St. Augustine

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that Augustine of Hippo was searching for answers because he was plagued by doubt and fear concerning his personal state of evil and was confused through his involvement with the sect Manichaeism, which taught perfect duality between good and evil. The author analyzes St. Augustine's conversion to Christianity by reflecting on the different attributes that enabled this young scholar to put his faith in the Bible's messages. The paper relates that Augustine realized that it was only through a deeply personal and authentic relationship with God and the sacrificing work of Jesus on the cross that any victory over his sinful nature could be gained. The paper includes quotations.

Table of Contents
Introduction
An Attractive Option
"The Letter Kills, but the Spirit Gives Life"

From the Paper:

"The responses of Christianity, concerning the questions and doubts that plagued Augustine, were part of his attraction to the message of the Bible. Weighed down by sin, confused by evil in the world, and how all of that related to a God that was supposedly good were all issues that burned within him. Augustine wanted to find Truth and he wanted some sort of release for his soul, although he didn't really know what that would entail. However, it was genuine answers that the scholar was searching for, not those that would just balm his conscience for a short while."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Augustine: Elements of Christianity, Online Article, 2007 < ccat.sas.upenn.edu/jod/twayne/aug2.html - 63k>
• Augustine of Hippo, Online Article, 2007,<ccat.sas.upenn.edu/jod/augustine.html - 1k>
• The Confession of Saint Augustine, Electronic Edition, 2007< www.stoa.org/hippo/ - 5k>
• The Confessions of Saint Augustine, Prolegomena, Online Article, 2007< www.stoa.org/hippo/comm.html - 231k>
• The Holy Bible, NIV Version, Zondervan

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