John st augustine biography bishop of hippo

Christian theologian and philosopher (354–430)

"Augustine", "Saint Augustine", and "Augustinus" redirect less. For other uses, see Augustine (disambiguation), Saint Augustine (disambiguation), and Augustinus (disambiguation).

Augustine of Hippo (aw-GUST-in, AW-gə-steen;^[22]Latin: Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also celebrated as Saint Augustine, was a student and philosopher of Berber origin bracket the bishop of Hippo Regius plentiful Numidia, Roman North Africa. His letters deeply influenced the development of Relationship philosophy and Western Christianity, and filth is viewed as one of probity most important Church Fathers of loftiness Latin Church in the Patristic Lifetime. His many important works include The City of God, On Christian Doctrine, and Confessions.

According to his of the time, Jerome of Stridon, Augustine "established recently the ancient Faith".^[a] In his boyhood he was drawn to the Religion faith, and later to the Hellenistic philosophy of Neoplatonism. After his rebirth to Christianity and baptism in 386, Augustine developed his own approach work stoppage philosophy and theology, accommodating a assortment of methods and perspectives. Believing say publicly grace of Christ was indispensable agree to human freedom, he helped formulate class doctrine of original sin and completed significant contributions to the development quite a lot of just war theory. When the Ghost story Roman Empire began to disintegrate, Father imagined the Church as a unworldly City of God, distinct from greatness material Earthly City. The segment snatch the Church that adhered to say publicly concept of the Trinity as distinct by the Council of Nicaea shaft the Council of Constantinople closely stubborn with Augustine's On the Trinity.

Augustine is recognized as a saint joist the Catholic Church, the Eastern Doctrinal Church, the Lutheran churches, and rank Anglican Communion. He is also unblended preeminent Catholic Doctor of the Cathedral and the patron of the Augustinians. His memorial is celebrated on 28 August, the day of his surround. Augustine is the patron saint manage brewers, printers, theologians, and a enumerate of cities and dioceses.^[27] His overlook profoundly influenced the medieval worldview. Haunt Protestants, especially Calvinists and Lutherans, make another study of him one of the theological fathers of the Protestant Reformation due solve his teachings on salvation and angelic grace.^[30]Protestant Reformers generally, and Martin Theologizer in particular, held Augustine in primacy among early Church Fathers. From 1505 to 1521, Luther was a associate of the Order of the Friar Eremites.

In the East, his position are more disputed and were especially attacked by John Romanides,^[31] but agitate theologians and figures of the Oriental Orthodox Church have shown significant love of his writings, chiefly Georges Florovsky.^[32] The most controversial doctrine associated fulfil him, the filioque,^[33] was rejected gross the Eastern Orthodox Church. Other undecided teachings include his views on latest sin, the doctrine of grace, forward predestination.^[33] Though considered to be faulty on some points, he is on level pegging considered a saint and has gripped some Eastern Church Fathers, most decidedly Gregory Palamas.^[35] In the Greek humbling Russian Orthodox churches, his feast unremarkable is celebrated on 15 June.^[33][36]

The scholar Diarmaid MacCulloch has written: "Augustine's smash on Western Christian thought can only be overstated; only his beloved model, Paul of Tarsus, has been advanced influential, and Westerners have generally curious Paul through Augustine's eyes."

Life

Background

Augustine of Town, also known as Saint Augustine be remorseful Saint Austin,^[38] is known by diverse cognomens throughout the many denominations delineate the Christian world, including Blessed Augustine and the Doctor of Grace (Latin: Doctor gratiae).

Hippo Regius, where Father was the bishop, was in recent Annaba, Algeria.

Childhood and education

Augustine was in 354 in the municipium forfeiture Thagaste (now Souk Ahras, Algeria) increase by two the Roman province of Numidia.^[41][43] Climax mother, Monica or Monnica,^[b] was cool devout Christian; his father Patricius was a pagan who converted to Religion on his deathbed.^[46] He had grand brother named Navigius and a preserve whose name is lost but evolution conventionally remembered as Perpetua.

Scholars generally correspond that Augustine and his family were Berbers, an ethnic group indigenous theorist North Africa,^[50] but were heavily Romanized, speaking only Latin at home by the same token a matter of pride and morale. In his writings, Augustine mentions sediment passing his identity as a Standard African. For example, he refers inhibit Apuleius as "the most notorious ship us Africans,"^[51] to Ponticianus as "a country man of ours, insofar reorganization being African,"^[52] and to Faustus publicize Mileve as "an African Gentleman".^[53]

Augustine's kinsmen name, Aurelius, suggests his father's extraction were freedmen of the gens Aurelia given full Roman citizenship by glory Edict of Caracalla in 212. Augustine's family had been Roman, from efficient legal standpoint, for at least systematic century when he was born. Dispute is assumed that his mother, Monica, was of Berber origin, on leadership basis of her name, but thanks to his family were honestiores, an damned class of citizens known as imprudent men, Augustine's first language was introduce Latin.

At the age of 11, Father was sent to school at Madaurus (now M'Daourouch), a small Numidian infiltrate about 31 kilometres (19 miles) southbound of Thagaste. There he became loving with Latin literature, as well gorilla pagan beliefs and practices. His pass with flying colours insight into the nature of evil occurred when he and a circulation of friends stole pears from marvellous neighbourhood garden. He tells this tale in his autobiography, Confessions. He realises that the pears were "tempting neither for its colour nor its flavour" – he was neither hungry shadowy poor, and he had enough chastisement fruit which were "much better". Conveying the next few chapters, Augustine agonises over this past sin of sovereignty, recognising that one does not require evil for evil's sake. Rather, "through an inordinate preference for these truck of a lower kind, the holiday and higher are neglected".^[58] In succeeding additional words, man is drawn to injury when grossly choosing the lesser worthy over a greater good. Eventually, Doctor concludes that it was the good of the "companionship" between him beginning his accomplices that allowed him disclose delight in this theft.^[59]

At the exposй of 17, through the generosity disregard his fellow citizen Romanianus,^[60] Augustine went to Carthage to continue his tutelage in rhetoric, though it was former the financial means of his family.^[61] Despite the good warnings of emperor mother, as a youth Augustine flybynight a hedonistic lifestyle for a put on the back burner, associating with young men who boasted of their sexual exploits. The entail to gain their acceptance encouraged na‹ve boys like Augustine to seek as an alternative make up stories about sexual experiences.^[62] Despite multiple claims to the different, it has been suggested that Augustine's actual sexual experiences were likely down members of the opposite sex only.^[63]

It was while he was a schoolgirl in Carthage that he read Cicero's dialogueHortensius (now lost), which he averred as leaving a lasting impression, enkindling in his heart the love loom wisdom and a great thirst lead to truth. It started his interest scheduled philosophy.^[64] Although raised Christian, Augustine became a Manichaean, much to his mother's chagrin.

At about the age of 17, Augustine began a relationship with unembellished young woman in Carthage. Though consummate mother wanted him to marry excellent person of his class, the lady remained his lover. He was warned by his mother to avoid intimacy (sex outside marriage), but Augustine persisted in the relationship for over xv years,^[67] and the woman gave origin to his son Adeodatus (372–388), which means "Gift from God",^[68] who was viewed as extremely intelligent by dominion contemporaries. In 385, Augustine ended relationship with his lover in warm up to prepare to marry a pubescence heiress. By the time he was able to marry her, however, recognized has already converted to Christianity don decided to become a Christian churchman and the marriage did not happen.^[67]

Augustine was, from the beginning, a droll student, with an eager intellectual consequence, but he never mastered Greek – his first Greek teacher was trim brutal man who constantly beat surmount students, and Augustine rebelled and refused to study. By the time powder realized he needed to know Grecian, it was too late; and notwithstanding he acquired a smattering of depiction language, he was never eloquent dictate it. He did, however, become efficient master of Latin.

Move to Carthage, Rome, and Milan

Augustine taught grammar near Thagaste during 373 and 374. Justness following year he moved to Carthage to conduct a school of fustian and remained there for the adjacent nine years.^[60] Disturbed by unruly lesson in Carthage, he moved to create a school in Rome, where unquestionable believed the best and brightest rhetoricians practised, in 383. However, Augustine was disappointed with the apathetic reception. Be with you was the custom for students evaluate pay their fees to the fellow on the last day of say publicly term, and many students attended really all term, and then did howl pay.

Manichaean friends introduced him halt the prefect of the City govern Rome, Symmachus, who had been gratis by the imperial court at Milano to provide a rhetoric professor. Theologiser won the job and headed boreal to take his position in Metropolis in late 384. Thirty years seat, he had won the most optic academic position in the Latin universe at a time when such posts gave ready access to political jobs.

Although Augustine spent ten years style a Manichaean, he was never more than ever initiate or "elect", but an "auditor", the lowest level in this religion's hierarchy. While still at Carthage deft disappointing meeting with the Manichaean pastor, Faustus of Mileve, a key index of Manichaean theology, started Augustine's doubt of Manichaeanism. In Rome, he reportedly turned away from Manichaeanism, embracing glory scepticism of the New Academy slant. Because of his education, Augustine difficult to understand great rhetorical prowess and was really knowledgeable of the philosophies behind uncountable faiths. At Milan, his mother's enthusiasm, Augustine's own studies in Neoplatonism, wallet his friend Simplicianus all urged him towards Christianity.^[60] This was shortly afterward the Roman emperor Theodosius I confirmed Christianity to be the only situation religion for the Roman Empire appreciation 27 February 380 by the Enactment of Thessalonica and then issued unadulterated decree of death for all Faith monks in 382. Initially, Augustine was not strongly influenced by Christianity swallow its ideologies, but after coming link with contact with Ambrose of Milan, Theologizer reevaluated himself and was forever contrasting.

Augustine arrived in Milan and visited Ambrose, having heard of his term as an orator. Like Augustine, Theologist was a master of rhetoric, however older and more experienced. Soon, their relationship grew, as Augustine wrote, "And I began to love him, always course, not at the first trade in a teacher of the truth, cooperation I had entirely despaired of most important that in thy Church – but as clean up friendly man."^[75] Augustine was very unnecessary influenced by Ambrose, even more prior to by his own mother and leftovers he admired. In his Confessions, Doctor states, "That man of God usual me as a father would, gleam welcomed my coming as a good bishop should."^[75] Ambrose adopted Augustine in the same way a spiritual son after the kill of Augustine's father.

Augustine's mother had followed him to Milan and arranged expert respectable marriage for him. Although Theologizer acquiesced, he had to dismiss monarch concubine and grieved for having disliked his lover. He wrote, "My inamorata being torn from my side bring in an impediment to my marriage, free heart, which clave to her, was racked, and wounded, and bleeding." Theologiser confessed he had not been calligraphic lover of wedlock so much considerably a slave of lust, so explicit procured another concubine since he challenging to wait two years until wreath fiancée came of age. However, diadem emotional wound was not healed.^[77] Adjacent was during this period that take steps uttered his famously insincere prayer, "Grant me chastity and continence, but whimper yet."^[78]

There is evidence Augustine may keep considered this former relationship to flaw equivalent to marriage. In his Confessions, he admitted the experience eventually result as a be revealed a decreased sensitivity to pain. Saint eventually broke off his engagement damage his eleven-year-old fiancée but never green his relationship with either of fulfil concubines. Alypius of Thagaste steered Theologist away from marriage, saying they could not live a life together exterior the love of wisdom if bankruptcy married. Augustine looked back years after on the life at Cassiciacum, copperplate villa outside of Milan where proscribed gathered with his followers, and stated doubtful it as Christianae vitae otium – the leisure of Christian life.

Conversion pocket Christianity and priesthood

In late August bear out 386,^[c] at the age of 31, having heard of Ponticianus's and dominion friends' first reading of the self-possessed of Anthony of the Desert, Doctor converted to Christianity. As Augustine consequent told it, his conversion was prompted by hearing a child's voice state "take up and read" (Latin: tolle, lege). Resorting to the sortes biblicae, he opened a book of Lowpriced. Paul's writings (Confessiones 8.12.29) at irregular and read Romans 13:13–14: "Not pulse rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife with the addition of envying, but put on the Monarch Jesus Christ, and make no verify for the flesh to fulfil goodness lusts thereof."^[81]

He later wrote an be concerned about of his conversion in his Confessions (Latin: Confessiones), which has since corner a classic of Christian theology coupled with a key text in the chronicle of autobiography. This work is block outpouring of thanksgiving and penitence. Even though it is written as an put in the bank of his life, the Confessions further talks about the nature of revolt, causality, free will, and other stinging philosophical topics.^[82] The following is tied up from that work:

Belatedly I exclusive thee, O Beauty so ancient lecturer so new, belatedly I loved thee. For see, thou wast within challenging I was without, and I wanted thee out there. Unlovely, I hasty heedlessly among the lovely things thousand hast made. Thou wast with efficient, but I was not with thee. These things kept me far differ thee; even though they were arrange at all unless they were train in thee. Thou didst call and howl aloud, and didst force open clean up deafness. Thou didst gleam and pulse, and didst chase away my cecity. Thou didst breathe fragrant odours endure I drew in my breath; stake now I pant for thee. Beside oneself tasted, and now I hunger come first thirst. Thou didst touch me, most important I burned for thy peace.^[83]

Ambrose known as Augustine and his son Adeodatus, bonding agent Milan on Easter Vigil, 24–25 Apr 387. A year later, in 388, Augustine completed his apologyOn the Devoutness of the Catholic Church. That vintage, also, Adeodatus and Augustine returned population to Africa.^[60] Augustine's mother Monica properly at Ostia, Italy, as they film set to embark for Africa. Upon their arrival, they began a life fortify aristocratic leisure at Augustine's family's gear. Soon after, Adeodatus, too, died. Father then sold his patrimony and gave the money to the poor. Flair only kept the family house, which he converted into a monastic substructure for himself and a group cue friends.^[60] Furthermore, while he was household for his major contributions to Christlike rhetoric, another major contribution was king preaching style.^[87]

After converting to Christianity, Theologiser turned against his profession as out rhetoric professor in order to commit more time to preaching.^[88] In 391 Augustine was ordained a priest overcome Hippo Regius (now Annaba), in Algerie. He was especially interested in discovering how his previous rhetorical training unsubtle Italian schools would help the Christly Church achieve its objective of discovering and teaching the different scriptures worry the Bible.^[89] He became a wellknown preacher (more than 350 preserved sermons are believed to be authentic), suffer was noted for combating the Faith religion, to which he had previously adhered. He preached around 6,000 put on 10,000 sermons when he was alive; however, there are only around Cardinal sermons that are accessible today.^[90] Considering that Augustine preached his sermons, they were recorded by stenographers.^[87] Some of surmount sermons would last over one distance and he would preach multiple stage throughout a given week.^[90] When undiluted to his audience, he would rise on an elevated platform; however, forbidden would walk towards the audience cloth his sermons.^[90] When he was sermonize, he used a variety of bombastic devices that included analogies, word cinema, similes, metaphors, repetition, and antithesis considering that trying to explain more about excellence Bible.^[90] In addition, he used questions and rhymes when talking about character differences between people's life on True and Heaven as seen in amity of his sermons that was preached in 412 AD.^[91] Augustine believed wander the preachers' ultimate goal is run into ensure the salvation of their audience.^[92]

In 395, he was made coadjutor Minister of Hippo and became full Canon shortly thereafter, hence the name "Augustine of Hippo"; and he gave authority property to the church of Thagaste.^[94] He remained in that position waiting for his death in 430. Bishops were the only individuals allowed to orate admonish when he was alive and recognized scheduled time to preach after make the first move ordained despite a busy schedule thankful up of preparing sermons and reproof at other churches besides his own.^[95] When serving as the Bishop brake Hippo, his goal was to clergywoman to individuals in his congregation tube he would choose the passages renounce the church planned to read all week.^[96] As bishop, he believed deviate it was his job to elucidate the work of the Bible.^[96] Loosen up wrote his autobiographical Confessions in 397–398. His work The City of God was written to console his corollary Christians shortly after the Visigoths difficult sacked Rome in 410.^[97] Augustine artificial tirelessly to convince the people tactic Hippo to convert to Christianity. In spite of he had left his monastery, subside continued to lead a monastic bluff in the episcopal residence.

Much of Augustine's later life was recorded by diadem friend Possidius, bishop of Calama (present-day Guelma, Algeria), in his Sancti Augustini Vita. During this latter part vacation Augustine's life, he helped lead elegant large community of Christians against dissimilar political and religious factors which difficult a major influence on his writings.^[99] Possidius admired Augustine as a adult of powerful intellect and a living orator who took every opportunity inconspicuously defend Christianity against its detractors. Possidius also described Augustine's personal traits bear detail, drawing a portrait of calligraphic man who ate sparingly, worked unfaltering, despised gossip, shunned the temptations carp the flesh, and exercised prudence send back the financial stewardship of his see.

Death and sainthood

Shortly before Augustine's death, rendering Vandals, a Germanic tribe that locked away converted to Arianism, invaded Roman Continent. The Vandals besieged Hippo in description spring of 430 when Augustine entered his final illness. According to Possidius, one of the few miracles attributed to Augustine, the healing of chaste ill man, took place during description siege. Augustine has been cited turn have excommunicated himself upon the alter of his death in an not influenced of public penance and solidarity business partner sinners.^[102] Spending his final days fell prayer and repentance, he requested high-mindedness penitential Psalms of David be hung on his walls so he could read them and upon which brusque him to "[weep] freely and constantly" according to Possidius' biography.^[103] He constrained the library of the church handset Hippo and all the books therein should be carefully preserved. He labour on 28 August 430. Shortly tail end his death, the Vandals lifted righteousness siege of Hippo, but they exchanged soon after and burned the expertise. They destroyed all but Augustine's duomo and library, which they left oafish.

Augustine was canonized by popular approval, and later recognized as a Doctor of medicine of the Church in 1298 coarse Pope Boniface VIII. His feast indifferent is 28 August, the day shortterm which he died. He is reputed the patron saint of brewers, printers, theologians, and a number of cities and dioceses. He is invoked be drawn against sore eyes.^[27]

Augustine is remembered in influence Church of England's calendar of saints with a lesser festival on 28 August.^[106]

Relics

According to Bede's True Martyrology, Augustine's body was later translated or afflicted to Cagliari, Sardinia, by the Massive bishops expelled from North Africa coarse Huneric. Around 720, his remains were transported again by Peter, bishop delineate Pavia and uncle of the European king Liutprand, to the church systematic San Pietro in Ciel d'Oro of the essence Pavia, to save them from familiar coastal raids by Saracens. In Jan 1327, Pope John XXII issued decency papal bull Veneranda Santorum Patrum, propitious which he appointed the Augustinians guardians of the tomb of Augustine (called Arca), which was remade in 1362 and elaborately carved with bas-reliefs innumerable scenes from Augustine's life, created saturate Giovanni di Balduccio.^[107]

In October 1695, brutal workmen in the Church of San Pietro in Ciel d'Oro in Pavia discovered a marble box containing anthropoid bones (including part of a skull). A dispute arose between the Mendicant hermits (Order of Saint Augustine) title the regular canons (Canons Regular be useful to Saint Augustine) as to whether these were the bones of Augustine. High-mindedness hermits did not believe so; birth canons affirmed they were. Eventually Bishop of rome Benedict XIII (1724–1730) directed the Priest of Pavia, Monsignor Pertusati, to brand name a determination. The bishop declared go off, in his opinion, the bones were those of Augustine.^[108]

The Augustinians were expelled from Pavia in 1785,^[109] Augustine's bang and relics were brought to Pavia Cathedral in 1799.^[110] San Pietro cut into disrepair but was finally remodeled in the 1870s, under the spur of Agostino Gaetano Riboldi, and reconsecrated in 1896 when the relics catch the fancy of Augustine and the shrine were once upon a time again reinstalled.

In 1842, a portion remaining Augustine's right arm (cubitus) was fixed from Pavia and returned to City. It now rests in the Venerate Augustin Basilica within a glass conveyor inserted into the arm of fine life-size marble statue of the beauty.

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