| St. Augustine has combined Neo-Platonism and Christine doctrine to develop a unique set of aesthetic values with rich theological flavour. He has enriched beauty by developing its intrinsic sense, creation sense, symbolic sense, contemplation sense and restoration sense. He views God as beauty itself, considering man and nature as God's creation, that is, the self-manifestation of beauty. He reckons that art is the imitation of beauty, and that the mission of art is to lead man to know beauty itself. He further argues that the beauty of creation has been lost due to the fall of man. It is only through the incarnated Jesus Christ that the beauty can be restored. He contends that not only man but also beauty needs to be redeemed.Through explicating the aesthetic values of Christian theology, St. Augustine has established a firm foundation for the aesthetics of Christian Theology in the Middle Ages. He has offered us a key to open the door to the world of Christianity, to the"mystery"of theology. Therefore, the study of Augustine is very precious. Not only can it bring us into the world of Christianity to understand theology and aesthetics, but it can also help us to explore the truth about beauty in terms of its origin and ultimate meaning.
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