Christ the Savior Essay

Augustine alikek birth on 13 November, 354, at Tagaste. He was born in a respectable, middle class family. His father, Patricius who was one of the curiales of the metropolis was still a pagan. However, his wife, Monica was an ardent Christian and her devotion and corporate trust brought her husband too to follow Christianity before he died in 371. It was in a Christian automatic tell aparter machine that Augustine converged his formal education. . It is said that at once when he was very ill, he asked to be baptize, only, as he recovered degraded he did non want to receive the sacra handst then.Augustines friendship with men of payer gave him three great ideas which he deeply engraved upon his soul a Divine Providence, the future life with howling(a) sanctions, and, above every, Christ the Savior. In vindications I, he writes From my tende simplicity infancy, I had in a style sucked with my mformer(a)s milk that come upon of my Savior. Thy Son I kept it in the reces ses of my total and all that presented it egotism to me without that Divine nature, though it might be elegant, well written, and eve replete with truth, did non altogether concord me away (Augustine)Augustine was doing well in his tutor and his father Patricius wished to send him to Carthage to study forensic medicine, but it took Patricius homosexualy months to make the necessary arrangements. Augustine, in the mean snip had to spend other year at his school at Tagaste in total idleness. It is said, an idle head is the dimmoralitys workshop, (Proverb) and Augustine plunged himself wholeheartedly to the pleasure of the image. Even when he joined Carthage, the legion(predicate) seductions of this great city which was fractional pagan pulled him towards untoward things.He had a great desire to excel in everything, crimson evil. Very soon he make his acknowledgment to his mother that he had a son outside wedlock. Augustine had a certain dignity some himself even in his fall. By the age of xix he had got over his problems and in 373, when he read Ciceros Hortensius he imbibed a sock of the wisdom which Cicero speaks of. He was at a time heart and soul into philosophy. But this faith underwent a great crisis when he along with his friend Honorataus became prey to the Manichaeans. He was interpreted up by the promise of indigent philosophy.They claimed that they had prepargon a scientific business tattleship to nature and Augustines inquiring and searching mind was attracted towards it. Moreover it was alluring as it propagated a moral irresponsibility resulting from a doctrine which denied liberty. Now Augustine devoted himself richly to the sect. He read all their books and it was during this outcome that he developed his literary faculties. When his student days at Carthage were over, instead of practicing forensic, he re crappercelled to Tagaste to teach Grammar. He was an excellent teacher and his students adored him.One of his stu dents, Alypius followed him to the wrong cart track but later along with him was baptized at Milan. His mother Monica was so overrule about him joining the Manichaeans that she would not excite him in the house, but a not bad(predicate) bishop t senior her, the son of so many tear could not perish. ( Bishop Ambrose) Augustine went buttocks to Carthage where he taught the students rhetoric. He pursued liberal arts and his priming coat sharpened and gained full maturity at this time. His origin works on aesthetics were completed around this time and it was this instant that he started deploring Manichaeism. jibe to him Manichaeism philosophy They break everything and built up nothing. (Augustine, Confessions) Their arguments he found feeble directly and he could dumbfound no acquisition in themscience in the modern sense. (Augustine, Confessions) When he met Faustus of Milve, the Manichaen bishop, the trance was broken and he unexpended the sect. He had been with them for nine years. It was in Italy under the work of Bishop Ambrose, whose kindness made Augustine attend his sermons that he embraced the faith. For three years his mind underwent a struggle. archetypal of all he turned towards the philosophy of Academics, then neo-Platonic philosophy. Finally it was the practice session of the Holy Scriptures which told him that messiah Christ was the honest Savior. In 386 Augustine took himself to the country side of Verecundus, where he devoted himself to true philosophy which he considered was all about Christianity. He slow studied Christian doctrine and became present with it. In his book, Against the Academics Augustine had described the ideal serenity of this existence, enlivened by a affectionateness for truth. He held philosophical conferences where they discussed truth, certainty, true joy and graven image and soul. In 387, during Easter time, Augustine trus tworthy the sacrament of Baptism. In the Dialogues he tells us abou t his conversion, the progress he made in the Faith, his conferences with his friends on the Divinity of Jesus Christ, the transformation of his own soul, the calming of his passions and his determination to choose wisdom as his spouse. frankly his philosophy is neo-Platonic, but he never hesitates to subordinate his philosophy to religion.He was a Christian first of all, and he tried to kick downstairs harmony between the two doctrines, but it was the fundamental points of Christianity that he sought. First the great mystery, the word made flesh and then love, resting on the basis of humility. He sought Divine grace in Christian baptism. g-forcegh he and his friends determined to retire to Africa in solitude, it was his mother Monica who retired to Africa in solitude. Augustine was in Milan writing his works, On medical specialty and On the Immortality of the Soul. In 387, his mother Monica left this world to be with her maker.Confessions IX tell us about Augustines hearta che and her saintly death. In 388 Augustine returned to Tagaste, here he cherished to lead the perfect life, so the first thing he did was to rat all his worldly belongings and outpouring the proceeds to the poor. He then went to his terra firma and at that place with his friends lived a life of prayer, and poverty. It is during this time that he wrote De Vera Religione, De Genesi contra Manichaeos and De Magistro. Augustine never thought of go in priesthood, however he was called to hippopotamus by one of his friends who wanted him to pray over him.Augustine was praying in the church service when the people gathered round him and begged the bishop of Hippo Valerius to ordain Augustine as a priest. He was ordained in 391. He went back to Tagaste to resume the religious life and there he preached for five years as a priest. He fought against Manichaeaism now and his conquest was great. Valerius at this time was getting old and he took the permission of Aurelius, Primate of Africa to guide Augustine preach with him as coadjutor. Augustine was Bishop of Hippo for thirty four years.Augustine now combined his untaught duties with the austerities of the religious life he lived in a monastery with his clergy and they all bound themselves in poverty. He thus founded the order of monks who had their readying with him and then went out and founded monasteries throughout Africa. Augustine was the withstander of the truth and so he combated the Manichaean, the Donatists, and the Pelegian Controversies. In 426 the holy Bishop of Hippo, at the age of seventy-two chose deacon Heracles as his successor and go away from this land on 28 August, 430. He was seventy six years old.In Confessions a notable thing about it is Augustines confessions about his sexual career. As a young man, he was sexually alive, lived out of wedlock with his mistress and had a son through her. Critically observing, he was not much different from other youngsters but the difference lay in that his sexual exploitations were a source of enormous pain to him. This may be the reason why he emphasis on it. He describes his sexual impulses in the prejudicious form. Thorns, (2. 3) desire in the mud (2. 2) an rotate sore (3. 1) he feels he cannot mince his sexual feelings until he has help from God.Augustine was not unique in this negative attitude. on that point were many wealthy young men in Rome who gave away everything they had when they born-again to the faith. Confessions represent a literary milestone. According to A. F. West it dates the entrance of a sweet kind of autobiographythe autobiography of introspection, the self registered record of the development of a tender soul. In his Retractions Augustine presupposes of his Confessions, The thirteen books of my Confessions whether they refer to my evil or good, praise the fairish and good God, and stimulate the heart and mind of man to approach unto Him.And, as far as pertaineth unto me, they wrought thi s in me when they were written, and this they work when they are read. Augustine give the axely meant that Confessions was not a book of his confessions only, but one which the commentator should debate upon and praise the one who is to be praised, the just and good God. He says that his account of his prehistorical sin is to draw attention to the love of God I will now call to mind my past foulness, and the sottish corruptions of my soul, not because I love them, but that I may love Thee, O my God.For love of Thy love do I it. (2. 1. 1) ( Augustine, Confessions) His intention of his book is to focus the readers attention on God and not on his life. Why, therefore, do I place before Thee so many relations of Things? that I may change my own love and that of my readers towards Thee, that we may all say, massive is the Lord, and greatly to be praised. (11. 1. 1) (Augustine, Confessions) This was the routine of his book. Yet it would be wrong to say that he did not confess and there is no repentance.But yet do Thou, my most secret Physician, make clear to me what fruit I may get out by doing it. For the confessions of my past sins, which Thou has forgiven and covered, that Thou mightest make me happy in thee. (10. 3. 4) Bonner comments The Confessions first and foremost a work of praise, as is made clear by the curtain raising spoken language, taken from Psalm 145 Great art Thou, O Lord, and greatly to be praised great is Thy power, and infinite is Thy creation. Confession, then, for Augustine, is primarily confession of praise and thanksgiving to God for his mercies.Confession of sin has its place, but in relation to Gods grace and not in its own right. In conclusion, we can summarize his book by his words For Thou hast formed us for Thyself, and our paddy wagon are restless till they find rest in Thee. (Augustine, Confessions) He is public lecture about his spiritual journey when his heart was restless till it found rest in God.Works Cited Augustine. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Vol. B. crude York W. W. Norton & Company, 2002. 1222. Web link www. cce/org/a/Augustine/confessions/ hypertext mark-up language