AUGUSTINE REFLECTION
Written by: Dennis Bailey, Jr.
The Spiritual Influences in the Life of Augustine
Augustine was born to a Christian mother and a non-Christian father who lived in the city of Hippo in present-day Algeria.[1] During his young adulthood, Augustine struggled mightily with both the concept of sin and his engagement in sinful acts, as he lived for fifteen years with an African woman who was not his wife.[2]
His conversion to Christianity is an amazing story in itself. In 386 A.D., at the age of 31, he was passing by several children playing a game in a garden, and they were singing the words, “tolle lege,” which is translated, “Take up and read.”[3] On a nearby bench there just so happened to be a copy of Paul’s Epistle to the Romans, opened to the thirteenth chapter.[4] Augustine heeded the directions in the children’s song (although they were not singing to him, or in reference to the book), but he picked up the book nonetheless.[5] He read verses thirteen and fourteen, “Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.”[6] These words resonated with Augustine, and this was all that the African needed in order to put his old ways behind him and he decided to pursue the life of a clergyman.
This story is often cited as proof of the work of God, as many wonder what would have happened if Augustine had not been in that exact place at that exact time. Would he ever have been converted to Christianity? The fact that it did happen altered the course of history from that point forward. However, it would over-simplify the issue if one were to conclude that Augustine had no interest in changing his life when he came across that book on that day.
The spiritual journey of Augustine of Hippo began much earlier, during his childhood. Even though his mother was a Christian who desperately wanted her son to leave his sinful ways behind him, every individual has an obligation to make the choice to accept Christ as Lord and Savior; no one can do that for you. Through his teenage years, Augustine lived a lifestyle that was the farthest thing from a Christian life. His most egregious sin was rejecting God, and it can be argued that his second-most greatest sin was that of fornication.
After his conversion, he would later write the autobiographical Confessions. In it, as he reflected upon his life, he could see things that influenced him along the way, things that he could not see as they were occurring. Among the influences was his mother.
Through his writings, we see that Augustine all along was searching for something to fill the emptiness inside of himself. He searched in academia, but to no avail. He dabbled in various philosophies, but they also left him empty. One can only imagine what was going through his mother’s head since she knew of the only thing that could save him, faith in Jesus Christ, but she was limited in her influence over him. Augustine wrote of his mother, “Hence most calmly and with a heart filled with confidence…she believed in Christ that before she departed from this life she would see me a faithful Catholic.”[7]
Augustine’s mother was certainly not the only positive influence on his way to conversion. In his Confessions, Augustine wrote favorably of Ambrose, Bishop of Milan. When he met Ambrose, Augustine had rejected the philosophy of Manichaeism, but had not yet embraced Christianity. Augustine actually witnessed the preaching of Ambrose before his conversion and it was after experiencing Ambrose that Augustine wrote that he, “Preferred Catholic teaching.”[8] The irony should not be lost in that Ambrose, the man who would become such a strong influence over the once-fornicating Augustine, embraced celibacy. Augustine did not immediately buy into the celibate lifestyle, but through time he would do just that.[9] One can sum up the feelings of Augustine in regards to the esteem in which he held Ambrose in a few short words, as Augustine referred to him as, “That holy man.”[10]
Augustine would eventually accept Christ as his Lord and Savior, and he would be baptized. This baptism elicited in him an emotion that is apparent in his writing, “Those voices flowed into my ears, and your truth was distilled into my heart, and from that truth holy emotions overflowed, and the tears ran down, and amid those tears all was well with me.”[11]
There were many other positive influences over Augustine’s spiritual journey. Seemingly countless volumes have been written about Augustine, so this is merely a snapshot of a very influential man. Next will be a discussion of similarities that are present in modern-day culture, along with some of the positive influences in the spiritual journey of the author, concluding with one negative influence.
Similarities to Modern Culture and the Spiritual Influences of the Author
One can see commonalities between the spiritual journey of Augustine and those who accept Jesus in the twenty-first century. It seems that Augustine realized that there was a void in his soul, so he searched until he found it. He looked in convenient places first, and he realized that these substitutes would not fill the void. This process led to his dissatisfaction with his life and his willingness to latch onto Christianity. He was not ready for that leap earlier in his life because certain events were requisite to prime him for his decision to accept Christ.
In the twenty-first century, it seems that many are searching everywhere for meaning, and some even think that they have found meaning without Christ. The irony is that only once they find Christ will they realize that without Christ they had nothing. Some give themselves to sinful pleasures, such as Augustine did, so that is nothing new. Others devote themselves to a career. Others latch on to technology in an attempt to be accepted by their peers, such as having the newest smart phone or technical gadget. The church has the difficult task of reaching these people. What is important to know seems at times to have been forgotten by the church, and that is all the church has to do is be in the position to spread the gospel and the Holy Spirit will do the rest.
In the life of the author, similar to that of Augustine, is easy to see in retrospect the people and experiences that affected the spiritual journey even during the pre-conversion years.
My parents ranked far and away the most influential figures. Both mother and father were both born-again Christians since before my life began. This is a similarity to Augustine in that his mother also wished for him to convert. In my household, there were times when Biblical instruction was more prevalent than others, but more than anything was a sense of humility and firm discipline rooted in the Bible.
My childhood years were spent mostly with my immediate family, composed of the two parents and two older sisters, and to a lesser extent two great-grandparents (all of my grandparents had passed away by the time I was eight years of age). Exposure to the extended family (aunts and uncles) was limited because there were many who practiced un-Christian lifestyles, the chief among which was the excessive consumption of alcohol. The parental decision to refrain from these situations may have elicited wisecracks and sneers from the aunts and uncles, but my parents never cracked under any pressure. This taught the importance of adhering to one’s principles. There are many other ways in which my parents were positive influences, but it would be overkill to mention them all.
Another strong influence, at least for a relatively short period of time, was Pastor James Morris. Just as Augustine was inspired by Ambrose, I was inspired by Morris. He was the pastor of the church I attended when I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior. It is interesting to note that Morris was probably around 70 years old at the time, and he retired shortly after my baptism. I suspect it may have been because I was the youngest in my family, and I therefore always looked up to people who were older than myself that I have always had respect for those much older than myself. By and large, there is a lot to learn from our elders, and it is disappointing to see the arrogance of some youth reject the teachings of elders, and consider them old-fashioned, out of touch, and the like.
Pastor Morris was on fire for the gospel and he preached salvation through Jesus Christ. One could tell that Morris not only talked the talk, but he walked the walk. Considering where I was spiritually at that time, Morris was a make or break figure. If he came off as a wishy-washy preacher with no real concern for others, it very well may have set me back in my spiritual journey and led me to question more things. Come to think of it, I am sure that Morris does not realize how influential he was over my future.
Lastly, I would be remiss to mention the influence of classmates who obviously were not regenerate. This is the negative influence on me, which, as it turns out, was actually a positive influence in hindsight. Although I was not born-again in high school, I never wanted the company of those who were disrespectful and arrogant, who often were not regenerate souls. I have no reason to believe that many of them were regenerate believers in Christ. The way in which they held themselves had the influence of pushing me away from them and their views, and essentially towards the gospel. There is a similar vein that runs through the writings of Augustine, as he knew many people in academia who were intelligent in the worldly sense of the term, but upon his conversion he saw things in a different light.
Atheism is the most nonsensical worldview because it maintains that the world (something) came from nothing, which is a scientific impossibility. Atheism takes much more faith than does theism in general and Christianity in particular. The ignorance of the things of God, from any atheist even today, continually pushes me farther into the arms of my God who is the author of all truth. Every person is known by his fruits, and I knew that much even before I was regenerate.
There are many other influences that have affected my spiritual journey, so included herein is, again, just a snapshot. I look forward to people that I have not even met as of yet, who will influence me further in my walk with Christ.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Augustine, Saint. Confessions (trans. by John K. Ryan). New York: Doubleday Press, 1960.
MacCullough, Diarmaid. Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years. New York: Viking Adult, 2010.
FOOTNOTES
[1] Diarmaid MacCulloch, Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years. (New York: Viking
Adult, 2010), 302-303.
[2] MacCullough, 302.
[3] MacCullough, 303.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Ibid.
[6] Romans 13:13-14 [KJV].
[7] Saint Augustine. Confessions (trans. by John K. Ryan). (New York: Doubleday Press, 1960), 134.
[8] Augustine, 138.
[9] Augustine, 213.
[10] Ibid.
[11] Augustine, 214.
