Topic IV. St.

Augustine’s Life, Works and Writings

- St. Augustine
A. Life of St. Augustine and His Works
 Real name: Aurelius Augustinus
 Augustine was born at Tagaste (November 13, 354) in the
Roman Province of Africa, to Patricius and St. Monica. His father
was a pagan while his mother was a Christian, and they belonged
to an honorable upper-class family; he had a brother (Navigius)
and sister (Perpetua)
 His parents sent him to attend school at Madaura when he
was 12 years old. There he learned Latin literature and gained
knowledge about pagan beliefs and practices.
 He went to Carthage at the age of 17 to continue his
education in rhetoric.
 His mother had raised him in the Christian faith, but he
was pulled towards the Manichaean religion.
 As a youth he sought out different life experiences and had
an affair with a young woman in Carthage who later bore him a
son, named Adeodatus.
 Augustine became a member of ‘Manichaeism’ (believing
the existence of good and evil).
 At the age of 19 (373 AD), he read the philosophical book
of Cicero (Hortensius), arguing that the pursuit of philosophy is
more important endeavor.
 In 374, he returned to Thagaste/Tagsate, his birthplace to
teach grammar; in 376, he opened a school of Rhetoric and
became a teacher.
 In 383, he went to Rome to open a school but was
disappointed with the apathy of the Roman schools. But, he was
asked to be a professor by Symmachus (A Prefect of the City)
 He accepted the position of a professor of rhetoric at the
imperial court at Milan in late 384. This was a very prestigious
post that enabled the holders to easily enter a political career.
 In Milan, he met Saint Ambrose who deeply influenced
his thinking and philosophy. By this time, Augustine was
disillusioned with the Manichaean religion and was moving
towards Christianity. In 386, St. Augustine had a spiritual
conversion after hearing the words saying, “Tolle Lege, Tolle
Lege” (Take up and read) – Romans 13: 13-14.
 He formally converted to Christianity in 386 and was
baptized by Saint Ambrose in 387.
 He completed his Christian Apology, ‘On the Holiness of
the Catholic Church’ in 388.
 He was ordained as priest in Algeria in 391, where he
gained much respect and fame as a preacher. Several of his
original sermons have been carefully preserved.
 In 395, he was appointed the coadjutor Bishop of Hippo
and was soon promoted to the position of full Bishop, hence
gaining the name ‘Augustine of Hippo’. He held this position till
430.
 A devout Christian, he passionately defended the religion
from its detractors and involved himself in convincing people to
convert to Christianity.
B. Works
 He was a prolific writer who had authored more than a
hundred books. His works which have greatly influenced the
development of Christian theology include apologies, works on
Christian doctrine, and exegetical works.
 Saint Augustine is mainly revered for his contribution to
Western religion and philosophy through his teachings and
various sermons. A man of high intellect, his works have covered
various religious fields such as Christian anthropology, astrology,
ecclesiology, etc.
 He wrote ‘Confessions’ a set of 13 books in Latin in
which he gave an account of his conversion to Christianity. The
books are presumed to be written during 397 and 398. His other
major works include: ‘The City of God’ and ‘On the Trinity.”

 Patron Saint of Brewers, Printers, Theologians, Cities

and Dioceses

 POPULAR TITLES OF ST. AUGUSTINE

1. The Bishop of Hippo

2. The Doctor of Grace
3. The Wisest of the Holy

C. Writings of St. Augustine

 Confession
 City of God Against the Pagans
 The Trinity
 De Doctrina Christiana (On Christian Doctrine)
 The Enchiridion
 The Letters
 Against the Academicians and The Teacher
 The Free Choice of the Will
 The Literal Meaning of Genesis
 Retractions
 Answer to the Pelagians
 On Baptism, Against the Donatists
 Harmony of the Gospel

- ' IMPORTANT PERSONS: FAMILY

 MOTHER - MONNICA, a devout Christian
 FATHER - PATRICIUS, a village official and pagan
 BROTHER - NAVIGIUS, died very young
 SISTER - (PERPETUA) became a religious sister…
 CONCUBINE - No name was ever mentioned
 - HIS COMPANIONS AND FRIENDS
 ALYPIUS - Town mate and disciple; a lawyer; later became
a bishop
 EVODIUS - Member of the group in Milan
 SEVERUS - Integrated in the first Monastery
 POSSIDIUS - Author of the first biography of St. Augustine
 NEBRIDIUS - Disciple of Augustine in Italy
 ROMANIANUS - A rich man, a family friend who
subsidized his studies
 CICERO - A Latin poet, author of Hortencius who led him to
discover wisdom
 FAUSTUS - Supreme head of the Manicheans
 AMBROSE - Bishop of Milan who introduced him to
embrace Christianity
 JEROME - A great, studious and learned Christian with
whom he interacted in intellectual discussions on the Bible
 PONTICIANUS - Employee of the Imperial Court
 VICTORINUS - Famous Philosopher; translator from Greek
into Latin of Aristotle’s Books

- IMPORTANT BOOKS WRITTEN BY ST. AUGUSTINE

Augustine wrote more than 200 volumes of Books, thousands of Letters,
Sermons, Commentaries and small Treatises. Among those important books are:
 THE CONFESSIONS (396- 400 - (Confessiones)
 THE CITY OF GOD (413 - 426 - '(De Civitate Dei)
 ON THE TRINITY OF GOD - (De Trinitate)

1. The City of God

- Being a political realist, St. Augustine wrote a book, “The City of God.”
This is one of his famous books. The ‘City of God’ was written by St.
Augustine just for the sake of the situations of the Christians in Rome.
- Through this, St. Augustine asserts that there is distinction between the
city of God and the city of Man.
- The City of God consists of 22 books. The City of God books one through
ten provide a polemical argument against paganism in favor of Christianity.
The latter 12 books cover human history with references to Augustine's
theological commitments.

- The City of God Summary

According to Saint Augustine, one can only attain happiness and fulfill
one's obligation by embracing Christianity and loving God. The City of
God summary will show how Christianity is at the core of arguments regarding
Rome and its fate.
The first ten books of The City of God are concerned largely with
critiquing paganism. The first portion tends to focus on events wherein Rome was
threatened under Pagan rule and on the benefits of Christianity. Moreover, Rome
fell because of its moral and spiritual corruption, which is an awful fate that only
Christianity can prevent. The second portion addresses the shortcomings of Pagan
philosophy. Augustine focuses on eternal life. Eternal life is only possible through
Jesus Christ. Pagan gods, such as Jupiter cannot offer eternal life.
 The last twelve books focus on giving an account of human history,
including the end of history and the second coming of Jesus Christ. In this portion
of the text, Augustine explains Biblical passages. He takes the beginning of
human history to start with Adam and the Garden of Eden. The city of God and
the city of Man are introduced early in this part of The City of God; these two
cities offer competing ideals that people strive for. Eventually, only those who
devote themselves to God and prioritize loving Jesus will find true happiness and
salvation. Those who choose to live according to the ideals of the city of Man,
however, will be met with eternal punishment.
(https://study.com/academy/lesson/st-augustines-city-of-god.html)
2. On the Trinity
In his work De Trinitate (“On the Trinity”), Augustine undertook to render
the essence of the Trinity understandable in terms of the Trinitarian structure of
the human person: the Holy Spirit appears as the Spirit of love, which joins Father
and Son and draws people into this communion…
(https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Trinity-by-Augustine)

- St.Augustine and De Trinitate

St Augustine of Hippo was a theologian and philosopher in the early Church.

He is viewed as one of the most important Church Fathers in Western
Christianity. Augustine wrote De Trinitate to try and correct
the heretical teachings on the Trinity that were arising at the time.

He sought to define the Trinity and ensure that the three Persons were
understood and given equality with regards to greatness. He stated that two parts
of the Trinity are equal in power to the third part, e.g.: the greatness of the Father
+ the greatness of the Holy Spirit = the greatness of the Son.

No one part is greater than another or the sum of the other two. They are not
the same nor are they separate; in fact, they share the same nature.

Augustine used the idea and notion of love to explain the Trinity and its
three parts - he that loves, and that which is loved, and love. Love has three parts:

...the Trinity does not work indivisibly, but the Father does some things,
the Son other things, and the Holy Spirit yet others: or else, if they do
some things together, some severally, then the Trinity is not indivisible.
(De Trinitate 8:10)
(https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/ztm24qt/revision/6)

 The Holy Trinity

The Holy Trinity is one of the greatest mysteries of the Catholic faith and is an
attempt to describe the mysterious nature of God.
‘The mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is the central mystery of Christian faith
and life’ (Catechism of the Catholic Church {CCC} 234)
The Trinity refers to the idea that God is one but can be experienced in three
different Persons. The word ‘trinity’ comes from the word ‘tri’ meaning ‘three’ and
‘unity’ meaning ‘one’.
- Catholics believe that there are three distinct Persons to this one God and that
these three Persons form a unity. This belief is called the doctrine of the Trinity:
 God the Father -The Creator and sustainer of all things
 God the Son - the incarnation of God as a human being, Jesus Christ, the Redeemer

 God the Holy Spirit - the power of God, which is active in the world, drawing people
towards God; The Paraclete (Helper)
 A useful way of understanding the Trinity is by thinking of how H2O comes in
three forms: liquid, ice and steam. These different forms are still all H2O, just like the
Father, Son and Holy Spirit are different but still God.

3. The Confessions
- Summary
 Augustine's Confessionsis a diverse blend of autobiography,
philosophy, theology, and critical exegesis of the Christian Bible.
 The first nine Books (or chapters) of the work trace the story of
Augustine's life, from his birth (354 A.D.) up to the events that took
place just after his conversion to Catholicism (386 A.D.).
 Augustine treats this autobiography as much more than an
opportunity to recount his life, however, and there is hardly an
event mentioned that does not have an accompanying religious or
philosophical explication. In fact, the events that Augustine chooses
to recount are selected mainly with a view to these larger issues.
 The last four Books of the Confessions depart from
autobiography altogether, focusing directly on religious and
philosophical issues of memory (Book X), time and eternity (Book
XI), and the interpretation of the Book of Genesis (Books XII and
XIII)
 Despite this apparent sudden shift in content, however,
the Confessionsare remarkably coherent as a whole; in making his
autobiography a profoundly reflective one, Augustine has already
introduced many of the same ideas and themes that receive a direct
treatment in the last four Books. The unifying theme that emerges
over the course of the entire work is that of redemption: Augustine
sees his own painful process of returning to God as an instance of
the return of the entire creation to God.
 The form of the work corresponds closely to its aim and its
content; the work is about the return of creation to God, it aims to
inspire others to actively seek this return, and it takes the highly
original form of a direct address to God from one being in his
creation. In this context, it is also noteworthy that, for Augustine,
"confession" carried the dual meanings of an admission of guilt and
an act of praise.

(Reference)
- https://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/confessionsaug/summary/

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Prepared By: JSOMA (2023)