From ordo to pax: the formation of a central political concept of Augustine

Thesis

To Augustine peace (pax) was a key concept central to his social and political thinking. This study aims to demonstrate how it was first formed in his ecclesiology during the Donatist controversy, and how it developed into a Christian political philosophy in De civitate dei XIX.

The development of the concept can be traced in three distinct stages, with a close connection to the doctrine of order (ordo) mediated by its key concept of providence (providentia). <1> Originally (c. 386-391) peace was a minor derivative notion of order: it signified the tranquillity of the creation-order, a perfect state of the ontological relationship between God, the creation, and man. <2> For the next twenty years (c. 391-411) peace was developed separately from order, though they were correlated through a theory of providence. On the one hand, order was transformed eschatologically in terms of the duality of providential order, which opened a historical horizon in Augustine’s understanding of  human sociality. On the other hand, peace gained importance biblically and socially and became a “flag-ship” concept of his anti-Donatist campaign—the “peace of the church” (pax ecclesiae), which justified the authority of the Catholic church, Christian participation in socio-political activities, and religious coercion, all within the framework of providential pedagogy. <3> Finally, in De civitate dei (413-427) peace incorporated order as the theoretical basis and providence as the historiographical framework of a political philosophy. Though ontologically rooted, political peace (pax civitatis) was an unnatural but necessary good  used commonly by the city of God and the earthly city for different ends. Political peace was established in an earthly political community (res publica) united by civic consensus on the common objects of love. It was maintained by political authority (imperandum) endowed with judicial power to enforce the law and to punish and correct wrong-doers. In the end, Augustine’s theory of peace understood politics as a provisional and residual function: provisional, because it was necessary only within the bounds of human history; residual, because the more it was based on love, the less it would become like domination.

Authors: Kayama, S

• DOI: 10.5287/ora-kzjo12n9k
• Type of award: DPhil
• Level of award: Doctoral
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: Augustine; love; order (ordo); Neoplatonism; common good (res publica); providence; authority; church/ecclesiology; city of God; eschatology; peace (pax); political theology; justice; community; historiography; Donatist controversy; forgiveness (of sins); will; law; nature
• Subjects: Christian ethics; Theology