AUGUSTINE - OVERVIEW

<BODY> <TABLE width=400 BORDER=0 CELLSPACING=2 CELLPADDING=1> <TR> <TD><IMG ALIGN=Left SRC="0901a.jpg" WIDTH="157" HEIGHT="150" ALT="AUGUSTINE"></TD> <TD><CENTER><FONT SIZE=5><B><FONT SIZE=6>AUGUSTINE</FONT><BR> THE CONVERTED CONVERTER<P> (354 - 430)</B></FONT><BR><BR> "Understanding through faith" </CENTER></TD> </TR> </TABLE> <FONT SIZE=4><B>Overview</B></FONT><P> Recognized as one of the greatest Christian philosophers of antiquity, Augustine brought classical pagan philosophy together with Christian thought to create a theology which has had a profound and lasting influence on Western Christianity.<P> His career in the Catholic Church was dominated by controversy and debate as he struggled to promote unity within the church against the heretical groups which threatened to divide it, particularly the Donatists and the Pelagians. His lasting influence in Christian theology however is in his scripture commentaries and in his masterpiece, "De civitate Dei" (The City of God), in which he espoused a doctrine of divine predestination, derived from the original sin. <BR clear=left><BR> <HR width=100%> <A HREF="http://www.creatorix.com.au"><IMG SRC="../creatorix.gif" WIDTH="85" HEIGHT="40" BORDER="0" ALT="Creatorix" align=right></A> </BODY>