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Person of Faith

Augustine of Hippo

Meet the beloved African pastor and philosopher. Augustine fled the God of the Bible, wanting nothing to do with Christianity. His act of fleeing God, he later realized, was an attempt to find God in all the wrong things. We call him a "church father."

Testimony
Impact
Books
Augustine of Hippo
Meet
Augustine of Hippo

Meet Aurelius Augustine of Hippo, a prolific author, philosopher, and pastor in the North African town of Hippo Regis.

Searching for satisfaction in early adulthood, Augustine was a part-time pear thief, professional public speaker, and follower of peculiar philosophies.

Augustine’s mother Monica knew he needed to know the God of the Bible, so she prayed persistently and tearfully for her wayward son.

One day in a garden in Milan, those prayers were answered. Augustine heard the voice of a child nearby repeating the phrase “take up and read.” So he opened the Bible—to Romans 13:13-14, which challenged him to stop chasing worldly pleasure and to start seeking Jesus Christ.

After he encountered God through the Bible, Augustine spent the rest of his life writing about the truth he discovered in the Bible and pastoring his congregation in Hippo. Augustine wrote about education, politics, friendship, and sex, not to mention, the Bible.

Because of his giant influence on our faith and culture, we call Augustine a “church father.”

The Life of Augustine

Birth
Aurelius Augustine was born in Thagaste, North Africa (modern-day Algeria).
Education
Augustine began studying rhetoric at the University of Carthage.
Religious Experience
Augustine joined the Manichaean cult for nine years. Manichaeans believed in a fight between good and evil, but in no authoritative higher power.
Culture
Emperor Theodosius I made Christianity the state religion of the Roman Empire.
Relocation
Augustine moved to Rome and became a professor of rhetoric in Milan.
Conversion
Augustine converted to Christianity. He was baptized the next year.
Honors
Augustine was ordained as a priest.
Career
Augustine became bishop of Hippo, serving until his death.
Writing
Augustine wrote his most famous book, Confessions. He also formulated his Augustinian monastic rules, which became popular in monasteries throughout Europe a century later.
Impact
Donatism, a wrong belief that valid Christian ministry can only come from a faultless leader, was outlawed in the Empire, largely through Augustine’s work.
War
Rome was sacked by Alaric of the Visigoth barbarians.
Council of Carthage
The Council of Carthage condemned Pelagianism, a heresy Augustine strongly opposed that taught humans are born sinless and can save themselves through good works.
Publishing
Augustine published The City of God.
Death
Augustine died during the Vandals’ conquest of Hippo.
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Testimony
Article: 6 Min

Augustine and
the Bible:
The Right Verse at
the Right Time

by Bibles.net
READ ARTICLE
Quote

You called
and cried out loud
and shattered my deafness.
You were radiant and
resplendent, you put to
flight my blindness.

Augustine of Hippo
Verse
2 CORINTHIANS 4:6 NLT

For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.

Message: 54 Min

Augustine, Sin

and Joy

by John Piper

WATCH NOW
Verse
ROMANS 13:13-14 NIV

Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.

Quote

When Augustine Encountered God

Late have I loved you, beauty so old and so new: late have I loved you. And see, you were within and I was in the external world and sought you there, and in my unlovely state I plunged into those lovely created things which you made (Romans 1:21-23).

You were with me, and I was not with you. The lovely things kept me far from you, though if they did not have their existence in you, they had no existence at all (John 1:3, Colossians 1:17). You called and cried out loud and shattered my deafness. You were radiant and resplendent, you put to flight my blindness. You were fragrant, and I drew in my breath and now pant after you (Psalm 42:1). I tasted you, and I feel but hunger and thirst for you (Psalm 63:1). You touched me, and I am set on fire to attain the peace which is yours.

by Augustine of Hippo | Source
Image

Let us
behave decently
as in the daytime.

Romans 13:13 NIV
Impact
Article: 6 Min

Your Heart Is Restless and Augustine Has the Answer

READ NOW

by Bibles.net

Verse
MATTHEW 11:28-29 NIV

[Jesus said] “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Quote

Our hearts
are restless
until they
rest in you.

Augustine of Hippo
Article: 12 Min

8 Things We Can Learn From Augustine

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by Gerald Bray at Crossway

Article Series

Augustine's Exposition on the Psalms

Online Version

READ NOW

by Christian Classics Etherial Library

Article: 5 Min

Why Read Augustine’s Confessions?

READ NOW

by Ryan Reeves at The Gospel Coalition

Article: 16 Min

Augustine and His Greatest Work: The City of God

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by Gervaise Charmley at Banner of Truth

Quote

To fall in love
with God is
 the greatest romance;
to seek him,
the greatest adventure;
to find him,
the greatest human achievement.

Augustine of Hippo
Article: 4 Min

How Augustine Loved the Psalms

READ NOW

by Benjamin Kandt at praypsalms.org

Books
Confessions
Read Review
Featured Book

Confessions

by Saint Augustine | Memoir
Augustine discovered that fleeing is really our attempt at finding what we are looking for. We are all searching for the God who made our hearts to be satisfied only in him. Journey with Augustine as he reflects on God’s tireless pursuit of him.
GET THE BOOK Free E-Book
City of God Random House
Read Review
Featured Book

The City of God

by Saint Augustine | Philosophy
In The City of God, Augustine defends the Christian worldview to his fifth-century contemporaries concerned about Roman opposition. Augustine explains the conflict between the City of Man and the City of God, answering deep questions about suffering, human nature, the problem of evil, and more. 
GET THE BOOK Free E-Book

Rest in God
alone, my soul,

for my hope comes from him.

PSALM 62:5-8 CSB
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