Augustine vs. Israel Biblical Promises to Israel 1.Ezekiel 36:24-28 “I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land… You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.” •This explicitly describes a physical regathering of Israel to their land and their spiritual restoration. 2.Amos 9:14-15 “I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them… I will plant them on their land, and they shall never again be uprooted.” •A clear promise of Israel’s permanent restoration to their land, contradicting the idea that these promises were only spiritual or fulfilled in the Church. 3.Jeremiah 31:35-37 “If this fixed order departs from before me, declares the LORD, then shall the offspring of Israel cease from being a nation before me forever.” •God’s covenant with Israel is tied to the permanence of the natural order, underscoring its eternal nature. 4.Isaiah 66:8 “Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall a land be born in one day? Shall a nation be brought forth in one moment?” •Many see this as prophetic of Israel’s modern rebirth as a nation in 1948. Augustine’s Eschatology in The City of God 1.Allegorization of Israel Augustine viewed Israel as symbolic of the Church. He interpreted promises of restoration and blessing for Israel as being fulfilled in the spiritual blessings of the Church, not in the physical nation. For example, he saw passages like Ezekiel 37 (the dry bones) as a metaphor for spiritual regeneration in Christ rather than literal restoration of Israel. 2.The Heavenly City Augustine emphasized the heavenly city (the eternal kingdom of God) as the true fulfillment of God’s promises, seeing earthly Jerusalem as a type of the eternal city rather than a literal, physical kingdom to be restored. 3.Eschatological Viewpoint Augustine rejected premillennialism and took an amillennial stance, believing that the “millennium” described in Revelation 20 was symbolic of the current church age. He did not anticipate a literal thousand-year reign of Christ on earth, let alone Israel’s role in such a kingdom. Augustine was influenced by his experience with (Manichaeism and aspects of Gnostic dualism) Key Differences •Literal vs. Allegorical: The Bible’s prophecies about Israel’s land and restoration are literal, while Augustine’s view spiritualizes them, applying them to the Church. •Future vs. Fulfilled: Prophecies about Israel’s regathering (e.g., Ezekiel 36) are still being fulfilled today, whereas Augustine saw them as either already fulfilled or irrelevant in light of the Church. •Role of Israel: Scripture affirms God’s ongoing plan for Israel (Romans 11:25-29), while Augustine’s theology minimized Israel’s significance post-Christ. Augustine’s views reflect the absence of Israel as a nation in his time, while the literal fulfillment of these prophecies today points to the reliability of Scripture.