Definition
Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD) is the most influential Church Father of the Latin West, whose theology of original sin, grace, predestination, and eternal judgment has profoundly shaped Western Christianity — both Roman Catholic and Protestant. In the corpus Augustine functions primarily as a contrast figure: his doctrine of double predestination (some to eternal life, others to eternal damnation) is contested by Jones as a deformation of the biblical portrait of God.
Usage in the Corpus
Stephen Jones
Jones identifies Augustine as the theological hinge figure who cut the Latin church off from apokatastasis: “If God had indeed predestined most of humanity to burn in an eternal fire, then yes, indeed, God would be unjust. Only a few with strong stomachs have ever believed this, among whom are Augustine and Calvin.” Jones acknowledges Augustine’s historical influence but argues that his theology of eternal punishment created a caricature of God’s justice, which in turn provoked the Arminian reaction — a counter-reaction that did not solve the problem. [Jones, Creation’s Jubilee, Ch. 11]