Publisher's Synopsis
Saint Augustine of Hippo - Philosopher and Theologian is the biography of Saint Augustine of Hippo, who was a popular philosopher and theologian. Augustine, a Latin Father and Doctor of the Church, is one of the most important figures in the development of Western Christianity. Augustine was radically influenced by Platonism. He framed the concepts of original sin and just war. When Rome fell and the faith of many Christians was shaken, Augustine developed the concept of the Church as a spiritual City of God, distinct from the material City of Man. His work defined the start of the medieval worldview, an outlook that would later be firmly established by Gregory the Great. Augustine was born in present day Algeria to a Christian mother, Saint Monica. He was educated in North Africa and resisted his mother's pleas to become Christian. He lived as a pagan intellectual, took a concubine, and became a Manichean. He later converted to Christianity, became a bishop, and opposed heresies, such as the belief that people can gain salvation by being good (Pelagianism). His works-including The Confessions, which is often called the first Western autobiography-are still widely read around the world. In addition he was a believer in Papal supremacy. Saint Augustine of Hippo - Philosopher and Theologian is highly recommended for those interested in the history and story of this influential philosopher and theologian.
