| Augustine, Bishop of Hippo (August 28th) is widely considered to be
the greatest theologian in the history of Western Christianity. He was born in 354 in present-day Algeria in northern Africa. His brilliant intellect and strong conscience made him almost pathologically restless from his adolescence well into adulthood.
At the age of 18, following his formal education, he took a concubine who bore him a son. Driven to find truth, Augustine soon became enthralled by the philosophy of Plato. But he was also constantly torn by an intense inner struggle with his personal morals (or lack thereof). He sought to end these struggles by joining the Manichees, a religious sect that renounced bodily pleasures such as food, drink, and sexuality (it didn't work).
He became a teacher of rhetoric, moved to Rome for advancement, and soon gained an appointment as a professor in Milan. Still struggling with Manichaeism, he came under the influence of a group of Christians whose theology was shaped by Plato. They were led by the local bishop, (St.) Ambrose, whose sermons showed Augustine how to read and interpret the Scriptures. Guided by his devoutly Christian mother, Monnica, he accepted the Christian faith in 386. He was baptized by Ambrose in 387,during the Easter Vigil.
He returned to North Africa to live a secluded life, but in 391 he unexpectedly found himself chosen by the people of Hippo to be a priest. Four years later he was chosen bishop. This profound change in his life led him to write a spiritual autobiography. The Confessions (ca.400). Taking the form of an extended prayer, this work is acclaimed as one of me very greatest spiritual classics of all time. Augustine remained an active bishop and writer for the rest of his life, completing what is perhaps his greatest work. The City of God, four years before his death in 430.
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