Anti-Hebrew Campaign:
“The synagogue is not only a brothel and a theater; it is a den of robbers and a lodging for wild beasts… No Jew adores God.”
Strategy: Dehumanize Hebrew followers to justify erasing their traditions.
“How can Christ and the Sabbath coexist?”
Meaning: Those who honor Sabbath are declared traitors to the empire’s new religion.
Who Was Augustine?
- Roman philosopher from North Africa; former Manichaean, trained in Plato’s thought.
- Bishop of Hippo; architect of Western theology through City of God.
“All men are born guilty because of Adam’s transgression… No human effort can achieve salvation without the Church.”
Result: Humanity declared guilty, salvation monopolized by the Church.