St. Augustine

St. Augustine St. Augustine of Hippo is one of the most influential men when it comes to the Christian faith. When walking the Christianity section of a bookstore today, one can find mountains of books either by or about him. After seeing so much on the man it leads one to wonder who exactly was St. Augustine of Hippo and why exactly was he important to the church. St. Augustine is not just studied in religious aspects but in philosophy as well. Augustine was born in 354 in Roman Africa. His father, Patricius, was a pagan, and his mother, Monica, was Christian. Scholars believe that Augustine 's ancestors included Berbers, Latins and Phoenicians (Portalle). Augustine 's family name, Aurelius, suggests that his father 's ancestors were freedmen of the gens Aurelia given full Roman citizenship by the Edict of Caracalla in 212. Augustine 's family had been Roman, from a legal standpoint, for at least a century when he was born. It is assumed that his mother, Monica, was of Berber origin, on the basis of her name, but as his family were honestiores, Augustine 's first language is likely to have been Latin (Portalle). At the age of eleven, he was sent to school at Madaurus, a small Numidian city about nineteen miles south of Thagaste. There he became familiar with Latin literature, as well as pagan beliefs and practices (Portalle). While at home in 369 and 370, he read Cicero 's dialogue Hortensius, which he described as leaving a lasting impression on him and sparking his interest in philosophy (unknown). At age seventeen, through the generosity of fellow citizen Romanianus, Augustine went to Carthage to continue his education in rhetoric. Although raised as a Christian, Augustine left the church to follow the Manichaean religion, much to the despair of his mother, Monica (Unknown). As a youth Augustine lived a hedonistic lifestyle for a time, associating with young men who boasted of their sexual exploits with women and urged the inexperienced boys, like

Cited: Augustine, and Paul M. Bechtel. The Confessions of St. Augustine. Chicago: Moody, 2007. Print. Creighton, Mandell. Saint Augustine – A Short Biography. Unknown. Digital Print. Owsley, Daniel F. St. Augustine Unleashed. Bloomington: Booktango, 2012. Print. Portalié, Eugène. "Life of St. Augustine of Hippo." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 2. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 5 Dec. 2012 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02084a.htm>. Unknown. "St. Augustine of Hippo." Saints & Angels. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Dec. 2012. <http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=418>