(Saint Augustine, painted by Antonio Rodríguez (1636 - 1691), [Public
Domain] via Creative Commons)
Augustine was born in 354 CE to
a Roman family living in Algiers. His mother was a Christian, and it is thought
that his father converted to the religion on his deathbed. Suffice it to say,
Augustine was exposed to Christianity from a young age. As a child, Augustine
was made a catechumen—a person learning about Christianity before baptism—but
he decided not to go through with it, and sought spiritual enlightenment
elsewhere.
Augustine’s parents had
enough wealth and influence to obtain a sound education for their son. After
receiving preliminary schooling in his hometown of Tagaste, Algeria, Augustine
received further education at a university in the town of Madauros. From there,
he went on to study at Carthage. He soon became qualified as a teacher, and
would spend the majority of his young adult life relentlessly pursuing a career
in rhetoric and philosophy.
In his youth and young
adulthood, Augustine was in no way the stereotypical prudish and isolated
monk-like figure that often comes to mind at the word ‘saint.’ No, in his young
days, Augustine was not very saintly, at all. He was a hopelessly lusty man,
and had a son with an unnamed lover. In his Confessions,
St. Augustine comically reflected on his bouts against his lustful passions
when he would make prayers such as this: “Grant me chastity and continence, but
not yet” (Saint Augustine’s Confessions,
translated by Henry Chadwick, 1991).
Though Augustine was pursuing
a career as a professor of rhetoric, taking him to places such as Rome and
Milan, he also was actively expanding his spiritual views. First, Augustine
took a liking to the philosophical mindset of Cicero. Around 373 CE, however,
he became a member of the Manichean movement, which was a standalone religion
that many consider to be a heresy of Christianity. Whether the Manichean
movement was a religion or a heresy is a problem of categorization and
labeling—either way, the Christian Church did not like the Manichean movement,
and St. Augustine would spend much of his later time as a Christian theologian
and bishop attacking this very group. After becoming disillusioned with the
Manichean movement, Augustine then focused on the works and philosophy of
Plato, as well as the contemporary Platonists of his day. His respect for Plato
never really waned, even after he converted to Christianity. Augustine’s many
works contain attempts to connect themes and beliefs from Christianity to
Platonism and vise versa.
Though some may see
Augustine’s exposure to, and interest in, other religions and philosophies as a
liability, Augustine’s diverse background proved to be one of his greatest
tools. No one can attack the Manichean movement better than a former Manichean.
No one can explain Christianity to the philosophers of Rome better than a
well-studied student of philosophy. To top it all off, Augustine was a
professor of rhetoric, so he knew how to attack, defend and proselytize with
professionally crafted wording. Once Augustine converted to Christianity, he
was a formidable tool for the religion.
Augustine’s path to
priesthood, however, was hardly quick or enthusiastic. While Augustine was
serving as a professor of rhetoric in Milan, he came across the local bishop,
named Ambrose. Though Augustine had disregarded Christianity during his
childhood, Ambrose of Milan somehow converted Augustine in the 380s CE. Even
though Augustine was now Christian, he had no intention of becoming a member of
the clergy. Instead, he resigned from his post in Milan and wandered back to
his home in Tagaste where he stayed until the death of his son. From there, he
traveled around North Africa, pursing his theological and spiritual ideas.
In the late 380s or early 390s,
Augustine made his way to Hippo (modern day Annaba, Algeria). By this time, he
had gained a reputation for both his rhetorical skill and his persuasive ideas
on Christianity. Therefore, when he reached Hippo, a local bishop named Valerius
(as well as the local population) quickly pressured Augustine to join the
clergy—a profession for which he still had little enthusiasm. Nevertheless, Augustine
joined the priesthood and quickly rose through the ranks of the clergy. He was
appointed a presbyter, then a coadjutor with Bishop Valerius, and finally he
was named the Bishop of Hippo in 396 CE.
Though Augustine had already
been a writer before he became a bishop, his most famous works occurred after
he attained his position in Hippo. The two titles that have best withstood the
test of time were his Confessions
(written in 397 CE) and City of God
(written between 413-427 CE). In addition to those two famous works, he also
wrote many other pieces including sermons, refutations of heresies (such as
Donatism and the Manichean movement) and commentaries on topics such as the
Holy Trinity and other Christian doctrine.
From his promotion to Bishop
of Hippo in 396 to his death in 430, St. Augustine spent his time combating
different heresies with his words. He took on the Manicheans and the Donatists,
then moved on to criticize the ideas of a man named Pelagius, as well another
leader of the Pelagians, named Julian of Eclanum. One of the final heresies
that Augustine refuted was that of the Arians, a version of Christianity
especially favored by the kingdoms that crossed the Danube (Franks, Vandals,
Goths etc…) and led to the eventual downfall of the Western Roman Empire. In the
year that Augustine died, the Arian Vandals had already crossed through France
and Spain into North Africa, and laid siege to Hippo. Though Augustine’s bishopric
was taken by one of the heresies he was trying to defeat, his ideas and
writings left a permanent impact on Christianity. He is considered one of the
most important minds that helped shape Christianity into what it would become
in the Middle Ages.
Written by C. Keith Hansley.
- Christianity In Late Antiquity: 300-450 CE (A Reader) edited by Bart D. Ehrman and Andrew S. Jacobs. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004.
- http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=418
- http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02084a.htm
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