Latin Fathers – Saint Augustine

His Holiness Pope Shenouda III in this lecture speaks about the life of Saint Augustine, presenting his history, repentance, writings, and theological influence, showing how he moved from philosophy to faith, and from intellectual search to deep spiritual life.

Early life and beginning

Augustine was born in 354 AD in North Africa (Algeria) and departed in 430 AD after 76 years of life. He studied in Carthage and excelled in eloquence and rhetoric. He was intelligent and gentle by nature. Living away from his parents, he fell into youthful recklessness and was absorbed in Platonic philosophy and the Manichean heresy.

Search for truth and repentance

Augustine moved to Milan, where he met Bishop Ambrose, whose sermons deeply influenced him, leading him to think about baptism and repentance. He was touched by the tears of his mother Saint Monica, who prayed earnestly for him, by the bitterness of sin, by reading the lives of the saints—especially that of Saint Anthony—and by the Epistles of Saint Paul and the Book of Isaiah. All these factors formed an inner call that led him back to God.

Baptism and spiritual transformation

He was baptized in 387 AD at the age of thirty-four and began a new life founded on prayer and meditation. He said to God: “You were with me, but I was not with You. I have loved You too late, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new.” He realized that God dwelled within him and thanked the Lord saying: “You have loosed my bonds; to You I will offer a sacrifice of praise.”

His spiritual and intellectual qualities

Augustine united a philosophical mind with a believing heart, intelligence with humility. He became a man of prayer and contemplation, dedicating his life after repentance to monasticism, teaching, and service. After his mother’s death, he sold his possessions, distributed them to the poor, and lived a simple monastic life.

His theological and intellectual writings

Saint Augustine left a vast legacy of 260 works, including responses to heresies and many theological and spiritual writings such as Confessions, City of God, On the Trinity, and On Grace. His Confessions show deep humility, as he confessed his sins before the whole world to be an example of sincerity and repentance. In his Retractations, he showed profound humility by reviewing his earlier thoughts and correcting what he found mistaken.

His theology and positions

Augustine defended the faith against heresies such as Manichaeism and Pelagianism and explained the concepts of grace and original sin with great depth. He also engaged in debates with Saint Jerome with meekness and patience, overcoming through love rather than argument.

The spiritual dimension of his teaching

Augustine represents true repentance: from the darkness of passions to the light of faith, from pride to humility. He realized that philosophy cannot save man but only divine grace. Therefore, he is called the “Saint of Grace” in Church theology, as he emphasized God’s work in human salvation.

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