Saint Augustine's Confessions Of St. Augustine Of Hippo

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History is a powerful influence. The traditions of one’s ancestors, the stories of one’s heritage, and the values of one’s religion play a fundamental role in a person’s raising. This influence is not just applied to small children; many young adults are influenced by the ideas and lessons of yesteryear. For Saint Augustine of Hippo, the Ancient times before him greatly influenced him and his viewpoints, as evidenced in Augustine’s autobiography, Confessions. In this great autobiography, Saint Augustine demonstrates how the Ancient philosophy and theology that he studied were tremendous influences during his reconversion back into the Church. In Confessions, Saint Augustine showcased his ancient influences, especially on the matters of fate. Like all young people, Saint Augustine went through a difficult time in his life where he was still trying to discover the purpose and meaning behind his actions and the causes and reasons behind his outcomes. So, he eventually turned to the timeless tradition of astrology. Saint Augustine fell in love with the concept of astrology and horoscopes. “It was some time since I had rejected the misleading divinations and …show more content…
In this case, Saint Augustine was drawn to the views of Plato, in the form of the then growing philosophical movement, neoplatonism. This philosophy was a launching path that, like Cicero, immensely helped Saint Augustine on his journey home to the Church. “You provided me with some books by the Plutonists, translated from the Greek into Latin. In them I read that in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God; he was God…” Platonic philosophy provided the foundation for Saint Augustine to understand the spiritual and power beholden to God. Though Saint Augustine found many flaws and faults with Neoplatonic philosophy, it nevertheless provided Saint Augustine with a firm launching position to discover
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