civitas Dei. The presence of such just laws distinguishes a state from a band of robbers. Robbers and pirates join together under a leader to steal from their neighbors. The robbers may have rules, but they are not just rules. However, Augustine further points out that even in a sinful civitas terrea, the authority of the state can ensure order through the rule of law, and that order is something we all have a reason to want.
Just war
Augustine’s emphasis on justice,
with its roots in Christian doctrine,
also applied to the business of war.
While he believed all war to be evil,
and that to attack and plunder
other states was unjust, he
conceded that a “just war” fought
for a just cause, such as defending
the state against aggression, or to restore peace, did exist, though it
should be embarked upon with
regret and only as a last resort.
This conflict between secular and divine law, and the attempt to reconcile the two, began the power struggle between Church and state that ran through the Middle Ages.
Augustine’s vision of a state living according to Christian principles was outlined in his work City of God, in which he described the relationship between the Roman empire and God’s law
This article is extracted from:
The Politics Book (Big Ideas Simply Explained), DK, 2013