St. Augustine of Hippo
The Doctor of Grace
Welcome to this blog which is devoted to the life and teaching of the saint and doctor of the Catholic Church, St. Augustine of Hippo. Here you will find information about the saint from both his life and work. I will be posting content of different kind such as his works, prayers, reflections and commentaries about his life and teaching. It is my hope, as has been my case, that in learning about his life and reading his works, people see in him a teacher by whom they can learn to know and love better the Lord, Jesus Christ.
“You have formed us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless till they find rest in You.”
(Confessions I:1)
Born: November 13th of 354 in Thagaste
Died: August 28th of 430 in Hippo Regius
Conversion: September of 386 at Milan
Canonized: 1298 by Pope Boniface VIII
Patron of: brewers, printers, theologians
Symbols: child, dove, pen, shell, pierced heart
Major Shrine: San Pietro in Ciel d’Oro, Italy
Feast Day: August 28th
St. Augustinus, ora pro nobis!
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Timeline of St. Augustine’s Life
This timeline is a work in progress, I shall continue to expand upon it as time allows.
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354 St. Augustine is born at Thagaste, on November l3th.
365 Goes to school in Madaura.
370 Returns to Thagaste from Madaura.
371-372 Goes to Carthage for the first time to study rhetoric. Takes a concubine.
373 Reads Cicero’s Hortensius and it made a decisive impact on his life, leading him to burst in love with philosophy, the love of wisdom. Falls into the Manichean error. His son Adeodatus is born. His father dies.
375 Returns from Carthage to Thagaste to teach rhetoric.
376 Death of an unnamed friend who was baptized. Returns to Carthage and begins teaching rhetoric.
380 Writes De Pulchro et Apto (lost work).
383 Sails to Rome with concubine and son.
384-385 Appointed professor of rhetoric in Milan. St. Monica arrives in Milan. St. Augustine is influenced by St. Ambrose and captivated by his preaching. He becomes a regular attendant at his preachings.
386 St. Augustine was converted in a garden in Milan on September. Retreats with St. Monica, Adeodatus and his friends to Cassiciacum, to devote himself to what was now for him the true philosophy, Christianity.
387-388 Returns to Milan, he and his son are baptized by St. Ambrose. At Ostia, he and St. Monica have a vision while looking through a window. St. Monica dies there. Goes to Rome.
390 Returns to Carthage, then Thagaste; his son dies.
391 Despite the fact that he did not intend to become a priest, when he was summoned to Hippo, while he was praying at a church the people gathered about and cheered him, begging Bishop Valerius to ordain him and so he was ordained a priest in Hippo, North Africa.
392 Writes to St. Jerome requesting Latin translations of Bible commentaries. Debates in Hippo with Fortunatus the Manichee.
393 Assists the plenary Council of Africa and at the request of the bishops, delivers a discourse which later became one of his works: On Faith and the Creed.
396 At age 42 becomes Bishop of Hippo, replacing Valerius, the then Bishop of Hippo and remains bishop until his death.
397 Writes work against the Epistle of Mani, Called the Fundamental.
401 Completes the highly influential story of his own conversion, his Confessions. Writes work against Faustus, the Manichean.
403 The Donatist controversy.
410 For health reasons, spends winter at villa outside Hippo.
411 Attends a conference at Carthage on June 11 to debate against the Donatist and successfully overthrows their doctrine and establishes the Catholic teaching.
412 Pelagian controversy. Pelagianism condemned at a council held at Carthage for their attacks against the doctrine of Original Sin.
417-18 Pope Innocent I ratifies the decisions of the councils of Carthage and Mileve against the Pelagians. St. Augustine informs Pope Zosimus about the true nature of Pelagianism and this leads him to condemn Pelagianism like his predecessor.
420 Completes his work On the Trinity, his dogmatic work on the Trinitarian mystery in the life of grace.
421 Writes the Enchridion of Faith, Hope and Love.
426 Completes his monumental work: The City of God. Setting forth the Christian understanding of universal history and human destiny.
427 After Pelagianism a new doctrine emerges: semi-pelagianism. When informed about this doctrine by St. Prosper of Aquitaine, St. Augustine writes his two books On The Predestination of The Saints to refute their errors.
428 Writes his Retractions or Reconsiderations. Contrary to popular belief, this work did not mean that St. Augustine retracted his views. The work is an overview of all his works, where he gives the background and reason fro composition for each and where he reviews them and points out some things he felt could have been said better and others which he regrets saying. Yet, to anyone who has read the Retractions, it becomes evident that the points he raises there are quite minimal.
430 St. Augustine dies at Hippo in August 28th during the Vandal’s siege of Hippo when he was 76 years old.
Note: Relevant dates and events after his death will be added later.
