Augustine of Hippo

Augustine of Hippo (13 November 354 – 28 August 430) was one of the greatest figures in the Church. He was born in the Roman city of Tagaste in North Africa (modern Algeria). His father, Patricius, was a functionary in the local Roman administration in Tagaste and was an adherent to traditional Roman paganism until his conversion to Christianity near the end of his life.

His mother Monica, was a committed Christian who greatly influenced he son spiritually through her life and her commitment to prayer and sound biblical teaching. Augustine studied Latin and Greek grammar and literature in his boyhood, complaining about rough treatment by his schoolmasters.

After his father died in 370 Augustine went to Carthage to study rhetoric as the first step to prepare for a public life.

In the theology of St. Augustine of Hippo, love appears as a desire whose quality is determined by its object. Created by a loving God, humans are unable to find complete fulfillment for their desires except in the Creator.

Augustine’s most famous book in his Confessions (c. 397) which was probably written in response to Bishop Paulinus of Nola’s request to know something of Augustine’s journey to faith.

The Confessions is not only his intimate spiritual autobiography, but it also a presentation of the writer’s mystical experiences during his spiritual struggle to accept Christianity.
Augustine of Hippo