the confessions saint augustine of hippo

His mother had also followed Augustine to Milan and persuaded him to give up his lover and marry a young 11-year old girl who was in the same social class as Augustine. This friendship and the genuine spirituality of Ambrose was influential in re-awakening Augustine’s interest in Christianity – the religion of his childhood. Augustine listened to the more sophisticated lectures of Bishop Ambrose, and he gained a new insight into Christianity.

He also became friendly with Ambrose the bishop of Milan. In Milan, he began to become more sceptical of his Manichean faith. In 384, he was given a more prestigious position as a rhetoric professor at the Imperial Court of Milan. She gave birth to his illegitimate son Adeodatus in 372.Īugustine taught grammar and rhetoric at Thagaste, Carthage and later Rome. In his late teens, he developed an affair with a young woman from Carthage.

Augustine became an expert in Latin and rhetoric. Despite his wayward lifestyle, he developed an interest in philosophy and was impressed by the writings of Cicero. This period stuck in his mind and helped formulate his idea of the inherently sinful nature of man. He also remembers an incident when a youth – stealing fruit from an orchard because he liked the idea of rebelling. He also fell in with friends who followed a hedonist approach to life. His mother had a strong influence on the young Augustine, but to her disappointment, Augustine left his Christian background and joined the Manichean sect, founded by the prophet Mani in 240. His father was a pagan, but his mother was a devout Christian. His family were ethnic north Africans (the Berbers), but the area was heavily Romanized, and they spoke Latin at home. In particular, he emphasises the doctrine of original sin, the importance of grace and the Holy Trinity.Īugustine was born in Souk Ahras in the Roman province of Numidia. Augustine converted to Christianity in 386 and wrote extensively on Christianity. St Augustine was an influential Christian theologian from Numidia (modern-day Algeria).

The confessions saint augustine of hippo