Saint Augustine’s old age survival in the light of his letters
Augustyn Eckmann
Katolicki Uniwersytet Lubelski Jana Pawła II , PolandAbstract
Saint Augustine distinguished six periods of human life: infancy (infantia), childhood (pueritia), adolescence (adolescentia), young adulthood (iuventus), middle age (gravitas) and old age (senectus). Each of those periods has a perspective. Only in old age there is lack of it. Augustine makes the examination of conscience. Sentimental mood appears in the mail from the Saint Jerome, who poses himself as an old man in the opposition to Augustine as a young man, making allusions to ancient literature and his age. Exchange of letters between the Fathers of the Church records Augustine’s respect toward an old man, the monk. The entire reality is in continuous motion, as you can see in a simple anthropological observation of different periods of human development: childhood (pueritia), adolescence (adolescentia), young adulthood (iuventus), old age (senectus). The latter closes the death. Old age is a common weakness (communis infirmitas) of mankind. Augustine complained frequently on the impending old age, which according to ancients starts with 60 year old.
Keywords:
Augustine, lettersReferences
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