Podcasts about god augustine

  Grace Cathedral, San Francisco, CA 2E71 All Saints Day 11:00 a.m. Baptism Sunday 3 November 2024 Daniel 12:1-3 Psalm 24 Revelation 21:1-6a John 11:32-44 “See I am making all things new… I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end” (Rev. 21). 1. In three days there will be an election. We have heard about authoritarianism and the Deep State, that this might be the last election we will ever have. We have been told that the United States Department of Justice will seek retribution against political enemies, that doctors will be prosecuted for performing health procedures like abortions or gender transition therapies, that our own armies will be deployed against regular American citizens. We are afraid that our marriages will be declared invalid and that we will be singled out for persecution.   Candidates have said that America's domestic enemies are more dangerous than our foreign ones. News broadcasters have told us that rather than protecting us from foreign dictators our political leaders admire them. We see signs that the meager efforts we are making to slow down climate change and species extinction may be undone. We have been told that the elections cannot be trusted, that immigrants are in some way unseen threats. We are reminded that the person we choose will alone have power to destroy life on earth by launching nuclear weapons.   There is so much more I could say about this but I don't need to because we are all getting five text messages a day from politicians who act as if they know us, who talk as if they alone can save us.   In 1965, 70% of Americans said that religion is very important. In our time 45% of Americans agree with this statement. [i] Some may say that we are becoming less spiritual as a society. But one might argue instead that we are less likely to express our spirituality through religious institutions and more likely to invest other parts of our life with ultimate value.   The sociologist Max Weber (1865-1920) had a theory that the evolution of religious life has led us in the modern world to have seven “value spheres” that at times compete with each other. These include: religion, family, politics, economics, art, science and eroticism. Some thinkers today believe that as people participate less in religion they invest spiritual meaning in other spheres, particularly politics.   Philip Gorski writes, “the most important form of sacrality today is arguably “the political.” For the populist right, the sacred is most often “the nation,” or ”Christian nation” or “Hindu Civilization.” For the progressive left, the sacred is more often democracy or social justice... [N]ation and state, party and ideology, race and identity, have become sacred objects of devotion for many.” [ii]   Many of our most secular friends have become missionaries writing letters and visiting distant places trying to inspire people to vote. This makes sense since the political sphere has tremendous power to control taxation, wage nuclear war, curtail climate change, preserve democracy and balance inconceivable levels of wealth inequality.   2. In the time of Jesus the Romans mercilessly demanded that subject peoples worship the emperor as a god. The situation seemed hopeless. But according to the Gospel of John, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” John goes on, “the true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him… but to all who received him he gave power to become children of God” (Jn. 1). This light which shone in Jesus still shines today.   The purpose of the Gospel of John is to draw us into a new world, into life in God. He writes about seven signs. The first happens when Jesus turns water into wine at a wedding in Cana of Galilee. And the last occurs when Jesus returns to enemy territory in order to bring his friend Lazarus back from the dead.   Jesus narrowly escapes being stoned to death in Judea for saying that, “The Father and I are one” (Jn. 10). Then he gets a message from two sisters that “the one you love is ill.” Jesus' friends can hardly believe it when he tells them that he is going back to the place where he was almost killed. The name Lazarus means “God is my help.” Jesus feels so deeply moved by the grief of Lazarus' sisters Martha and Mary that he himself weeps. Jesus knows that bringing his friend back to life will lead to his own death. And this is exactly what happens. Later, the authorities reason that Jesus must die because by raising the dead he will inspire the masses who will then provoke the Romans to destroy the temple and their whole culture. High Priest Caiaphas says, “it is better to have one man die for the people than to have the whole nation destroyed” (Jn. 11).   The pivotal moment occurs when Jesus says to Martha, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” The point of this is not that Martha's believing has anything to do with her brother coming back to life. It is that Martha's faith will help her to see the action of God that is already happening in Jesus.   3. And this is how faith is. We trust in God first and then we come to see the world in a completely new way. St. Augustine (354-430) was an African saint born in the fourth century. He calls this faith seeking understanding. We say yes and give our hearts to God. And then God opens our lives to the divine mystery.   St. Augustine helps me to understand these elections and Jesus' invitation into a deeper reality. In 410 Rome was sacked. Pagans argued that this defeat happened because the gods were punishing the Romans for converting to Christianity. [iii] In response Augustine wrote his book The City of God.   In it Augustine describes two cities the earthly city and the city of God. These are not distinguished by jurisdiction or location. One is not on earth and the other in the skies. Instead, they are two fundamentally different ways of organizing human community. They are distinguished by their love. The earthly city revolves around love of self, the lust for power and domination.   The city of God is characterized by love of God and neighbor. Because God values human freedom we find ourselves in a shared territory that is occupied by citizens of both cities. Now is not a time for separating the wheat from the chaff, the sheep from the goats. We will not experience perfect justice, peace, goodness or beauty in this life. Politicians will always let us down.   In 418 Augustine puts this in another way when he writes to Boniface, the Roman general in charge of North Africa. Boniface wants to impose Christian practices with the sword. Augustine disagrees and writes, “We ought not to want to live ahead of time with only the saints and the righteous.” [iv] In other words we should not imagine that we will achieve the ideal in this world. Politics is the way that we live in the time we have now. We should expect disagreement, compromise, debate and be patient with those who disagree with us. The message is simple on All Saint's Day in San Francisco let politics have its place. But it should never become our god. Regardless of who is elected, our God is on the throne. Jesus, through his life and death ushers us into another reality. That light shines through our darkness.   Last week after church I had lunch with our former bishop Bill Swing and Cricket Jones the wife of our longtime dean Alan Jones. Alan died in January and the three of us still look visibly upset when we talk about him together. Hesitantly I asked the two about their most powerful memories of Alan and Cricket's wedding which took place in France at Chartres Cathedral.   Bishop Swing talked about drawers of vestments from the sixteenth century. Then Cricket described a moment from the service. She and Alan were perched on little chairs in front of the high altar. And as the bishop was going through the prayers she felt as if her little chair rose up into the air by four or five inches. And then she had a sense that all the saints who had ever been there were present with them. In her mind's eye she could see them standing all around the apse on each other's shoulders with such deep love. [v]   In three days there will be an election. But as we baptize children into the new life of Christ may the ones we love and all the saints be present with us. Let us have eyes to see that God is making all things new. [i] “Forty-five percent of Americans say religion is "very important" in their life, with another 26% saying it is "fairly important" and 28% saying it's "not very important." When Gallup first asked this question in 1965, 70% said religion was very important. That fell to 52% in a 1978 survey, but the percentage ticked up to nearly 60% between 1990 and 2005. Over the past 20 years, a declining share of Americans have said religion is important, dropping below 50% for the first time in 2019.” From, “How Religious Are Americans,” Gallup News, 29 March 2024. https://news.gallup.com/poll/358364/religious-americans.aspx [ii] Robert Gorski, “Disenchantment of the World” or Fragmentation of the Sacred,” in Robert N. Bellah, Challenging Modernity (NY: Columbia University Press, 2024) 319. [iii] In his book The City of God Augustine writes that rather than the gods protecting Rome, Rome protected her gods. [iv] “At the heart of Augustine's political wisdom is an awareness of what time it is. Late in his life, he counseled Boniface, a Roman general governing the precinct of Africa. In a letter from 418, Augustine addresses Boniface's frustrations with uprisings and incursions by those who despise the Christian faith. Boniface thinks he knows what the kingdom of God is supposed to look like, and he's tempted to impose it—to make the kingdom come. Augustine cautions the impatient ruler: “We ought not to want to live ahead of time with only the saints and the righteous.” Trying to “live ahead of time” means imagining we can achieve some ideal embodiment of justice—whether it's utopia or the kingdom—by imposing our will. Politics, Augustine counsels, demands patience. Politics is the art of forging a life together in the now. The institutions of our republic and the practices of democracy are eroded precisely when we imagine that we can live ahead of time. Political liberalism is accumulated wisdom about how not to live ahead of time.” James K. A. Smith, “Wisdom from Augustine in an Election Year,” The Christian Century, November 2024. https://www.christiancentury.org/features/wisdom-augustine-election-year?check_logged_in=1 [v] The novelist Susanna Clarke in an interview with the New York Times says, ““I feel very strongly that if you could see the world as it really is, if you could get further beyond your ego and the sorts of ways in which we trap ourselves, if you could just see the world beyond, every moment would be miraculous.” https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/25/books/susanna-clarke-strange-norrell-sequel-interview.html?campaign_id=69&emc=edit_bk_20241101&instance_id=138448&nl=books®i_id=13508633&segment_id=181999&user_id=f284507f51aad420f13c2727d615ae11

This week, Laura and Ethan are joined by Dr. Toni Alimi for a conversation about The Tough Stuff in our scripture and tradition. From Augustine to @ladygaga to materialism to Jacob, we cover a lot of ground, all rooted in the essential question: how do we hold disparate and hard things in tension, especially when it's about our faith?Toni Alimi lives in Ithaca, NY, with his wife and their daughter. He teaches philosophy at Cornell University.Toni's latest book can be found here: Slaves of God: Augustine and Other Romans on Religion and Politics

Augustine believed that slavery is permissible, but to understand why, we must situate him in his late antique Roman intellectual context. Slaves of God: Augustine and Other Romans on Religion and Politics (Princeton UP, 2024) provides a major reassessment of this monumental figure in the Western religious and political tradition, tracing the remarkably close connections between Augustine's understanding of slavery and his broader thought. Augustine is most often read through the lens of Greek philosophy and the theology of Christian writers such as Paul and Ambrose, yet his debt to Roman thought is seldom appreciated. Toni Alimi reminds us that the author of Confessions and City of God was also a Roman citizen and argues that some of the thinkers who most significantly shaped his intellectual development were Romans such as Cicero, Seneca, Lactantius, and Varro—Romans who had much to say about slavery and its relationship to civic life. Alimi shows how Augustine, a keen and influential student of these figures, related chattel slavery and slavery to God, and sheds light on Augustinianism's complicity in Christianity's long entanglement with slavery. An illuminating work of scholarship, Slaves of God reveals how slavery was integral to Augustine's views about law, rule, accountability, and citizenship, and breaks new ground on the topic of slavery in late antique and medieval political thought. New Books in Late Antiquity is presented by Ancient Jew Review Toni Alimi is Assistant Professor at the Sage School of Philosophy at Cornell University Michael Motia teaches in Classics and Religious Studies at UMass Boston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Augustine believed that slavery is permissible, but to understand why, we must situate him in his late antique Roman intellectual context. Slaves of God: Augustine and Other Romans on Religion and Politics (Princeton UP, 2024) provides a major reassessment of this monumental figure in the Western religious and political tradition, tracing the remarkably close connections between Augustine's understanding of slavery and his broader thought. Augustine is most often read through the lens of Greek philosophy and the theology of Christian writers such as Paul and Ambrose, yet his debt to Roman thought is seldom appreciated. Toni Alimi reminds us that the author of Confessions and City of God was also a Roman citizen and argues that some of the thinkers who most significantly shaped his intellectual development were Romans such as Cicero, Seneca, Lactantius, and Varro—Romans who had much to say about slavery and its relationship to civic life. Alimi shows how Augustine, a keen and influential student of these figures, related chattel slavery and slavery to God, and sheds light on Augustinianism's complicity in Christianity's long entanglement with slavery. An illuminating work of scholarship, Slaves of God reveals how slavery was integral to Augustine's views about law, rule, accountability, and citizenship, and breaks new ground on the topic of slavery in late antique and medieval political thought. New Books in Late Antiquity is presented by Ancient Jew Review Toni Alimi is Assistant Professor at the Sage School of Philosophy at Cornell University Michael Motia teaches in Classics and Religious Studies at UMass Boston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

Augustine believed that slavery is permissible, but to understand why, we must situate him in his late antique Roman intellectual context. Slaves of God: Augustine and Other Romans on Religion and Politics (Princeton UP, 2024) provides a major reassessment of this monumental figure in the Western religious and political tradition, tracing the remarkably close connections between Augustine's understanding of slavery and his broader thought. Augustine is most often read through the lens of Greek philosophy and the theology of Christian writers such as Paul and Ambrose, yet his debt to Roman thought is seldom appreciated. Toni Alimi reminds us that the author of Confessions and City of God was also a Roman citizen and argues that some of the thinkers who most significantly shaped his intellectual development were Romans such as Cicero, Seneca, Lactantius, and Varro—Romans who had much to say about slavery and its relationship to civic life. Alimi shows how Augustine, a keen and influential student of these figures, related chattel slavery and slavery to God, and sheds light on Augustinianism's complicity in Christianity's long entanglement with slavery. An illuminating work of scholarship, Slaves of God reveals how slavery was integral to Augustine's views about law, rule, accountability, and citizenship, and breaks new ground on the topic of slavery in late antique and medieval political thought. New Books in Late Antiquity is presented by Ancient Jew Review Toni Alimi is Assistant Professor at the Sage School of Philosophy at Cornell University Michael Motia teaches in Classics and Religious Studies at UMass Boston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/middle-eastern-studies

Augustine believed that slavery is permissible, but to understand why, we must situate him in his late antique Roman intellectual context. Slaves of God: Augustine and Other Romans on Religion and Politics (Princeton UP, 2024) provides a major reassessment of this monumental figure in the Western religious and political tradition, tracing the remarkably close connections between Augustine's understanding of slavery and his broader thought. Augustine is most often read through the lens of Greek philosophy and the theology of Christian writers such as Paul and Ambrose, yet his debt to Roman thought is seldom appreciated. Toni Alimi reminds us that the author of Confessions and City of God was also a Roman citizen and argues that some of the thinkers who most significantly shaped his intellectual development were Romans such as Cicero, Seneca, Lactantius, and Varro—Romans who had much to say about slavery and its relationship to civic life. Alimi shows how Augustine, a keen and influential student of these figures, related chattel slavery and slavery to God, and sheds light on Augustinianism's complicity in Christianity's long entanglement with slavery. An illuminating work of scholarship, Slaves of God reveals how slavery was integral to Augustine's views about law, rule, accountability, and citizenship, and breaks new ground on the topic of slavery in late antique and medieval political thought. New Books in Late Antiquity is presented by Ancient Jew Review Toni Alimi is Assistant Professor at the Sage School of Philosophy at Cornell University Michael Motia teaches in Classics and Religious Studies at UMass Boston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/intellectual-history

Augustine believed that slavery is permissible, but to understand why, we must situate him in his late antique Roman intellectual context. Slaves of God: Augustine and Other Romans on Religion and Politics (Princeton UP, 2024) provides a major reassessment of this monumental figure in the Western religious and political tradition, tracing the remarkably close connections between Augustine's understanding of slavery and his broader thought. Augustine is most often read through the lens of Greek philosophy and the theology of Christian writers such as Paul and Ambrose, yet his debt to Roman thought is seldom appreciated. Toni Alimi reminds us that the author of Confessions and City of God was also a Roman citizen and argues that some of the thinkers who most significantly shaped his intellectual development were Romans such as Cicero, Seneca, Lactantius, and Varro—Romans who had much to say about slavery and its relationship to civic life. Alimi shows how Augustine, a keen and influential student of these figures, related chattel slavery and slavery to God, and sheds light on Augustinianism's complicity in Christianity's long entanglement with slavery. An illuminating work of scholarship, Slaves of God reveals how slavery was integral to Augustine's views about law, rule, accountability, and citizenship, and breaks new ground on the topic of slavery in late antique and medieval political thought. New Books in Late Antiquity is presented by Ancient Jew Review Toni Alimi is Assistant Professor at the Sage School of Philosophy at Cornell University Michael Motia teaches in Classics and Religious Studies at UMass Boston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Augustine believed that slavery is permissible, but to understand why, we must situate him in his late antique Roman intellectual context. Slaves of God: Augustine and Other Romans on Religion and Politics (Princeton UP, 2024) provides a major reassessment of this monumental figure in the Western religious and political tradition, tracing the remarkably close connections between Augustine's understanding of slavery and his broader thought. Augustine is most often read through the lens of Greek philosophy and the theology of Christian writers such as Paul and Ambrose, yet his debt to Roman thought is seldom appreciated. Toni Alimi reminds us that the author of Confessions and City of God was also a Roman citizen and argues that some of the thinkers who most significantly shaped his intellectual development were Romans such as Cicero, Seneca, Lactantius, and Varro—Romans who had much to say about slavery and its relationship to civic life. Alimi shows how Augustine, a keen and influential student of these figures, related chattel slavery and slavery to God, and sheds light on Augustinianism's complicity in Christianity's long entanglement with slavery. An illuminating work of scholarship, Slaves of God reveals how slavery was integral to Augustine's views about law, rule, accountability, and citizenship, and breaks new ground on the topic of slavery in late antique and medieval political thought. New Books in Late Antiquity is presented by Ancient Jew Review Toni Alimi is Assistant Professor at the Sage School of Philosophy at Cornell University Michael Motia teaches in Classics and Religious Studies at UMass Boston

Augustine believed that slavery is permissible, but to understand why, we must situate him in his late antique Roman intellectual context. Slaves of God: Augustine and Other Romans on Religion and Politics (Princeton UP, 2024) provides a major reassessment of this monumental figure in the Western religious and political tradition, tracing the remarkably close connections between Augustine's understanding of slavery and his broader thought. Augustine is most often read through the lens of Greek philosophy and the theology of Christian writers such as Paul and Ambrose, yet his debt to Roman thought is seldom appreciated. Toni Alimi reminds us that the author of Confessions and City of God was also a Roman citizen and argues that some of the thinkers who most significantly shaped his intellectual development were Romans such as Cicero, Seneca, Lactantius, and Varro—Romans who had much to say about slavery and its relationship to civic life. Alimi shows how Augustine, a keen and influential student of these figures, related chattel slavery and slavery to God, and sheds light on Augustinianism's complicity in Christianity's long entanglement with slavery. An illuminating work of scholarship, Slaves of God reveals how slavery was integral to Augustine's views about law, rule, accountability, and citizenship, and breaks new ground on the topic of slavery in late antique and medieval political thought. New Books in Late Antiquity is presented by Ancient Jew Review Toni Alimi is Assistant Professor at the Sage School of Philosophy at Cornell University Michael Motia teaches in Classics and Religious Studies at UMass Boston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/religion

Augustine believed that slavery is permissible, but to understand why, we must situate him in his late antique Roman intellectual context. Slaves of God: Augustine and Other Romans on Religion and Politics (Princeton UP, 2024) provides a major reassessment of this monumental figure in the Western religious and political tradition, tracing the remarkably close connections between Augustine's understanding of slavery and his broader thought. Augustine is most often read through the lens of Greek philosophy and the theology of Christian writers such as Paul and Ambrose, yet his debt to Roman thought is seldom appreciated. Toni Alimi reminds us that the author of Confessions and City of God was also a Roman citizen and argues that some of the thinkers who most significantly shaped his intellectual development were Romans such as Cicero, Seneca, Lactantius, and Varro—Romans who had much to say about slavery and its relationship to civic life. Alimi shows how Augustine, a keen and influential student of these figures, related chattel slavery and slavery to God, and sheds light on Augustinianism's complicity in Christianity's long entanglement with slavery. An illuminating work of scholarship, Slaves of God reveals how slavery was integral to Augustine's views about law, rule, accountability, and citizenship, and breaks new ground on the topic of slavery in late antique and medieval political thought. New Books in Late Antiquity is presented by Ancient Jew Review Toni Alimi is Assistant Professor at the Sage School of Philosophy at Cornell University Michael Motia teaches in Classics and Religious Studies at UMass Boston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/italian-studies

Augustine believed that slavery is permissible, but to understand why, we must situate him in his late antique Roman intellectual context. Slaves of God: Augustine and Other Romans on Religion and Politics (Princeton UP, 2024) provides a major reassessment of this monumental figure in the Western religious and political tradition, tracing the remarkably close connections between Augustine's understanding of slavery and his broader thought. Augustine is most often read through the lens of Greek philosophy and the theology of Christian writers such as Paul and Ambrose, yet his debt to Roman thought is seldom appreciated. Toni Alimi reminds us that the author of Confessions and City of God was also a Roman citizen and argues that some of the thinkers who most significantly shaped his intellectual development were Romans such as Cicero, Seneca, Lactantius, and Varro—Romans who had much to say about slavery and its relationship to civic life. Alimi shows how Augustine, a keen and influential student of these figures, related chattel slavery and slavery to God, and sheds light on Augustinianism's complicity in Christianity's long entanglement with slavery. An illuminating work of scholarship, Slaves of God reveals how slavery was integral to Augustine's views about law, rule, accountability, and citizenship, and breaks new ground on the topic of slavery in late antique and medieval political thought. New Books in Late Antiquity is presented by Ancient Jew Review Toni Alimi is Assistant Professor at the Sage School of Philosophy at Cornell University Michael Motia teaches in Classics and Religious Studies at UMass Boston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Augustine believed that slavery is permissible, but to understand why, we must situate him in his late antique Roman intellectual context. Slaves of God: Augustine and Other Romans on Religion and Politics (Princeton UP, 2024) provides a major reassessment of this monumental figure in the Western religious and political tradition, tracing the remarkably close connections between Augustine's understanding of slavery and his broader thought. Augustine is most often read through the lens of Greek philosophy and the theology of Christian writers such as Paul and Ambrose, yet his debt to Roman thought is seldom appreciated. Toni Alimi reminds us that the author of Confessions and City of God was also a Roman citizen and argues that some of the thinkers who most significantly shaped his intellectual development were Romans such as Cicero, Seneca, Lactantius, and Varro—Romans who had much to say about slavery and its relationship to civic life. Alimi shows how Augustine, a keen and influential student of these figures, related chattel slavery and slavery to God, and sheds light on Augustinianism's complicity in Christianity's long entanglement with slavery. An illuminating work of scholarship, Slaves of God reveals how slavery was integral to Augustine's views about law, rule, accountability, and citizenship, and breaks new ground on the topic of slavery in late antique and medieval political thought. New Books in Late Antiquity is presented by Ancient Jew Review Toni Alimi is Assistant Professor at the Sage School of Philosophy at Cornell University Michael Motia teaches in Classics and Religious Studies at UMass Boston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Augustine believed that slavery is permissible, but to understand why, we must situate him in his late antique Roman intellectual context. Slaves of God: Augustine and Other Romans on Religion and Politics (Princeton UP, 2024) provides a major reassessment of this monumental figure in the Western religious and political tradition, tracing the remarkably close connections between Augustine's understanding of slavery and his broader thought. Augustine is most often read through the lens of Greek philosophy and the theology of Christian writers such as Paul and Ambrose, yet his debt to Roman thought is seldom appreciated. Toni Alimi reminds us that the author of Confessions and City of God was also a Roman citizen and argues that some of the thinkers who most significantly shaped his intellectual development were Romans such as Cicero, Seneca, Lactantius, and Varro—Romans who had much to say about slavery and its relationship to civic life. Alimi shows how Augustine, a keen and influential student of these figures, related chattel slavery and slavery to God, and sheds light on Augustinianism's complicity in Christianity's long entanglement with slavery. An illuminating work of scholarship, Slaves of God reveals how slavery was integral to Augustine's views about law, rule, accountability, and citizenship, and breaks new ground on the topic of slavery in late antique and medieval political thought. New Books in Late Antiquity is presented by Ancient Jew Review Toni Alimi is Assistant Professor at the Sage School of Philosophy at Cornell University Michael Motia teaches in Classics and Religious Studies at UMass Boston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/christian-studies

Augustine believed that slavery is permissible, but to understand why, we must situate him in his late antique Roman intellectual context. Slaves of God: Augustine and Other Romans on Religion and Politics (Princeton UP, 2024) provides a major reassessment of this monumental figure in the Western religious and political tradition, tracing the remarkably close connections between Augustine's understanding of slavery and his broader thought. Augustine is most often read through the lens of Greek philosophy and the theology of Christian writers such as Paul and Ambrose, yet his debt to Roman thought is seldom appreciated. Toni Alimi reminds us that the author of Confessions and City of God was also a Roman citizen and argues that some of the thinkers who most significantly shaped his intellectual development were Romans such as Cicero, Seneca, Lactantius, and Varro—Romans who had much to say about slavery and its relationship to civic life. Alimi shows how Augustine, a keen and influential student of these figures, related chattel slavery and slavery to God, and sheds light on Augustinianism's complicity in Christianity's long entanglement with slavery. An illuminating work of scholarship, Slaves of God reveals how slavery was integral to Augustine's views about law, rule, accountability, and citizenship, and breaks new ground on the topic of slavery in late antique and medieval political thought. New Books in Late Antiquity is presented by Ancient Jew Review Toni Alimi is Assistant Professor at the Sage School of Philosophy at Cornell University Michael Motia teaches in Classics and Religious Studies at UMass Boston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/book-of-the-day

Zero to Hero on a Dusty RoadPaul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God,Ephesians 1:1aAs we embark on this adventure in prayer and the study of the book of Ephesians, let's begin by looking at the person God chose to write this letter and evangelize the known world at that time. His name is Paul, formerly Saul— whom the Lord designated as an apostle of His Son, Jesus Christ.There is much to learn about this simple change of names and, more importantly, the change of identity that accompanies the new name. And the transformation we see in Paul is the same transformation that occurred in you— if you know Christ and have experienced true regeneration and salvation. But more on that later.In the opening few words of his letter to the church at Ephesus, Paul identifies himself as “an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God” (Eph. 1:1a). Note that this transformation was by the will of God and not based on the strength of Paul's personality, his own merit or hard work, nor his ambition, education, family background, or career choice. It was by God and God alone— because only God has the power to transform lives and use individuals for His divine purposes like He did Paul and countless others throughout church history. Paul's life is a living testament to this. Once he was Saul, a violent persecutor of the early church and an enemy of Christ. Then, in a blinding light, he met Jesus on the road to Damascus. And now, everything changed (read it for yourself in Acts 9:1-19). As Mary Magdalene from the series The Chosen said when she was trying to explain her transformation to Nicodemus:“I was one way— and now I am completely different. And the thing that happened in between was Him.”This is what happened to Paul, and to each of us who Christ has changed.From Saul to Paul or From Darkness to LightSaul was a zealous Pharisee who dedicated his life to upholding Jewish law and tradition. It was his passion, and therefore, he saw the early Christians as a threat to his beliefs and actively sought to silence them through persecution, imprisonment, and, ultimately, death. However, God had other plans for Saul. In a blinding moment of revelation and truth, all orchestrated by God and when Saul least expected it (which is often how the Lord works), Jesus appeared to him on the road to Damascus and confronted him with the truth he had so vehemently rejected (Acts 9:1-9). This encounter marked the beginning of Saul's transformation into Paul, who became one of the most influential Christians and an example to all. He became a missionary, evangelist, church planter, apologist, and the writer of most of the New Testament.But what happened to Paul was not an isolated event. God is still in the business of changing lives, even yours— if you would surrender your life to Him. But once again, we'll talk more about that later.What Does it Mean For Us Today?Paul's story is a reminder that no one, including you and me, is beyond the reach of God and His wondrous grace. Just as God changed a violent persecutor of the church into a committed proclaimer of the Gospel, He can also transform our lives, no matter how messed up we have made them, and use us for His glory. All throughout history, we see examples of ordinary people, like you and me, who experienced the extraordinary, life-changing touch of God:• Augustine of Hippo was once driven by worldly ambitions and desires (he was actually a pretty nasty dude), and became the most influential theologian during the early history of the church and penned such classics as “The City of God” and “Confessions.”• There was John...

The next mixtape comes from musician and composer Remo Seeland, who is behind the Swiss experimental label Hallow Ground. He's presenting a selection of the label's music, partly in response to the label's recent publication, their first ever "concept-compilation" Epiphanies (Hallow Ground, 2022) released earlier in March this year. Founded by Remo Seeland, Hallow Ground was created in 2013 and has been instrumental in launching the careers of artists such as Kali Malone and FUJI||||||||||TA as well as recently releasing albums by Lawrence English, Norman Westberg, Maria W Horn and Siavash Amini, as many of Seeland's composition as well. More than a record label, Hallow ground is a platform for Music and Art that leads to ‘Visions', also acting as We act as publishers, hosts and performers. For the label's first ever compilation, the artists were commissioned to pursue a non-rational creative process in approaching the phenomenon of epiphany through sound. The results, whether long-form, short vignettes, profane and concrete sounds or spiritual and abstract pieces, perfectly encapsulate what Hallow Ground as a label has stood for since its inception in the year 2013: challenging not only conventional notions of what music is supposed to sound like but also the listeners' perception through the power of sound. The mix Seeland has prepared for us reflects on the sound of some of the main artists behind the label, and a joyous and sinuous journey into experimental introspection. Tracklist: 1) Lawrence English - Outside The City of God (Augustine wept) 04:02 2) Miki Yui - Listening (oneness) 10:03 3) Maria W Horn - Oinones Death pt. I 05:36 4) Siavash Amini - Spuming Silver 05:53 5) Kali Malone - Empty The Belief 10:01 6) Marja Ahti - Symbiogenesis 07:22 7) Remo Seeland - Pulse Points Green 05:33 8) Steve Fors - Unsound Structures 06:26 9) FUJI||||||||||TA - sukima 07:03

In this episode we continue our discussion on the First Commandment and culture. Do Christian books have to be about missionaries? Do Christian shoes have to be tied with Christian shoelaces? We don't think so. But the Bible does shape our culture--the things we make--as we grow in conformity to the image of God's Son. This Episode Features: Groups Of People Making Stuff; Pswaydoh Dragons; Christian Romance Novels; Smushed-Out Church; Progressive Sanctification; Something Stupid About The Puritan Work Ethic; and Our Favorite Bible Stories In The Most Boring Way Possible. Transcript: https://bit.ly/3h65XHg-htz-36 Links: Micah 4: https://www.esv.org/Micah+4/ Heidelberg Catechism: http://www.heidelberg-catechism.com/en/lords-days/33.html Rabbitson Crusoe (1956): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049650/ The Everlasting Man - G.K. Chesterton: https://amzn.to/2QZPKsr The City of God - Augustine: https://amzn.to/37JCaBc The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism - Max Weber: https://amzn.to/3ibLUIY Secondhand Lions (2003): https://amzn.to/35bbMAR Recos: "The First Commandment" - Sermon by Paul Liberati: https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/scrc/sermons/82420211291715/ Thriftbooks.com "The 10 Commandments" - Judy Rodgers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tX8I7nNZNYE Local Church Book Sales Calvin & Hobbes - Bill Watterson: https://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/haltingtowardzion/support

After sharing our favorite first lines of books, we return to Egyptology and the problem of chronology. In the ancient world, the task of history as we understand it today was rarely undertaken--the glory of the regime was more important than accurate records of events. With the few archeological records we have, it's quite a puzzle to piece together a timeline of ancient Egypt... if you overlook the records of Moses, that is. This Episode Features: Famous First Words; Our Boi Augustine; A Renowned Actor-Historian; A High-Quality Girl; Thanks Tolkien; Good Barthianism; He Says In Words; and Bryan Looks Pensive. Transcript: https://bit.ly/30ujQty-htz-30 Links: 1 Corinthians 15: https://www.esv.org/1+Corinthians+15/ Ages in Chaos - Immanuel Velikovsky: https://amzn.to/2CQ4430 The Exodus Problem - Donovan Courville: https://amzn.to/3ho2NiI Centuries of Darkness - Peter James: https://amzn.to/3fOLmrb Brave New World - Aldous Huxley: https://amzn.to/2BFaHET Recos: That Hideous Strength - C.S. Lewis: https://amzn.to/3b93aLQ To Kill A Mockingbird - Harper Lee: https://amzn.to/2ZMopPz The City of God - Augustine: https://amzn.to/37JCaBc Rubicon - Tom Holland: https://amzn.to/30AHHqz Hardcore History - Dan Carlin: https://www.dancarlin.com/hardcore-history-series/ Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte: https://amzn.to/3igdxku The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien: https://amzn.to/3hqSBGd --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/haltingtowardzion/support

In Part 2 of our series on the life of Moses, we look at the showdown between God and the Egyptian magicians (together with the gods they serve). Not only does Yahweh utterly overpower the Egyptians, but each of the miracles He works also confirms His promises to those who believe, and reminds us how He governs the world at every moment. This Episode Features: We Don't Need No Stinking Frogs; Houdini Was That Good; Accidentally Accelerating Light Particles; Remnants Of The Planet Krypton; People Are Highly Stabbable; St. Augustine Throws Shade; and #AuditTheFED. Transcript: https://bit.ly/3i28uD8-htz-28 Links: Orthodoxy, Ch. 4 - G.K. Chesterton: http://www.gkc.org.uk/gkc/books/orthodoxy/ch4.html Heidelberg Catechism Questions 27-28: http://www.heidelberg-catechism.com/en/lords-days/10.html Jeremiah 14:22: https://www.esv.org/Jeremiah+14/ Psalm 104: https://www.esv.org/Psalm+104/ The City of God - Augustine: https://amzn.to/37JCaBc Recos: Handwriting Systematic Theology - Louis Berkhof: https://amzn.to/2ZltxtR Betsy-Tacy - Maud Hart Lovelace: https://amzn.to/2C6JJpY The Practical Reality of Loving Our Neighbor - Dr. Frank Walker: A Tale of Two Gospels - Dr. Frank Walker: sermonaudio.com/sermon/6142022922912 A Question of Identity - Dr. Frank Walker: sermonaudio.com/sermon/62120193602201 --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/haltingtowardzion/support

Today we're investigating the Ancient Egyptian understanding of burial magic and resurrection. (Spoilers: it's pretty messed up.) We also take the opportunity to talk about Christian burial and the true resurrection of Jesus Christ. This Episode Features: There's A Myth For That; How To Grant Immortality; True Crocodile Facts; Return To Cream Of Wheat; Telegrams Jesus Never Sent; and Smoking Cures Salmon. Transcript: https://bit.ly/2NBsuQ4-htz-25 Links: Horus Ruins Christmas: https://youtu.be/s0-EgjUhRqA In The Beginning - Halting Toward Zion Ep. 2: https://bit.ly/2BujUzq The City of God - Augustine: https://amzn.to/37JCaBc A Modest Proposal - Jonathan Swift: https://amzn.to/314qrM6 Making Your Own Coffin - Art of Manliness Podcast: https://bit.ly/37K5A24 Living Life Backward - David Gibson: https://amzn.to/2zPrrZr Recos: Smoking Meat in the Style of Southern Barbecue The Weight of Glory - C.S. Lewis: https://amzn.to/3dkIy35 Books With Burt - A Podcast on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2Ncrp0G --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/haltingtowardzion/support

Click here for episode transcript: https://bit.ly/3bPaQ5T-htz-14 If you were a modern-day Noah, what books would you bring on the ark with you? We spend this episode exploring our answers to that question, but send us an email and let us know your choices! This Episode Features: Leveling Up in Animal Handling; Just So Many Books; and Elect-o-goggles, New from Whamco! Links Genesis 6: https://www.esv.org/Genesis+6/ The Dangerous Book for Boys - Conn and Hal Iggulden: https://amzn.to/39zm24k A Wrinkle in Time - Madeleine L’Engle: https://amzn.to/2UUrvxD Star Trek: A Piece of the Action: https://amzn.to/2R23TG1 Inferno - Dante Alighieri (tr. Anthony Esolen): https://amzn.to/39kSN5h Romans 1-2: https://www.esv.org/Romans+1;Romans+2/ City of God - Augustine: https://amzn.to/2xzXZ8e Institutes of the Christian Religion - John Calvin (tr. Henry Beveridge): https://amzn.to/3ayzw1M The Total Money Makeover - Dave Ramsey: https://amzn.to/2xyM3Ud The Lord of the Rings - J.R.R. Tolkien: https://amzn.to/3bDwNUO That Hideous Strength - C.S. Lewis: https://amzn.to/2JvnslO Taliesin - Stephen R. Lawhead: https://amzn.to/2QZ71m8 12 Rules for Life - Jordan B. Peterson: https://amzn.to/39w5oCL The Great Tradition - ed. Richard Gamble: https://amzn.to/3bzIbku A Pattern Language - Christopher Alexander: https://amzn.to/2xCgPf2 The Gulag Archipelago - Alexandr Solzhenitsyn: https://amzn.to/2xA0szw The Aeneid - Virgil (tr. Robert Fagles): https://amzn.to/2R1jVjn The Comedy - Dante Alighieri: https://amzn.to/340afuN Complete Works - William Shakespeare: https://amzn.to/3azHqYv The Conquest of Gaul - Julius Caesar: https://amzn.to/3azsdH9 The Essential Writings of Machiavelli: https://amzn.to/2w2038w The Book of the Courtier - Baldesar Castiglione: https://amzn.to/3ayl89J The Communist Manifesto - Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels: https://amzn.to/3aJwiZv The Westminster Confession of Faith: https://amzn.to/3dFtFto The Book of Common Prayer: https://amzn.to/2R3mbXA Pilgrim’s Progress - John Bunyan: https://amzn.to/2R0pT4i Critique of Pure Reason - Immanuel Kant: https://amzn.to/2xBEigf Wealth of Nations - Adam Smith: https://amzn.to/2vZydtw The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe - C.S. Lewis: https://amzn.to/2xHnCnq The God Who is There - Francis Schaeffer: https://amzn.to/3bGVbVK How Should We Then Live? - Francis Schaeffer: https://amzn.to/3dJ5ASm Recos Jojo Rabbit: https://amzn.to/2UxBXMo The Houseplant Song - Audio Adrenaline: https://youtu.be/6z37stZQ-8k --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/haltingtowardzion/support

How can Christians make their Gospel witness more plausible in this increasingly atheistic and disenchanted culture? Today on the BreakPoint Podcast, John Stonestreet talks with Paul Gould, professor of philosophy at Oklahoma Baptist University, and author of the outstanding book, “Cultural Apologetics: Renewing the Christian Voice, Conscience, and Imagination in a Disenchanted World.”   Resources Cultural Apologetics Paul Gould, Zondervan, 2018   Pensees Blaise Pascal, Dover Publications, 2018   Foolishness to the Greeks: The Gospel in Western Culture Leslie Newbigin, 1988   City of God Augustine of Hippo,  Penguin Classic, 2004

In his City of God Augustine traces the histories and philosophical underpinnings of two “cities,” one devoted to worldly glory, the other to heavenly bliss.