Saint Augustine of Hippo

Dedicated to St. Augustine, 3/26/23 By Sherri Johnston Assignment #2 Historic Advice

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REFERENCES:

Denova, R. (n.d.). Augustine of Hippo. World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/Augustine_of_Hippo/ 

Saint Augustine | Biography, Philosophy, Major Works, & Facts. (n.d.). Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Augustine 

Zeigler. (n.d.). Augustine of Hippo’s Doctrine of Scripture: Christian exegesis in late antiquity. INDIANA UNIVERSITY, V:(II). 

How reading the Bible helped St. Augustine overcome lust. (2020, August 29). Aleteia — Catholic Spirituality, Lifestyle, World News, and Culture. https://aleteia.org/2020/08/29/how-reading-the-bible-helped-st-augustine-overcome-lust/ 

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Be Free From The Chains That Bind You

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Take Up and Read

I Augustine believe I can help those who seek reprieve from sexual sin and pornography. Who better to help than that of someone who has walked through it themselves. In my full addiction it was a chain, it bound me with a perverse will. One day I cried out to God in anguish, and I asked God to remove from my heart all my lustful habits. One day “I threw myself down under a certain fig tree,” I cried out to the Lord and asked the Lord to take this from me. What I heard in my spirit was this. “Take up and read, take up and read.” I read Romans 13:13-14 “let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh to gratify its desires.” It was at this moment that all the gloom and doubt vanished away before me. On the strength of the word of God.

It was certainly a monumental moment for me, and I never stopped reaching for the Bible Day after day after day for by the grace of God I was able to overcome my sexual sin and embrace a life of chastity. Freedom is always possible through the wonderful Grace of God, which is a gift freely given to all who seek it. (How Reading the Bible Helped St. Augustine Overcome Lust, 2020)  

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A man after God's own heart

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My Career

I Augustine have spent a lot of time throughout my career focusing on the nature and interpretation of scriptural texts. I spent a lot of time trying to explain to people that human communication was inferior to God's perfect word. It was important to me that people understood that divine speech like our God himself, only exists beyond the confines of time, because there is no time in the realm of the spirit, God’s realm.  

We humans communicate syllables and languages, God's communication it is not contained within syllables, he is also not limited to a single language. For me, the humble nature of humanity parallels the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ, and within those structural confines is where we will find what we seek. (Zeigler, n.d.) 

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St. Augustine's Biblical Exegesis

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Who Am I part 2

I was not without my challenges in the days I was proving myself as a Christian scholar, I was the first significant thinking Christian theorist after the apostle Paul. I have more than 5 million words in writings that exist today; everything from sermons to theological treatises.  

I wrote about “Predestination” it also coincides with the words of the apostle Paul, (please see Romans 8:29-30). Predestination is a doctrine and Christian theology it is the divine ordaining of all that will happen, especially regarding the salvation of some and not others. I brought about biblical exegesis (critical explanation of scripture) within the challenges of the medieval and modern Christian ways of thinking, which continue to this day to be an important part of the work that I have done. (Saint Augustine | Biography, Philosophy, Major Works, & Facts, n.d.) 

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The earliest known portrait of Saint Augustine in a 6th-century fresco, Lateran, Rome

This is what I looked like as I sat writing Systematic theologies ideas for you.

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Who Am I?

My full historical name is Augustinus Hipponensis, or Augustine of Hippo, later St. Augustine. I am considered the Greatest of all Christian Church fathers. I help people learn how Christianity fits into the knowledge of the universe, creation as well as our relationship with God. I developed what is now called Systematic Theology. I was canonized by Pope Boniface VIII in 1303. I am the Patron St. of Brewers, printers, and theologians. I was born and lived most of my life in a seaport city in North Africa called Hippo, this area is now part of present-day Algeria. I served as a Priest, a Bishop, and a Theologian in the church during the early 400's.

When I was a teenager growing up I had a tough time with my faith and temptation, specifically temptation with women. I struggled with morality and that impossible prospect of living life according to the Christian way. I experimented with several faiths besides the Christian faith and various philosophies during my young adult years. (Denova, n.d.) Look for my next post installment of Who am I?