Birth: 13-11-354
Home Calling: 28-08-430
Homeland : Algeria, North Africa Place of Vision: North Africa
The early church faced several attacks from internal heretics. When there was a potential threat to the destruction of the church doctrine, Saint Augustine responded to the threat with much wisdom. Some still consider his responses to be the church’s most important writings after the Bible. His numerous works, including the ‘Confessions’ and ‘The City of God’, shaped the practice of biblical interpretation and laid the foundation for modern Christian thought.
Augustine was born into a family that belonged to a respectable class of Roman society. In his youth, he chose to live a selfish life and pursued worldly pleasures. After completing his education at Carthage, he taught there briefly before returning to Rome and then to Milan to make a career. However, after a couple of disappointing years of work, he resigned and went back to his hometown. The collapse of his career and the loss of his only son made him think about his spiritual condition and his walk with God. One day, as he was walking in his garden, he heard a child’s sing-song voice repeating, “Take up and read.” There was lying on a table Apostle Paul’s epistle which he took and read. As he read Romans 13, he was overwhelmed by his conscience’s awareness of the need to change. That day, his life was transformed by the righteous love of God.
After his conversion, Augustine was no more a selfish person and gave up all his ambitions and assets. He established a lay ascetic community along with his friends to study the Scriptures and spend time in prayer. He was then appointed the Bishop of Hippo, where he spent his next 35 years preaching, conducting masses, and resolving local disputes. His sermons were careful interpretations of the Scriptures, and the power of the Holy Spirit manifested through them. He efficiently fought against several controversial and false preachers and saved his flock from being misled.
