Augustine of Hippo

Saint Augustine of Hippo
Saint Augustin by Philippe de Champaigne, c. 1645
Bishop of Hippo Regius Doctor of the Church
Born	Aurelius Augustinus 13 November 354 Thagaste, Numidia Cirtensis, Roman Empire
Died	28 August 430 (aged 75) Hippo Regius, Numidia Cirtensis, Western Roman Empire
Resting place	Pavia, Italy
Venerated in	All Christian denominations which venerate saints
Canonized	Pre-Congregation
Major shrine	San Pietro in Ciel d'Oro, Pavia, Italy
Feast	28 August (Latin Church, Western Christianity) 15 June (Eastern Christianity) 4 November (Assyrian)
Attributes	Crozier, mitre, young child, book, small church, flaming or pierced heart.[1]
Patronage	Brewers Printers Theologians Philosophers Sore eyes Bridgeport, Connecticut Cagayan de Oro San Agustin, Isabela Mendez, Cavite Tanza, Cavite Baliwag, Bulacan Iba, Zambales
Philosophy career
Notable work	Confessions On Christian Doctrine On the Trinity The City of God
Era	Ancient philosophy Medieval philosophy
Region	Western philosophy
School	Augustinianism
Notable students	Paul Orosius[19] Prosper of Aquitaine
Main interests	Christian anthropology Biblical criticism Epistemology Ethics Metaphysics Pedagogy Philosophy of religion Theodicy Theology
Notable ideas	Filioque[2] Original sin[3] Free will Augustinian predestination Just war theory Absence of good[4] Concupiscence[5] Sacramental character[6] Augustinian hypothesis[7] Augustinian theodicy Augustinian values[8] Divine command theory[9] Amillennialism You are Christ[10] Deity[11] Solvitur ambulando[12] Heroic virtue[13] Incurvatus in se[14] Genesis as an allegory[15][16] Divine illumination Theocentricism[17] Limbo[18]
Ordination history
History Priestly ordination Date 391 Place Hippo Regius, Africa, Roman Empire Episcopal consecration Consecrated by Megalius Date 395
Source(s):[20][21]

Augustine of Hippo (/ɔːˈɡʌstɪn/ aw-GUST-in, US also /ˈɔːɡəstiːn/ AW-gə-steen;^[22] Latin: Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430),^[23] also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Africa. His writings influenced the development of Western philosophy and Western Christianity, and he is viewed as one of the most important Church Fathers of the Latin Church in the Patristic Period. His many important works include The City of God, On Christian Doctrine, and Confessions.

According to his contemporary, Jerome, Augustine "established anew the ancient Faith".^[a] In his youth he was drawn to the Manichaean faith, and later to the Hellenistic philosophy of Neoplatonism. After his conversion to Christianity and baptism in 386, Augustine developed his own approach to philosophy and theology, accommodating a variety of methods and perspectives.^[24] Believing the grace of Christ was indispensable to human freedom, he helped formulate the doctrine of original sin and made significant contributions to the development of just war theory. When the Western Roman Empire began to disintegrate, Augustine imagined the Church as a spiritual City of God, distinct from the material Earthly City.^[25] The segment of the Church that adhered to the concept of the Trinity as defined by the Council of Nicaea and the Council of Constantinople^[26] closely identified with Augustine's On the Trinity.

Augustine is recognized as a saint in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Lutheran churches, and the Anglican Communion. He is also a preeminent Catholic Doctor of the Church and the patron of the Augustinians. His memorial is celebrated on 28 August, the day of his death. Augustine is the patron saint of brewers, printers, theologians, and a number of cities and dioceses.^[27] His thoughts profoundly influenced the medieval worldview. Many Protestants, especially Calvinists and Lutherans, consider him one of the theological fathers of the Protestant Reformation due to his teachings on salvation and divine grace.^[28][29][30] Protestant Reformers generally, and Martin Luther in particular, held Augustine in preeminence among early Church Fathers. From 1505 to 1521, Luther was a member of the Order of the Augustinian Eremites.

In the East, his teachings are more disputed and were notably attacked by John Romanides,^[31] but other theologians and figures of the Eastern Orthodox Church have shown significant approbation of his writings, chiefly Georges Florovsky.^[32] The most controversial doctrine associated with him, the filioque,^[33] was rejected by the Eastern Orthodox Church.^[34] Other disputed teachings include his views on original sin, the doctrine of grace, and predestination.^[33] Though considered to be mistaken on some points, he is still considered a saint and has influenced some Eastern Church Fathers, most notably Gregory Palamas.^[35] In the Greek and Russian Orthodox churches, his feast day is celebrated on 15 June.^[33][36]

The historian Diarmaid MacCulloch has written: "Augustine's impact on Western Christian thought can hardly be overstated; only his beloved example, Paul of Tarsus, has been more influential, and Westerners have generally seen Paul through Augustine's eyes."^[37]

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