St. Augustines Role in the Development of Christianity Essay

St. Augustines Role in the Development of Christianity - Essay ExampleSt. Augustines Role in the Development of ChristianityThe name of St. Augustine is also among such courageous and dauntless per male childalities, who devoted their life for the uplift of Christianity in his surroundings without displaying any irresoluteness in the looking at of hardships. St. Augustine of Hippo enjoys very respectable status in the list of the Christian saints, who had rendered exceptional services for the growth and development of the contemporary worlds largest devotion i.e. Christianity. He not only dedicated his entire life for the development of Christianity, but also introduced, interpreted and elaborated the fundamental concepts of the belief in ordinate to convey the Christs true message to the masses during the era when adopting and supporting Christian teachings served as taboo and forbidden act in the look of law and society at large. The Christians were persecuted, tortured and eve n killed at the hands of pagans and Jews in Africa and Rome respectively. Christians posed a problem for roman type rulers because Christians refused to worship Roman gods. This refusal was seen as opposition to Roman rule. Some Roman rulers also used Christians as scapegoats for political and economic troubles. (mmoloneyiths.com) Augustine was born in Numidia, North Africa in 354 A.D. It was the snip when Christian faith was in its budding in the entire region. The paganism prevailed all over Africa, and the people, converted to this new faith, were looked upon with extreme suspicion and abhorrence. Being the son of a pagan father, Patricia, and devout Christian mother, Monica, the young Augustine had least interest in Christianity in his early youth. Being an energetic and carefree youth, he dog-tired most of his time in dissipation and revelry making. Hence, he was neither interested in paganism, nor did he display any inclination towards her mothers conversion. However, he had developed great taste for philosophy and maintained aptitude for reading. After a rather unremarkable childhood, Augustine drifted through several philosophical systems in the first place converting to Christianity at the age of thirty-one. At the age of nineteen, Augustine read Ciceros Hortensius, an experience that led him into the fascination with philosophical questions and methods that would remain with him throughout his life. (ccel.org) Since St. Monica, his mother, had dedicated her life for the cause of her religion, she vehemently lamented over Augustines sticking to the pagan faith. Somehow, the circumstances observed astounding change, and Augustine started abhorring dissipation eventually his social life was confined to reading and brooding. The remarkable inexplicable call, inviting him to adopt the path of virtue and glory was too powerful to resist. Consequently, he embraced Manichaean faith viewing it as the right path to be followed. Somehow, his discussions wi th his ace Simplicianus and his mothers insisting forced him to study the new religious doctrine. St. Ambrose of Milan played decisive role in his conversion, and he adopted Christianity not on the dot to imitate others rather, he entered the faith on the concrete foundations of his deep study, meditative examination and thorough analysis of the Christian teachings. Augustine has recorded the account of his conversion in his wonderful The Confessions. After conversion, Augustine dedicated himself for the cause of Christianity. He declared his conversion to Christianity as the outcome of countless bounties of his Lord upon him. He studied, taught and spread the basic philosophy of religion, and