Augustine of Hippo

Who was Augustine of Hippo?

Augustine of Hippo, also known as Saint Augustine, Saint Austin, or Saint Augoustinos, was an early Christian theologian whose writings are considered very influential in the development of Western Christianity and Western philosophy. He was bishop of Hippo Regius located in the Roman province of Africa. Writing during the Patristic Era, he is viewed as one of the most important Church Fathers. Among his most important works are City of God and Confessions, which continue to be read widely today.

According to his contemporary, Jerome, Augustine "established anew the ancient Faith." In his early years, he was heavily influenced by Manichaeism and afterward by the Neo-Platonism of Plotinus. After his conversion to Christianity and his baptism in 387, Augustine developed his own approach to philosophy and theology, accommodating a variety of methods and different perspectives. He believed that the grace of Christ was indispensable to human freedom and he framed the concepts of original sin and just war.

When the Western Roman Empire began to disintegrate, Augustine developed the concept of the Catholic Church as a spiritual City of God, distinct from the material Earthly City. His thoughts profoundly influenced the medieval worldview. Augustine's City of God was closely identified with the segment of the Church that adhered to the concept of the Trinity as defined by the Council of Nicaea and the Council of Constantinople.

Famous Quotes:

• The confession of evil works is the first beginning of good works.
• I have learnt to love you late, Beauty at once so ancient and so new!
• To abstain from sin when one can no longer sin is to be forsaken by sin, not to forsake it.
• Find out how much God has given you and from it take what you need; the remainder is needed by others.
• He that is kind is free, though he is a slave; he that is evil is a slave, though he be a king.
• The people who remained victorious were less like conquerors than conquered.
• I asked the whole frame of the world about my God; and he answered, I am not He, but He made me.
• Punishment is justice for the unjust.
• I found thee not, O Lord, without, because I erred in seeking thee without that wert within.
• Habit, if not resisted, soon becomes necessity.