Editing Augustine of Hippo (section)

=== In theology ===
{{Scholastic Philosophy}}
The historian [[Diarmaid MacCulloch]] has written: "Augustine's impact on Western Christian thought can hardly be overstated; only his beloved example, [[Paul the Apostle|Paul of Tarsus]], has been more influential, and Westerners have generally seen Paul through Augustine's eyes."{{sfn|MacCulloch|2010|p=319}}

[[Thomas Aquinas]] was influenced heavily by Augustine. On the topic of original sin, Aquinas proposed a more optimistic view of man than that of Augustine in that his conception leaves to the reason, will, and passions of fallen man their natural powers even after the Fall, without "supernatural gifts".{{sfn|Cross|Livingstone|2005|p=1203}} While in his pre-Pelagian writings Augustine taught that Adam's guilt as transmitted to his descendants much enfeebles, though does not destroy, the freedom of their will, Protestant reformers Martin Luther and John Calvin affirmed that Original Sin completely destroyed liberty (see [[total depravity]]).{{sfn|Cross|Livingstone|2005|pp=1200–1204}}

According to [[Leo Ruickbie]], Augustine's arguments against [[Magic (paranormal)|magic]], differentiating it from a miracle, were crucial in the early Church's fight against [[paganism]] and became a central thesis in the later denunciation of witches and [[witchcraft]]. According to Professor Deepak Lal, Augustine's vision of the heavenly city has influenced the secular projects and traditions of the [[Age of Enlightenment|Enlightenment]], [[Marxism]], [[Freudianism]] and eco-fundamentalism.{{sfn|Lal|2002}} Post-Marxist philosophers Antonio Negri and Michael Hardt rely heavily on Augustine's thoughts, particularly ''The City of God'', in their book of political philosophy ''Empire''.

Augustine has influenced many modern-day theologians and authors such as [[John Piper (theologian)|John Piper]]. [[Hannah Arendt]], an influential 20th-century political theorist, wrote her doctoral dissertation in philosophy on Augustine, and continued to rely on his thought throughout her career. [[Ludwig Wittgenstein]] extensively quotes Augustine in ''[[Philosophical Investigations]]'' for his approach to language, both admiringly, and as a sparring partner to develop his own ideas, including an extensive opening passage from the ''[[Confessions (Augustine)|Confessions]]''.{{Citation needed|date=April 2020}} Contemporary linguists have argued that Augustine has significantly influenced the thought of [[Ferdinand de Saussure]], who did not 'invent' the modern discipline of [[semiotics]], but rather built upon [[Aristotelianism|Aristotelian]] and Neoplatonic knowledge from the Middle Ages, via an Augustinian connection: "as for the constitution of Saussurian semiotic theory, the importance of the Augustinian thought contribution (correlated to the Stoic one) has also been recognized. Saussure did not do anything but reform an ancient theory in Europe, according to the modern conceptual exigencies."{{sfn|Munteanu|1996|p=65}}

[[Pope Francis]] suggests that Augustine's reflections on the relationship between the "[[beloved disciple]]" and Jesus ([[John 13#Verse 23|John 13:23]]: "reclining next to him") contributed to the development of devotion to the [[Sacred Heart]] in the following centuries.<ref>Pope Francis, [https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/20241024-enciclica-dilexit-nos.pdf Dilexit nos], paragraph 87, published on 24 October 2024, accessed on 23 January 2025</ref> In his autobiographical book ''Milestones'', [[Pope Benedict XVI]] notes that Augustine was one of the deepest influences in his thought.{{pn|date=January 2025}}