Az „első nagy realista” nyomdokaiban: Reinhold Niebuhr Szent Ágoston-képe
Following the Legacy of the ‘First Great Realist’: Reinhold Niebuhr’s Interpretation of Augustine

Summary/Abstract: There is a significant interest in the English-language scientific literature concerning Reinhold Niebuhr’s (1892–1971) political thought. Yet, it is still not clear, what kind of historical ideas influenced Niebuhr while formulating his political thought, and what is the role of Augustine, who, based on the consensus of the secondary literature, seriously influenced Niebuhr’s ideas. In this article – after a short definitional introduction and a review of the literature – I argue that Niebuhr’s view on Augustine and his ideas is a necessary element to understand the topic comprehensively. In the article, based on Niebuhr’s books, through five periods of his scholarship, I present and interpret Niebuhr’s view on Augustine and his thoughts focusing on the content and context of his central ideas, the reasons for the changes, and the characteristics of the distinctive periods of scholarship.

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