5 ways St Augustine shaped Christianity

Hippo Regius, North Africa — August, A.D. 430

The 75-year-old bishop’s condition was worsening. He was trapped inside the Vandal-besieged city of Hippo, for three months. He was struck by a fever and confined to his bed. Fellow bishop St. Possidius, writes about his final moments. His Excellency Augustine (354–430 AD) withdrew, allowing only physicians and those with food to enter. Sources provide no precise modern diagnosis beyond fever and progressive decline. He remained mentally clear, with his sight and hearing intact. Today, this North African city is Annaba in Algeria.

5 Key Effects on Christianity

1. Doctrine on Grace and Original Sin. In his debate with Pelagius, St Augustine split the hairs to show human vulnerability and dependence on divine grace. His life and teachings evidence how—salvation is impossible without God. This has become central to Christian theology as demonstrated in CCC 1996-2005.
2. Theology of the Church. St Augustine contrasts the City of Man with “The City of God". He writes of pilgrim souls, journeying together toward the eternal city. In 1684, St Augustine’s concepts were hijacked by the anti-catholic protestant preacher, John Bunyan in The Pilgrims Progress. One of Bunyan’s cruel. elderly giants is named “Pope.”
3. Integration of Faith and Reason. St Augustine used orthodox interpretations of Plato which helped later theologians like St Thomas Aquinas. Augustine demonstrated that faith and reason are allies, not enemies as referenced in: Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
4. Examination of Conscience via Spiritual Biography. "Confessions" is a compilation of 13 books. Not only is it a theological masterpiece but it pioneered the way for Western autobiographies. It models the Catholic practice of conscious examination and seeking God’s mercy in the Sacraments. This free spiritual therapy is not offered by any other faiths.
5. Pastoral Leadership. He was made a doctor of the church because he used his authority as a bishop, to address heresies, guide his flock through political turmoil and leave behind sermons and letters that inspire Catholic preaching today, see Augustine’s Sermons. In the words of Pope Benedict XVI, St Augustine remains, “a man of passion and faith, of the highest intelligence and tireless pastoral care,” whose voice still echoes in the life of the Church today.

Summary. St Augustine not only wrote abstract theology—he wrote from the heart--wrestling with questions of sin, grace, and the human longing for God. His ability to articulate the inner life of the soul have made his works timeless. St. Augustine’s legacy is not just in the doctrines he clarified, but in the way he demonstrated how the “human heart is restless until it rests in You.”

Annaba, Algeria—August 28, A.D. 430

Spending his final days in prayer with the penitential Psalms of David, St Augustine’s soul was taken by the angels. The last recorded prayer associated with him was his plea that God would either:

• deliver Hippo from the Vandals,
• give His servants strength to endure or
• “take me from this world unto Himself.”

As they watched and prayed, St. Possidius wrote that the bishop now “slept with the fathers.” At that time, this giant-among-men’s headstone, was inscribed as below.

“Wouldst, thou know that poets live again, O traveller, after death?
These words thou readest, lo, I speak! Thy voice is but my breath.”

Further Quotes

Conquer yourself and the world lies at your feet. - St Augustine

God has no need of your money, but the poor have. You give it to the poor, and God receives it. - St Augustine

The honors of this world, what are they but puff, and emptiness and peril of falling? - St Augustine

What do you possess if you possess not God? - St Augustine

Unhappy is the soul enslaved by the love of anything that is mortal. - St Augustine

The love of worldly possessions is a sort of bird line, which entangles the soul, and prevents it flying to God. - St Augustine

This very moment I may, if I desire, become the friend of God. - St Augustine

God bestows more consideration on the purity of the intention with which our actions are performed than on the actions themselves. - St Augustine

I will suggest a means whereby you can praise God all day long, if you wish. Whatever you do, do it well, and you have praised God. - St Augustine

This is the business of our life. By labor and prayer to advance in the grace of God, till we come to that height of perfection in which, with clean hearts, we may behold God. - St Augustine

God in his omnipotence could not give more, in His wisdom He knew not how to give more, in His riches He had not more to give, than the Eucharist. - St Augustine

God does not command impossibilities, but by commanding admonishes you do what you can and to pray for what you cannot, and aids you that you may be able. - St Augustine

Our eternal life lies in our neighbor. - St Augustine