Journey To Christianity

St. Augustine's journey to Christianity
By Aaron Schwartz

Saint Augustine, bishop of Hippo was one of the most important theologians for many times. He was born in Roman North African province of Numidia, he saw the Fall of the glorious Roman Empire and invasion of Vandals in North Africa. He could be called one of the most prolific writers of all times. His works include three spiritual classics: The Confessions, City of God and the Trinity. In his works he is everything - scholar, philosopher, historian and theologian. Augustine influenced the history of Christianity greatly, his work Confessions was considered one of Christianity’s classic texts. His main goal in this book was to show the reader what it means to be from God, to be oriented to God and then brought to God by God. The name of this work – “Confession” may be viewed from different points of view, like meaning admitting somebody’s sins, belief, praise, Augustine constantly gives praise to God, and the work in whole is one long prayer. The “Confessions” occupied central place in the Western Literature as it reveals sincere and open confessions of a human’s soul. The author comes to some conclusions as for the intellectual certainty about the truth of Christianity: “What I know longed for was not greater certainly about you? But a more steadfast abiding to you.” The obstacles were in his heart: “which needed to be cleansed of the old leaven. I was attracted to the Way, which is our Savior himself, but the narrowness of the path daunted me and I still could not walk in it”. Augustine was influenced by both Stoicism and Platonism. Stoicism appeared in Athens, in Greece, around the 3rd century B.C.E., it was founded by Zeno of Citium. This philosophical school was worshiping the Goddess Fate, her law was ruling to combine, dissolve and re-combine the elements. According to Stoics the law of Nature was beyond the power of any god. This school opposed strictly the hypothesis of miracles, the Stoics considered everything to be natural. Augustine had his own understandings of the Trinity, creation and will. Many of his teachings were transferred to Descartes for example, but the he was actually disillusioned himself with Stoicism and his questioning the Stoics’ philosophy in the name of Christ and the Trinity. Still there are some thoughts that were considered “Augustinian” but in fact have genealogy in Stoic asceticism.