“You have formed us for Yourself, oh Lord, and our hearts are restless until they find rest in you.” —St. Augustine of Hippo, Confessions, 1.1, paraphrased
If you enter a room of pastors, theologians, or historians and ask, “Apart from Jesus Christ and the apostles, who is the most important figure in church history?” you will likely be met with blank stares as your audience grapples with the difficulty of answering such a question. But if they decide to play along, Augustine’s name is one of the first you will hear.
The church remembers Augustine on August 28, the anniversary of his death. Why do we remember him? What is he known for? Why might you want to teach your children about Augustine of Hippo?
Augustine was born in Thagaste, North Africa, outside of Carthage. He lived from AD 354 to 430. His moving autobiographical work, Confessions, is part of the Western canon. In it, he shares his life story, culminating in his conversion to Christianity at the age of 33. Augustine lived at a volatile time in history. He witnessed the beginning of the end of the Roman Empire as Rome was sacked by the Visigoths in AD 410. Perhaps this upheaval contributed to one of his other famous works, The City of God, where he contrasted the kingdoms of this earth, which will pass away, with the kingdom of God, which will never end.
Early Life and Conversion
Although not a Christian as a young man, Augustine was a brilliant student. At a young age, he traveled to Carthage to study rhetoric. He was discouraged, however, by the eloquent yet empty words of the rhetoricians and was determined to discover something beyond flowery language—he wanted to learn the truth. Augustine’s quest for truth led him to philosophies like Platonism, to cults like Manichaeism, and, ultimately, to a deep study of the Scriptures. Augustine traveled to Milan, where he heard the sermons of Ambrose, the bishop of Milan at the time (and writer of the beloved Advent hymn Savior of the Nations, Come). Eventually, Augustine could no longer resist the pull of the Holy Spirit and was baptized in AD 347. (If you have not read the story of Augustine’s conversion, you can find it recounted in his own words in his Confessions.)
One cannot tell the story of Augustine without mentioning his mother, Monica. Monica was a faithful Christian, but her husband and son were not believers. Throughout her life, Monica prayed fervently for the conversion of her husband and son. Finally, after many years of marriage and shortly before his death, her husband—Augustine’s father—came to know Jesus and was baptized. Filled with the peace that this knowledge brought her, Monica turned her full attention to her son, praying for his conversion, and following him to Milan so that she could continue encouraging him toward faith.
Donatist Controversy
After his conversion, Augustine used his skills as a thinker and writer in service to the church. He moved back to North Africa and eventually became bishop of a town named Hippo. One challenge facing the church during Augustine’s lifetime was the Donatist controversy. The Donatists were a sect that taught Sacraments were only valid when administered by a priest living a holy life. In the first several centuries of Christianity, the church had suffered through frequent seasons of persecution. In many cases, Christians were told to offer sacrifices to Caesar (which signified worship offered to Caesar as a god) or to face death for their crimes against the state. Those who were willing to die for their confession were remembered as martyrs, but many others offered sacrifices. When persecution ended, those who had caved to pressure and offered sacrifices to save their own lives or the lives of their family members wanted to be accepted back into the church. This created a big controversy: should they be welcomed back or not?
The Donatists believed that not only could a priest who had fallen in this way not be readmitted to the office of public ministry but also that the Sacraments performed by such a man were not valid. They believed a fallen priest could not actually baptize nor administer a real Lord’s Supper. This led to a complete separation from the church, as the Donatists would not accept the work of priests ordained or baptized by men who had later committed grave sin or given up the faith.
Augustine addressed this controversy by explaining that the Sacraments derive their effectiveness from God and not from the minister. It is not necessary for the priest to be morally upright to have a valid sacrament because God is the one bestowing grace on His people.
Pelagian Controversy
Another challenge the church faced in Augustine’s lifetime was the teachings of a British monk named Pelagius. Pelagius felt that it was unfair of God to demand perfection of people if we are all born into the world tainted with original sin. How could God ask for something that is impossible for us to do? He thought it must be that we do have the power to live without sin, otherwise God would not require it. Pelagius taught that all humans are born without sin, fully capable of keeping God’s Law, but Jesus Christ is the only man who has ever succeeded in doing this. This heresy—that God has given us the ability to keep His Law—is called Pelagianism.
Augustine met Pelagius in Carthage, but refused to ordain him or accept his teachings, so Pelagius had to leave Carthage and travel to Palestine. Augustine refuted Pelagianism by using the witness of Scripture to clarify the church’s teaching on original sin. We are all born with concupiscence, Augustine explained, the inclination to sin that is present in each human after the fall. Left to our own will, we not only struggle against sin but we also want to sin. It is only by God’s grace in our lives that we can live in repentance and faith.
This light sampling of Augustine’s life barely scratches the surface of his legacy. The impact of Augustine’s writings on the Western Church cannot be overstated. Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther, John Calvin, and many, many other theologians are indebted to him in their work.
Learn more about Augustine and other saints and heroes of the faith in Journey through Church History.
