Augustine lived and wrote in the century following the
Nicene Council. His Augustinian theology, on which
Calvin later based much of his theology, was extremely
rationalistic, full of logical determinism with such ideas as
strict divine predestination. Karl Barth referred to
Augustinian theology as "sweet poison;" 2 "sweet" because
it emphasized the sovereignty of God; "poison" because it
was a system of logical and theological determinism.
The Roman empire disintegrated in about 500 A.D. The
seven hundred year period from 200 B.C. to 500 A.D. is
known as the "Classical Period" of Greek and Roman
thought patterns. The following five hundred years, 500
A.D. to 1000 A.D. are known as the Dark Ages or Middle
Ages. All thinking was related back statically to the
Classical Period. No new thinking was encouraged or
allowed – Dark Ages indeed!
Thomas Aquinas appeared as the Renaissance Period
was picking up steam, but his Thomistic theology just
placed "Christian thought" in a tight scholastic stronghold
of the Roman Church. The Church was regarded as the
mediator of God's thought. "Believe as the Pope and the
Church advocates, or face the consequences!" Many did!
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