University:
California State University, Northridge
Course:
RS 345 | Christianity
Academic year:

2010
Views:

496

Pages:

1
Author:

Graje8mk

AUGUSTINE, THE CONFESSIONS Augustine (ca. 354-430 A.D.), son of Patrick and Monica, a native of Thagaste in the Roman Province of Numidia, stood on the boundary between the world of Late Rome and the beginning of the Christian Roman Empire. Christianity had been legalized in A.D. 313 (under Constantine, 'the (so-called) Great'), and became the state religion (392 A.D., under Theodosius 'the (so-called) Great') around the time that Augustine became a priest. The Confessions were written within the few years after he became a priest (published ca. 400). Augustine's father and his family were pagan, and his father had great respect for the learning of the Classical period. Augustine's mother's family were Christians, and apparently part of the orthodox African church. There had been a schism in Africa as a result of the persecution of the Christians under Diocletian (ca. 303-305 A.D.); during this persecution Christian officials had been ordered to surrender their holy books, Church property and wealth. Those who obeyed the law were considered to be slackers by the rest, who formed themselves into a conservative non-forgiving separate Christian church, under the leadership of Bishop Donatus. These Donatists were a thorn in everyone's side for a century, since they refused to 'allow back in to the communion of Christians' the Christians who had obeyed the authorities in what were really non-essentials of the Faith. Dealing with these people was part of Augustine's growing-up, in which he firmly resisted Christianity, and much later in his career as a priest and then Bishop of Hippo Regius (Numidia). He died in 430, defending his community against a siege of the Vandals.