Saint Augustine

Saint Augustine was born on 354 CE in Tagaste, Africa.

His given name was Aurelius Augustinus. His father was

Patricius, a pagan who was baptized Christian before he

died, and his mother was Monica, a baptized Christian with

an influential role in the life of her son. Augustine is

regarded as one of the most intelligent Christian theologians

and bishops of all time. His works and actions have left a

major imprint on the Church and its doctrine.

As a boy, Augustine was not baptized and grew up in the

Roman Empire. He studied under the local schoolmasters

in Tagaste until he turned fifteen and moved to continue his

studies in Madaurus. From Madaurus, he moved to

Carthage for advanced studies in rhetoric and law. It was in

Carthage that he took a concubine and later had a son

named Adeodatus from her. It was in this period of his life

that embraced Manichaeism, which is a belief that one god

is responsible for all good and another responsible for all

evil. Augustine’s belief in Manichaeism prompted Monica,

his mother, not to allow his entrance into the family’s house.

Even with her actions, she continued praying and hoping

that Augustine would find the Lord. After he ended his

studies in Carthage, he became a teacher and was

constantly on the move throughout Northern Africa.

Augustine stopped teaching and moved to Milan where he

gained the position of Public Orator. In Milan, Augustine

met Ambrose, the Bishop of Milan. Augustine grew to love

Ambrose’s allegorical interpretations of the Bible and this

led to his appreciation and new understanding of the

Scripture. He also studied and learned to appreciate

Plato’s works and started linking a lot of his works into the

meaning and messages in the Bible. Augustine’s family,

including his mother, joined him in Milan. Her constant

prayers for his conversion to Christianity and the strict

ethical demands of Ambrose made Augustine’s

appreciation of Plato’s work grew deeper. It made him no

choice, but to convert to Christianity. On Easter Sunday of

387 CE in Milan, Augustine along with his son and his

friend, Alypius, were baptized by Ambrose.

After Augustine’s mother passed away, he traveled

throughout the Roman Empire. He wrote many of his

books on theology along the way. He had no aspirations of

priesthood, but through a mere chance visit at Hippo in

Africa; the bisho...

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...howed that the Church is the union of all people into

Christ. He defined free will, Christian sacraments, and

original sin. His argument with the Donatists clarified

Christian doctrines for further generations to come.

Pelagianism was the final controversy that Augustine

handled. They believed that God’s grace is not needed for

salvation, but only good works. Augustine fought this

controversy by explaining that grace was necessary for

salvation because without it, people would be even more

sinful. The leader of Pelagianism, Pelagius, never met with

Augustine, but as a result of this controversy, "God’s saving

grace" was clearly understood through Augustine’s

arguments.

On August 28, 430 CE in Hippo, Augustine died. He is

regarded as one of the greatest and intelligent saints of the

Church. He clarified Church doctrines, established

monasteries for new priests, educated many into the

meaning of Christianity and made Christianity humanistic

which is nurtured by God’s love and grace.

Brown, Peter. Augustine of Hippo. Berkeley: University of

California Press, 1967.

Possidius. The Life of Saint Augustine. Villanova:

Augustinian Press, 1988.