Saint Augustine is believed to have been born in 354 in a roman province in present day Algeria. His mother was said to have been a Christian. At 17 he went to Carthage, Tunisia to finish off his education where he became interested in manichaeism, a dualistic religion, and began a relationship with a girl who gave birth to a son, Adiodatus.
Augustine became a teacher, and reportedly through manichaen contacts obtained a post in Milan where he lived with the unnamed girl and their son. After ten years as a manichaen he became a skeptic and got involved in a new movement of platonism. Reportedly, in 381 Catholicism was declared the only legitimate religion, prohibiting other christian beliefs such as Arianism which is of the opinion that Jesus is not pre existent, but seperate and subordinate to the father. In 382 there was said to have been a decree from roman emporer Theodosius I for the death of all manichaen monks.
In 385 according to reports, Augustine’s mother, Monica joined the family and tried to arrange a marriage for Augustine. His partner of 14 years left but the marriage did not go ahead.
Everyone was turning to catholicism and reportedly in 387 Augustine and Adiodatus were baptised. According to reports Monica died and Augustine and Adiodatus returned to north Africa. Soon after Adeodatus died. Augustine reportedly sold his estate, gave the money to the poor and in 391 was ordained a priest, later becoming the bishop of Hippo. Along with saint Paul he is said to have been a major influence on the early church.
Amongst his writings was a book entitled ‘The City of God against the Pagans’. Themes reportedly were; suffering of the righteous, the existence of evil, the existence of free will versus an all knowing god and original or ancestral sin. Thought to be in his later years a controversy was a belief that an individual acts in good faith by God’s grace rather than by choice. Augustinian teaching is upheld in the protestant church, especially his theology of salvation and divine grace.