Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - Nov/75

Contributor - R. A. Hartmans

Title - Augustine of Hippo

Topic - Church History

Augustine of Hippo was thirty three years of age when he became a Christian. Having tried many ways to find satisfaction in life, he discovered that only in God one can find true fulfillment. For the rest of his life he wanted to meditate on God and on his own soul. He gave away most of his possessions to the poor, and, together with his son Adeodatus and some friends, settled down in Augustine's birthplace, Tagaste, in North Africa to form a commune. This little group, dedicated to poverty, celibacy, study ana, prayer, became the forerunner of several Augustinian monastic orders.

Augustine's peace was shattered first by the death of his son. Moro than ever he threw himself on his studies and writing in order to fill the vacuum which Adeodatus left behind. Then a call from Valerius, bishop of Hippo, forced Augustine once and for all to give up his solitude. Valerius needed an assistant and in the year 391 Augustine was ordained a priest.

Before his conversion Augustine used to be a professor of rhetoric. Thus, it is understandable that Valerius called upon him more and more to preach in the church services. The congregation loved it, and his eloquence often brought them to tears and action.

At one time he severely attacked the practice of having church suppers to celebrate the birth and saint days of martyrs. He solemnly warned the congregation of the consequences. He reminded them of the coming judgment day, and finally he begged the people. Probably, partly in answer to have pity on their pastor, for he would need to account for their souls. In the end both the congregation and the preacher were in tears.

Augustine served the Catholic Church of Hippo, which was the smaller one of the two Christian churches in this seaport of 40.000. The other denomination was known as the Donatists. Though neither denomination could accept one another's teachings, they were united in their opposition to the Manichaeans. Donatists and Catholics now urged Augustine to take on the popular Manichaean bishop Fortunatus in a debate.

Augustine had been a Manichaean himself, but even before his conversion he had become tired of their rationalistic interpretation of evil. Thus he gladly -accepted the challenge. For a meeting place the public bathes of Sosius were chosen, and for two days the crowds followed the dialogue between the two leaders. Augustine won, thus giving a mortal blow to the Manichaens - Fortunatus thought it best to leave town.

It became Augustine's burden to be the leader in strenuous controversies during the remainder of his life.

In the year 395 Augustine was elected, much against his objection, co-bishop of Hippo. There had been some resistance against his ordination by the Archbishop of Numidia. The cause of this resistance was Augustine's former adherence to Manichaeism. Some ugly rumors went around. However, an inquiry vindicated him.

Probably, partly on answer to his antagonists, Augustine wrote his Confessions. As the parishioners confessed their sins unto their bishop, the bishop confessed his sins unto God in this book. The book's highly spiritual nature caused it to become widely circulated during Augustine's life time. Ever since it has been read by millions of Christians. Even today it is considered the most famous Christian writing outside of the New Testament.

Valerius died in the year 396 and Augustine became the sole bishop of Hippo. Until his death, thirty four years later, he would carry this office. Augustine fulfilled his office as a servant of the Lord, His Church, and of His people. Though he craved to throw himself on his theological studies, his time was occupied with many other tasks: of priest, preacher, teacher, author, administrator, and fighter for the Gospel.

Soon after Augustine became bishop, he became involved in a controversy with the Donatists which would last throughout his life time.

The Donatists were Christians who considered themselves the true Church as opposed to the Catholic Church. The True Church, the Donatists claimed, was the church in which the Sacraments were administered by bishops who had not committed mortal sins, such as immorality or treason. Augustine's arguments and writings eventually helped to undermine and break the power of Donatism. It also helped to crystallize a doctrine of the Church.Against the separation of the Donatists Augustine argued that the unity and catholicity of the Church was grounded in love towards the brethren. Against the Donatists' claim on holiness. because of the morality of their office bearers, Augustine placed the argument that the Church receives her sanctity from the Holy Word and the Holy Sacraments. He repeated Christ's claim that within the Church the tares and the wheat are growing together until the day of the Last Judgment.

Augustine's insistence on the unity of the Church eventually compelled him to forego his former belief that no one can be forced to believe..In the year 411 a hearing in Carthage was held by Emperor Honorius in order to restore unity. As a result the Donatists were prohibited to hold any further meetings. They were ordered to hand over all their church property to the Catholics' The Donatists were furious. They resorted to violence. Several members of Augustine's staff were killed . Then Augustine called on the government to enforce the emperor's decree and force the Donatists to submit to Catholicism. As justification he pointed at Jesus' words "Compel people to come in". (Luke 14:23). Augustine always begged for gentleness in dealing with his adversaries. He pleaded repeatedly with the state officials not to inflict the death penalty on the heretics. Nevertheless, h'- is reasoning, was misused later on in history and may be said to have encouraged the development of the Medieval Inquisition.

Another major controversy, which took much of the bishop ' s time, was one with the English monk Pelagius. Early after his conversion Augustine had come to the conclusion that man's good works were only accomplished with the assistance of God. Moreover, that no one could be saved from eternal punishment but for God's help. His teachings on " divine assistance, divine mercy, and forgiveness and divine aid in man's sanctification and regeneration are called the Doctrine of Grace.

To Augustine faith, also a gift of God, opened up the two-fold mystery of grace. It answered the question why some people had faith in God and others not, and, secondly, why some people would be elected to eternal life, while others would have to suffer eternal damnation.

Pelagius on the other hand did not believe that God would predestine man to hell or heaven. He taught that the choice of our fate is left to ourselves. He gave a strong defense of man's free will and of the saving power of good works. He denied the Biblical doctrines of original sin and the fall of man.

The controversy between Pelagius and Augustine dragged on for years. The Church, general speaking, followed Augustine's ly teachings with the emphasis on grace. Pelagius, views were condemned.

The last years of Augustine's life took place when the Roman Empire was shaking on its foundations, Barbarian tribes were invading the country, and in the year 410 Rome was captured and plundered. Thousands of refugees entered North Africa. The entire Empire was perplexed by the fate of the Eternal City.

Soon there were those who saw Rome's fall as a punishment by the gods for forsaking the ancient religions. On the other hand, Christians believed that the end of the Empire would mean the end of Christianity, for they had begun to identify the two.

In answer to these voices Augustine wrote his famous book "The City of God". It took him thirteen years to complete it. In the book he pointed out that Rome's fall was not due to accepting the Christian religion, but to her continued sin. Furthermore, he used 1200 pages of the City of God to develop a philosophy of history which would influence the course of Western civilization. He described history as a tale of two cities.

"Mankind is divided into two sorts: such as live according to man, and such as live according to God. These we mystically call the 'two cities' or societies, the one predestined to reign eternally with God, the other condemned to perpetual torment with the Devil." The earthly city would be destroyed again and again, the heavenly city would continue to grow. Meanwhile the Lord is in charge of history. The city of man, the state, could serve the Lord by submitting itself to the true religion -and by promoting righteousness and peace.

Augustine's theology would influence the history of the Western Church and State for centuries to come. It laid the foundation for the theocratic states of the Middle Ages as well as Calvin's Geneva, where the state would be subordinate to the Church. His insistence against the Donatists on the One Holy Catholic Church as opposed to sectarianism would influence both Roman Catholicism as well as later Protestantism. While his arguments on grace, predestination and free will would be repeated by the great Reformers a thousands years later.

Augustine. Bishop of Hippo, died at the age of 78. He left no will or property, no descendants. Yet his legacy fills the libraries of the world and moves the hearts of men to the Lord even today.

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