It may also be helpful to point out Augustine's writing on the matter of Predestination of the Saints
You'll find Augustine believed in irresistible grace. Perhaps he was the first Protestant, eh?
"You'll find Augustine believed in irresistible grace. Perhaps he was the first Protestant, eh?"
LOL!!!
He also thought that all unbaptized babies were going to hell, which was refuted by the Church. His form of "double predestination" is not the same as Calvin's, but it was also declared unift for Christian belief. (Augustinianism, way before the Protestant Reformation).
I know he did believe in the authority of the Catholic Church, though. If I remember, he said something to the effect "I would not believe the Scriptures if it were not for the authority of the Catholic Church". Smart, he was...
Anyone have the exact quote?
Regards
He influenced early Protestant thinkers, yes. If Protestants made sure they read St. Augustine without their own 16-century cultural baggage, without Calvinist desacralizing attitude, and in harmony with other Church Fathers, they probably either would have remained in the Church, just like St. Augustine remains our authority, or they would have veered into heresy similar to Jansenism, and would have recoiled from it in the fullness of time.
Several people already explained how Catholicism understands St. Augistin's teaching on Grace.
If there is a thread now or later dedicated to the issue of irresistible grace, I'd be happy to participate. This thread is dedicated to confession of sins. Discussing a more fundamental protestant errors that lead the Protestant into refusal to recognize yet another sacrament of the Church would be like discussing whether America exists on a thread dedicated to American economy.