Augustine Biography

Questions on this topic? Just ask!

Dictionary of Literary Biography on Augustine

Augustine is one of the major thinkers in the history of Western thought. Born during the decline of the Roman Empire, he provided a bridge between the thought of ancient Greece, interpreted in the light of the Judeo-Christian Scriptures, and the Middle Ages. His authority reigned supreme during the latter period and has remained unparalleled throughout the history of Christianity. But even were he not a transitional figure with a foot in both the ancient and modern worlds, the nature and scope of his writings would have assured him a high place in the history of the West.

Augustine was born on 13 November 354 in Tagaste in Numidia Cirtensis, North Africa (now Souk-Ahras, Algeria), of a Roman father, Patricius, and a local tribeswoman, Monica. In his Confessiones (Confessions, 397-401) Augustine contrasts the hot-blooded, semicultured character of his father with the common sense and saintliness of his mother. Although such a contrast must be seen against the background of Augustine's thesis in the Confessiones--the wretchedness (miseria) of man and the mercy (misericordia) of God, and Augustine's view of Monica as the agent of God's grace in his life--there is no more reason to doubt the veracity of this characterization than to doubt anything else in the Confessiones.

Read the rest of this Biography with our Augustine Access Pass.