In the midst of Augustine's prominent role in the Donatist controversies, he was suspected both by his Donatist enemies and by wary Catholic allies. Augustine's precise motivation for writing his life story at that point is not clear, but there are at least two possible causes.įirst, his contemporaries were suspicious of him because of his Classical, pagan-influenced education his brilliant public career as a rhetor and his status as an ex-Manichee. Many translations, including by R.P.H.Augustine probably began work on the Confessions around the year 397, when he was 43 years old.
Norwich: Canterbury Press, 3 rd edn, 2002
Philosophy and True Happiness: The Happy Life.
Living the Christian Life: Augustine’s Rules.‘Christian Autobiography’: The Confessions.
The subtlety, power and timing of his writing ensured that Augustine was profoundly influential in every age of the Western Church from his day to this. His surviving works cover a huge range from doctrinal theses, sermons and Biblical exegesis to attacks on heretics and his Confessions (which has been hailed as the first Christian autobiography). After a mystical experience and under the influence of Bishop Ambrose of Milan, Augustine converted to Catholic Christianity, becoming a bishop within ten years just as the Roman Empire was noticeably disintegrating. Born into a landowning family in Roman Africa, Augustine had the upbringing of his class, including a period as a member of the Manichean sect, various relationships, and a glittering career as a professor of rhetoric. This course examines the life and thought of one of the giants of Western Church, Augustine of Hippo (died 430).
0 kommentar(er)
