Scholar

Augustine of Hippo

354–430 CE · Bishop of Hippo; original sin, grace and predestination.

Biography

Augustine, Bishop of Hippo and former Manichaean, is the most influential Western church father, shaping doctrines of sin, grace and predestination. Key works: Confessions, The City of God.

Key Ideas

  • Original sin inherited through concupiscence.
  • The bound will: non posse non peccare after the Fall.
  • Unearned, necessary grace; predestination of the elect.
  • Noetic effects of sin on human reason.

Topics Appearing In

Key Quotes

“Our heart is restless until it rests in Thee.”Augustine, Confessions I.1

Exam Importance

Anchor scholar for Human Nature; also central to Knowledge of God and Death and the Afterlife.

Works to explore

Use these titles to locate the scholar's argument in context. Edition-specific commercial recommendations are kept on the component reading lists.

  • Augustine — Confessions (by the scholar)
  • Augustine: A Very Short Introduction (about)