Saint Augustine's life and philosophy

St. Augustine

Aurelius Augustinus, commonly known as "St. Augustine of Hippo," was simulataneously a Christian Neoplatonist, a North African Bishop, and doctor of the Roman Catholic Church. One of the most important developments in western philosophy was the merging of the Greek philosophical tradition and the Judeo-Christian religion, and St. Augustine was instrumental in making this connection. He had a profound influence on the subsequent development of Western thought and culture and singularly shaped and defined the issues that have characterized the Western tradition of Christian Theology.

In his life up to the year 391, St. Augustine's life was devoted to reconciling his Christian faith with his classical culture. He was raised as a Christian, and although religion did not hold an important place in his early life, he never completely turned his back on his faith. While he was a student, he encountered the classical ideal of philosophy's search for truth and discovered a love for the philosophic life. Unable to give up Christianity altogether, he adopted Manichaeism, a Christian heresy claiming to provide a rational Christianity on the basis of a purified text of Scripture. Nine years later, his association with the Manichees ended in disillusionment; and in Italy he discovered Neo-Platonism, a form of philosophy that seemed compatible with Christian belief. He experienced a religious conversion that led Augustine to devote his life to the pursuit of truth, which he now identified with Christianity. He returned to North Africa and helped establish a religious community dedicated to the intellectual quest for God. After combining his love of philosophy with his spiritual beliefs, Augustine is representative of both classical philisophy and Christianity.