Time, eternity, and history according to Saint Augustine

Abstract

Saint Augustine is one of the few philosophers that develop a philosophy and theology of history from an anthropological perspective, making special stress in the present, which is the most evident aspect of time. God's eternity embraces all times, and it works in them, because eternity is always in the present. In this article, we investigate time and present in Augustin's Confessions and the relationship between time and eternity in The City of God. We also investigate the question of how God guides history with his Providence. In the end, there is a section about the historical character of man, threatened in the light of preceding reflections.