Saint Augustine of Hippo: biography of this philosopher and priest

Saint Augustine of Hippo (354-430) was a priest and philosopher of the Catholic Church, known as the “Doctor of Grace”. He dedicated his life to reflecting deeply on theology and politics, which laid the foundations for an important part of medieval and modern philosophy.

Next we will see a biography of Saint Augustine of Hippo, as well as a brief description of his main works.

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Biography of Saint Augustine of Hippo: priest, theologian and philosopher

Augustine of Hippo, originally called Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis, was born on November 13, 354 in a Roman province in North Africa, called Tagaste (now Algeria). He was the son of Monica, of Berber origin and a devotee of the Catholic Church; and Patrick, a descendant of pagan beliefs. Both a respectable couple from Roman society.

At the age of 11, Agustín was sent to a school in the south of Tagaste, where he remained until the age of 17, when he began his training in rhetoric. After this, and

Despite being raised Catholic, Augustine left the church to follow Manichaeism, religion formed by the Persian prophet Mani, of whom he was disappointed years later. Soon after, he formed a family with the woman who was his companion for 15 years. With her he had her only son, named Adeodato, who would die at an early age.

In the year 383, Augustine moved to Rome, where he continued to study rhetoric, philosophy, persuasion, and public speaking skills. He soon became one of the most representative intellectuals of the Latin world, which also allowed him to carry out political activities.

He later on he moved to Milan, where he ended up shedding Manichaeism and concluded that it was a form of heresy to combat. In philosophical questions he was interested in skepticism and Neoplatonism.

In the summer of 386, and after having gone through a deep personal crisis, detailed in his famous work Confessions; Augustine of Hippo finally converts to Christianity. He abandons rhetoric and academia, renounces his marital commitment, and thus dedicates himself to practicing the priesthood.

After this he returns to North Africa and founds a monastery. In 391 he received priestly ordination in the city of Hippo, which is now Annaba, Algeria. From there he was known as Augustine of Hippo, and he was soon recognized as a great preacher.

Agustín de Hipona died in the year 430, probably on August 28, at the age of 75; after being appointed bishop and "patron of regular clergy." Although the exact causes of his death are not known, it is known that it was in the context of the invasion of the Roman province of Africa by the Vandals of Genseric.

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Three main works

Agustín de Hipona was recognized not only in Italy and Africa, but in Spain and the Middle East. His works are especially known Confessions, City of God Y Reconsiderations, although there are many others. We will see below a brief description of his main ideas.

1. Confessions

This work It is composed of 13 books, and most of them are autobiographical stories. Saint Augustine decided to name his work Confessions not only because of that, but because of the religious significance of the act of confessing. The work consists of reflections of Saint Augustine on his own life, taking as a reference the biblical book of genesis.

It addresses issues such as the contradictions between his past and later positions of authority as bishop. He also talks about the nature of sin and redemption., which reveal the influence of Bishop San Ambrosio in the thought of Augustine, as well as the doctrines of Plato. It also discusses the renunciation of sexuality after priestly ordination, the search for wisdom divine, and the mystical experience that happened to him in Milan and that led him to finally decide on life catholic.

2. City of God

In the context of the military and political conflicts between Africa and Italy, as well as in a religious environment that constantly confronted with paganism, St. Augustine spent 15 years working on a new way of understanding the human society.

For the philosopher, it was necessary to establish a City of God capable of opposing the City of Man. The latter was condemned to disorder, with which it was important that wise men advocated a city based on divinity.

The work is divided into 22 books, ranging from the questioning of pagan communities that claimed different forms of divine power; to the biblical history of mankind (from Genesis to the Last Judgment). Thus, he sought to present a "true story" of the City of God. This is considered one of the fundamental works to understand the political order that characterized the Middle Ages.

3. Reconsiderations

Reconsiderations was written in the last years of his life, and offers a retrospective view on the career of St. Augustine. It is made up of several of his previous writings and includes comments on the circumstances in which they were written, as well as corrections or ratifications of what was said.

It is a work that deeply expresses the thought and life of this philosopher. It owes its title precisely to the exercise of self-analysis that Saint Augustine performs.

Other outstanding works

In addition to the above, other works that are representative of the thought and life of Saint Augustine are Christian doctrine (written between 396 and 397), The Trinity (written between the years 399 / 400-416 / 421), Verbatim comments on Genesis (from the years 401/414) and Sermons, from the same time.

Bibliographic references:

• Augustine of Hippo (2016). New World Encyclopedia. Retrieved October 29, 2018. Available in http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Augustine_of_Hippo
• O'Donnell, J. (2018). St. Augustine. Christian Bishop and Theologian. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved October 29, 2018. Available in https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Augustine#ref24812