AUGUSTINE - BACKGROUND

<BODY> <CENTER><FONT SIZE=5><B><FONT SIZE=6>AUGUSTINE</FONT><BR> THE CONVERTED CONVERTER</B></FONT></CENTER><P> <FONT SIZE=4><B>Background</B></FONT><P> <FONT SIZE=4><B>READING PHILOSOPHY</B></FONT><BR> Aurelius Augustinus was born in the Roman province of Numidia to middle class parents who invested their modest wealth in educating their son in preparation for a political career. As a student in Carthage, Augustine read a Roman work (Cicero's "Hortensius") which inspired his interest in philosophy and after completing his studies, he stayed on at Carthage as a teacher of rhetoric. At the age of 28, Augustine moved firstly to Rome where he lived with his mother in the last year of her life and then to Milan, where he abandoned an early involvement with <A HREF="../t03/g029.html" TARGET="_top">Manicheeism</A>.<P> <FONT SIZE=4><B>KNOWING GOD</B></FONT><BR> He was introduced by Ambrose, the eminent bishop of Milan, to <A HREF="../t03/g034.html" TARGET="_top">Neo-platonism</A> through which he found solutions to his questions about the nature of God. He was converted to Christianity in 386 and baptized the following year, after which he left Milan to return to Africa. In Hippo, he lived in a small religious community. In 391 Augustine was forced to accept ordination as assistant priest to the old bishop, upon whose death 5 years later, he entered the episcopate in which he would remain until his death. <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>