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15 quotes from Augustine of Hippo (354-430)

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  • 15 quotes from Augustine of Hippo (354-430)

    Augustine of Hippo

    Augustine of Hippo, also known as Saint Augustine or Saint Austin, was an early Christian theologian and philosopher whose writings were very influential in the development of Western Christianity and Western philosophy. Wikipedia

    Born: November 13, 354 AD, Tagaste

    Died: August 28, 430 AD, Hippo Regius, Algeria

    Full name: Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis

    Nationality: Algerian

    Parents: Saint Monica, Patricius Aurelius


    Please read these slowly and with careful thought. They are very profound.

    Even though he though died on August 28, 430, the writings of Augustine of Hippo remain as theologically relevant and spiritually insightful as they did 1600 years ago.

    The man who became a beloved-Bishop and would eventually be remembered as Saint Augustine, had such a dramatic conversion to Christianity at the age of 33, that he explored the philosophy of Scripture with a passion that led him to write hundreds of sermons and some of Christianity’s most influential books.

    Here’s a look at 15 Augustine quotes that have helped shape modern Christian thought.

    On Reading Scripture

    The Bible was composed in such a way that as beginners mature, its meaning grows with them. - Confessions

    On Self-Reflection

    Men go abroad to admire the heights of mountains, the mighty waves of the sea, the broad tides of rivers, the compass of the ocean, and the circuits of the stars, yet pass over the mystery of themselves without a thought. - Confessions

    On Prestige in Ministry

    No man can be a good bishop if he loves his title but not his task. – City of God

    On Serving Those in Need

    What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like.

    On Time

    For You [God] are infinite and never change. In You, 'today' never comes to an end: and yet our 'today' does come to an end in You, because time, as well as everything else, exists in You. If it did not, it would have no means of passing. And since Your years never come to an end, for You they are simply 'today'... You yourself are eternally the same. In Your 'today' You will make all that is to exist tomorrow and thereafter, and in Your 'today' You have made all that existed yesterday and forever before. - Confessions

    On Not Self-Editing the Bible

    If you believe what you like in the gospels, and reject what you don't like, it is not the gospel you believe, but yourself. - Sermons

    On Science and the Supernatural

    Miracles are not contrary to nature, but only contrary to what we know about nature. – sourced in The Westminster Collection of Christian Quotations

    On Being Open to New Interpretations of Scripture

    In matters that are obscure and far beyond our vision, even in such as we may find treated in Holy Scripture, different Interpretations are sometimes possible without prejudice to the faith we have received. In such a case, we should not rush in headlong and so firmly take our stand on one side that, if further progress in the search of truth justly undermines this position, we too fall with it. That would be to battle not for the teaching of Holy Scripture but for our own, wishing its teaching to conform to ours, whereas we ought to wish ours to conform to that of Sacred Scripture. - Genesi Ad Litteram

    On Relationships with Others

    Since you cannot do good to all, you are to pay special attention to those who, by the accidents of time, or place, or circumstances, are brought into closer connection with you. - On Christian Teaching

    On Justice

    What are kingdoms without justice? They're just gangs of bandits. – City of God

    On Following God

    To fall in love with God is the greatest romance; to seek Him the greatest adventure; to find Him, the greatest human achievement.

    On Taking a Focus Off of God

    But my sin was this, that I looked for pleasure, beauty, and truth not in Him but in myself and His other creatures, and the search led me instead to pain, confusion, and error. - Confessions

    On the Difference Between Knowledge and Understanding

    The wisdom of what a person says is in direct proportion to his progress in learning the holy Scriptures—and I am not speaking of intensive reading or memorization, but real understanding and careful investigation of their meaning. Some people read them but neglect them; by their reading they profit in knowledge, by their neglect they forfeit understanding. - On Christian Teaching

    On Suffering

    What grace is meant to do is to help good people, not to escape their sufferings, but to bear them with a stout heart, with a fortitude that finds its strength in faith. – City of God

    On Truth

    A person who is a good and true Christian should realize that truth belongs to his Lord, wherever it is found, gathering and acknowledging it even in pagan literature, but rejecting superstitious vanities and deploring and avoiding those who 'though they knew God did not glorify him as God or give thanks but became enfeebled in their own thoughts and plunged their senseless minds into darkness. Claiming to be wise they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for the image of corruptible mortals and animals and reptiles' [Romans 1:21-3] - On Christian Teaching

    Read more at http://www.relevantmagazine.com/god/...Bi0ucqmH4fd.99

  • #2
    Self relection

    On Self-Reflection

    Men go abroad to admire the heights of mountains, the mighty waves of the sea, the broad tides of rivers, the compass of the ocean, and the circuits of the stars, yet pass over the mystery of themselves without a thought. - Confessions
    Augustine is so correct about this. Men spend billions to travel around the world and even to the moon to admire God's creation. They should admire God's creation for it declares His glory. But the crowning achievement of His creation is man.

    All of the material universe it only matter and energy. None of it has a soul. Some of the animals have a soul, but do not have a spirit. Man is the only part of the universe that has a spirit. Man is created in God's image.

    No baby can make himself grow. No man can make his body heal itself. Yes, we can give our body things to help it heal, but we can not make it heal itself anymore than a farmer can make seeds grow. Just as the information to grow is in the seed, the information to heal itself is in our bodies.

    Mankind has a lot of information stored in his brain. But he has mush more stored in libraries. BUT much more information is stored in our DNA than in either.

    We do not tell our heart to beat, or our lungs to breath. We do not turn our thermostats up or down. Our bodies do all of this without a thought from us.

    A person might know how tall they are or how much they weigh, but no one knows how many hairs on their head, or how many cells they have. Does any man know how to tell his body to make energy from food.

    The Lord Jesus gave mankind so much. More than any other part of His creation. Jesus did this so we might know that He loves us. He gave us all of this, even knowing that we would nail Him to a tree.

    Grace to you
    Lou Newton
    Bond servant of Jesus

    Comment


    • #3
      Thank you for sharing these quotes for us to meditate on, Lou.
      I'm not familiar with Augustine, but if these words of wisdom are any indication, time reading his works would be well spent.

      Jules
      You know not what you do because you know not who He is.
      - Paul Washer
      Satan is the angel of knowledge and he does not waste his time on anything for no reason.
      - Lou Newton

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by Jules View Post
        Thank you for sharing these quotes for us to meditate on, Lou.
        I'm not familiar with Augustine, but if these words of wisdom are any indication, time reading his works would be well spent.

        Jules
        Two of his more well known works are:

        City of God

        Confessions of St Augustine

        BTW, Augustine lived from 354 to 430, so there was no modern science to "corrupt" his opinions. But he thought the "days" of Genesis 1 were very long periods of time.

        Lou

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by Jules View Post
          Thank you for sharing these quotes for us to meditate on, Lou.
          I'm not familiar with Augustine, but if these words of wisdom are any indication, time reading his works would be well spent.

          Jules
          Hi Julie,

          I might add that I did not get any of my direction from Augustine. I did not read any of his works until I was already on the path I am on. BUT it was comforting to find out that there were others who learned the same things from the Lord that He showed me. Also it was faith building to see that The Lord taught the same things back in the 300 & 400"s that He teaches today.

          Lou

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by Lou Newton View Post


            On Following God
            To fall in love with God is the greatest romance; to seek Him the greatest adventure; to find Him, the greatest human achievement.



            On Taking a Focus Off of God
            But my sin was this, that I looked for pleasure, beauty, and truth not in Him but in myself and His other creatures, and the search led me instead to pain, confusion, and error. - Confessions

            These really spoke to me tonight. Thanks for posting, Lou.

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