The Bible and Western Culture - Part 1 - Augustine and the Christian Self 

Funny story. I decided to read the Confessions one day and I opened it to a random page. Sure enough, that random page was the part where Augustine talked about turning the Bible to a random page! Blew my mind lol

God bless you and may you rest in peace Dr. Sugrue

I took a philospy class in college 20 year ago and recently discovered the textbook. I was a business major with a heavy course load so not alot of extra time. It is too bad you weren't a professor there. You have sparked my interest and intrigue again. I have been listening to your lectures at night instead of the news. It has given me a new perspective on the way I view government and it's roll in society. I plan on watching them all.

Thanks!

Dr. Sugrue has truly been a blessing to the world. His spin on philosophy has opened up perspectives I otherwise would not have realized.

“Thus, a good man, though a slave, is free; but a wicked man, though a king, is a slave. For he serves, not one man alone, but what is worse, as many masters as he has vices.”

Dr Sugrue, greetings and blessings to you from the birth place of saint Augustine, which is Algeria today.

35:12 _”Sometimes people ask: _*_’Well is the Bible to be interpreted literally or figuratively?’_*_ You ever heard that? You want to know the answer? Yes. It is to be interpreted literally and figuratively all at the same time. [...] The Bible is full of symbolism-but you find out what the symbol stands for and you literally believe it!”_ -Pastor Adrian Rogers

Thanks for this lecture I didn't know much about St Augustine. I have a copy of Confessions somewhere but as I am a slow reader and I only recently took an interest in Christianity I haven't read it yet. I'll have to move it up the list.

RIP 🙏❤️🌎🌿🕊🎵🎶🎵

I've been reading Augustine's Confessions since August... a really beautiful book... these lectures are wonderful!

Religious faith demands not less than everything, it demands everything, that we can possibly put up. 👍 Thank you so much!

Carl Jung would have classified Augustine’s miracle passage from God as “synchronicity”, which suggests that forces other than the forces science has come to know, or ever could come to know, are at work behind the scenes in the Universe.

Great lecture! Thank you professor. You're a very eloquent speaker, a real master of oratory. I've been following you since I saw your lecture on Marcus Aurelius. I think we would all like to see some of your contemporary lectures. I personally would love to hear your opinions on the dichotomy of chaos and order, moral relativism, and post modernism. Thank you for sharing this.

Oh this is so so good. I am drawn towards mysticism more than ever. Meister Eckhart is right up there as one of the greatest mystics.

Thank you for these uploads. These videos has helped me immensely on my intellectual journey!

That was really excellent, makes me want to read the book. I'm thinking about it now anyway, as with the texts of the earlier lectures.

I am proposing My research paper on Augustine and this lecture helped me a lot. thank you Professor

1. Against manichaeism 2. Orginal sin 3. Rebirth into the eternal truth Grateful ❤

Brilliant!!! Thank you Dr Michael Sugrue. Clear, concise, passionate explanation of Confessions. It seems only appropriate that St Augustine progressed from earthly words (ego and pride bound) to the totality of the Word (God; all encompassing; perfect).And the last three books of Confessions should focus on the Bible - God has the final Word and gets to speak. The number "3" is considered a sacred number in Christianity - Jesus' ministry was 3 years; the Holy Trinity; Jesus died and was raised after 3 days; Peter denied Jesus three times and forgiven three times.

Thank you

Thank you... Just thank you

32:21 terrific note

The first time I ever knowingly committed a crime as a child was oddly similar to Augustine's, except it was a giant jawbreaker instead of a pear. Pears was just my nickname.

40:38 "Those who would seek God must be willing to put up all of the chips on one bet. You cannot bet a few chips, part of your life, part of your soul and say 'I'd like God on that basis'. God doesn't make deals."

"Now" ... 😢

Anyone else listened to this but have thought it through independently?

Hi Michael, thank you for these interesting lectures! I think this course (the Bible and Western Culture) is missing 8 lectures (I could only find 16 lectures and I watched all of them with pleasure). Is this a Great Course? I tried to find it on their website but could not find it? Thank you again, Mohammed

Uploaded in August

The lecturer presumes that the wages of sin is associated with the damage it causes. The earthly consequences of sin indeed vary, but the wages of sin is death, regardless of the consequences. Augustine was not Stalin, but they both had the same sickness according to an Augustinian view of sin.

For non-Christians, terms such as "Big Word", etc is unrecognizable. Plz explain what that means.

This is lecture 11 of part 1

When not getting a prize I liked in a box of Cracker Jacks, I blamed the Evil God. While enjoying the Cracker Jacks, I thanked the Good God. A little Cracker Jacks humor.

Did St. Augustine ever get a Friar's Club Roast?

epic

Title says "Part 1" but the opening title says: "Part II, Lecture 11".

I'm always looking for new interesting lectures on Psychology/Philosophy, please let me know if you guys have any recommendations, would be highly appreciated

I was expecting- “St Augustine two two great books, City of God and The Confessions were written by anonymous author “..

Can I help with Portuguese subtitles for this video?

Maybe the good life is so desirable that even all the evil in the world justifies itself.

Why does this say part 1? Is there a part 2?? Just wondering...

Every Christian had an experience that caused his conversion experience. Had nothing to do with his choosing. It was entirely due to the grace, the will of Jesus. If you are not a Christian it is because you were unlucky enough not to be graced by a conversion experience. It is not arrogant and hubristic to think the universe was created for humans and we are the only species created in "the image of Jesus".

I have this personal theory that if anyone was to suddenly become omniscient, omnipotent, immaterial and intemporal, he would basically do nothing with that power because he would see God's perfect plan and wouldn't want to alter it, or at the very least, if there is no God, he would see no point in changing anything because he would lose all earthly desires.

Good one. Small correction - there was no division between Catholic (western) and Orthodox (eastern) church during Augustine's time.

'Genesis happens every day..'

I keep wondering why the dates and locations of these lectures cannot be found anywhere. That's troubling to me. It's nothing to hide, and hiding it is wrong.

36:25

Do cutting-edge intellectuals enjoy sharp cheese? If so, I like extra-sharp cheese.

Do all sects of modernity Christianity/Catholicism (Lutheran, Protestant, 7th day, Mormons, etc...) believe in Original Sin? I'm trying to figure this out. Thanks!

4:08

Gone are the days of girls who would save themselves for marriage.

Similar to some gnostic ideas

Manacheanism ~= Zoroastrianism, imho

Nowwwwww…

Personally I would rather be a Goat than a sheep.

I honestly look a lot like this guy and am considering doing an homage/parody where I do one of his style talks on Scientology....

adam friedland lookin fly

19:56 God already knows where everyone is going, heaven or hell. It's a done deal... So an "all loving" creator created beings that he knew already would burn in hell for infinity. Got it 😂

I think I got it. What is the word? The word is the bird. Sorry, I had to. Loved the lecture though.

If you use Reason, is Jesus not a God? Does he not sit at the right hand of the father? That's a minimum of two Gods is it not?

Thanks!