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Augustine of Hippo Timeline
(November 13, 354 – August 28, 430 AD)Augustine of Hippo (354–430 AD) was a Roman African philosopher, theologian, and bishop whose writings—including Confessions and The City of God—profoundly shaped Western Christianity. His journey from Manichaeism and skepticism to conversion under Ambrose of Milan, followed by decades as Bishop of Hippo defending the faith against heresies, made him one of history's most influential Christian thinkers. More Less
Theology and Doctrine
Early Christians opposed deterministic views of Stoics and Gnostics
100 - 400
During the first four centuries, early Christians opposed the deterministic views of fate held by Stoics, Gnostics, and Manichaeans, setting the stage for Augustine's own later battles with Manichaean thought.
Image source: Augustine of Hippo
Council of Carthage endorses Augustinian teaching
418
The Council of Carthage in 418 affirmed Augustine's theological positions, particularly on grace and original sin, marking an early ecclesiastical endorsement of his doctrine.
Image source: Councils of Carthage
Council of Ephesus affirms Augustinian-aligned orthodoxy
431
The Council of Ephesus in 431 further cemented the acceptance of Augustine's teachings within the broader Church, contributing to the growing authority of his theology after his death in 430.
Image source: Council of Ephesus
Synod of Orange reaffirms Augustinian doctrine
529
The Synod of Orange in 529 adopted a moderated form of Augustine's teachings on grace and free will, confirming his lasting influence on Western Christian doctrine.
Pope Gregory the Great endorses Augustine's theological justification
590 - 604
In the sixth century, Pope Gregory the Great endorsed Augustine's theological justification concerning Jews, which became the Catholic Church's official policy and allowed Jewish communities to live in relative safety among Christian hosts up until the twelfth century.
Image source: Pope Gregory I
Anselm defines Original Sin in Cur Deus Homo
1097 - 1098
Anselm of Canterbury established in Cur Deus Homo the definition followed by the great 13th-century Schoolmen, that Original Sin is the 'privation of the righteousness which every man ought to possess,' separating it from concupiscence, with which some of Augustine's disciples—and later Luther and Calvin—had identified it.
Image source: Cur Deus Homo
Council of Trent engages Augustinian doctrine
1546
The Council of Trent in 1546 drew upon Augustinian theology in its responses to the Protestant Reformation, demonstrating the continued centrality of Augustine's thought to Catholic doctrinal definition.
Image source: Council of Trent
Pope Pius V condemns identifying Original Sin with concupiscence
1567
In 1567, Pope Pius V condemned the identification of Original Sin with concupiscence, clarifying Catholic teaching in contrast to interpretations by followers of Augustine such as Luther and Calvin.
Image source: Pope Pius V
Life and Legacy
Augustine's family had been Roman for at least a century
250 - 354
By the time Augustine of Hippo was born in 354, his family had held Roman legal status for at least a hundred years, situating him within an established provincial Roman household in North Africa.
Augustine canonized and declared Doctor of the Church
1298
Augustine was canonized by popular acclaim, and in 1298 he was recognized as a Doctor of the Church by Pope Boniface VIII, formally enshrining his authority among the greatest teachers of Western Christianity.
Image source: Doctor of the Church
Key Facts
- Augustine was born on November 13, 354, in Thagaste (modern Souk Ahras, Algeria), in Roman North Africa, to a pagan father Patricius and devoutly Christian mother Monica.
- After years exploring Manichaeism, skepticism, and Neoplatonism, he converted to Christianity in Milan in 386, inspired by Bishop Ambrose's sermons and his famous experience hearing a voice say 'Tolle lege' ('Take up and read').
- His autobiographical work Confessions, written around 397–400, is considered one of the first great works of spiritual autobiography in Western literature.
- He served as Bishop of Hippo Regius (modern Annaba, Algeria) from 395 until his death in 430, during which he defended Christianity against Manichaean, Donatist, and Pelagian heresies.
- His masterpiece The City of God, written between 413 and 426 in response to Rome's sack by the Visigoths in 410, laid foundations for Western political theology and views on church-state relations.
Source
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