St Augustine of Hippo  430

 

60kb jpg illustration of Saint Augustine, from 'The Hundred Greatest Men', D. Appleton & Company, 1885, artist unknown; please do not write to ask about the imageFeastday 28th August                                            

Born 354                                

Died 430

 

 

 

 

His father was a pagan who converted on his death bed; his mother was Saint Monica, a devout Christian. Trained in Christianity, he lost his faith in youth and led a wild life. Lived with a Carthaginian woman from the age of 15 through 30. Fathered a son whom he named Adeotadus, which means the gift of God. Taught rhetoric at Carthage and Milan. After investigating and experimenting with several philosophies, he became a Manichaean for several years; it taught of a great struggle between good and evil, and featured a lax moral code. A summation of his thinking at the time comes from his Confessions: "God, give me chastity and continence - but not just now."  Augustine finally broke with the Manichaeans and was converted by the prayers of his mother and the help of Saint Ambrose of Milan, who baptized him. On the death of his mother he returned to Africa, sold his property, gave the proceeds to the poor, and founded a monastery. Monk. Priest. Preacher. Bishop of Hippo in 396. Founded religious communities. Fought Manichaeism, Donatism, Pelagianism and other heresies. Oversaw his church and his see during the fall of the Roman Empire to the Vandals. Doctor of the Church. His later thinking can also be summed up in a line from his writings: Our hearts were made for You, O Lord, and they are restless until they rest in you. 1

 

1. Taken from the Patron Saints Index at http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/sainta02.htm

 

“A Frankish King will one day rule over the entire Roman Empire…” 1

 

“He shall give up the ghost at Jerusalem on the Mount of Olives…” 2

 

“But he who reads this passage, even half asleep, cannot fail to see that the kingdom of the Antichrist shall fiercely, though for a short time, assail the Church before the Last Judgment of God has introduced the eternal reign of saints.  For it is patent from the context that the time, times, and half a time, means a year, and two years, and half a year, that is to say, three years and a half.  Sometimes in Scripture the same thing is indicated by months.  For though the word times seems to be used here in Latin in an indefinite manner, that is so only because the Latins have no dual, as the Greeks have, and as the Hebrews also are said to have.  Times, therefore, is used for two times.  It is a familiar theme in the conversations and hearts of the faithful, that in the last days before the Judgment, the Jews shall believe in the true Christ, that is, our Christ, thanks to this great and admirable prophet Elias who shall expound the Law to them.  For not without reason do we hope that before the coming of our Judge and Saviour Elias shall come, because we have good reason to believe that he is now alive; for as Scripture most distinctly informs us, he was taken up from this earth in a chariot of fire.  When therefore, he is come, he shall give a spiritual explanation of the Law which the Jews at present understand carnally…” 3

 

“And because Antichrist will attain such a pitch of empty glory and be allowed to take such action against all men, and especially against God’s saints, that at length some of the weak will indeed suppose God does not trouble about human affairs, the Psalmist…goes on to express the groaning so to speak of those who ask why the judgment is delayed….Hence the psalmist hints at the cause of the delay in the words “while the wicked man is proud, the poor is set on fire” “It is truly wonderful to see with what earnestness and what firm hope God’s little ones are enkindled to upright living when in contest with sinners…” 4

 

“Arise O Lord. Let not man prevail”. The psalmist sights for the coming of the judgement, but before it does come, let the gentiles he asks, be judged in thy sight. In secret that is, under the eye of God, since judgement is pronounced in Gods sight and only the handful of saints and just men are aware of it (v21). “Appoint O Lord a lawgiver over them”. This if I am not mistaken will be antichrist to whom the apostle Paul refers in the words: when the man of sin be revealed. Let the gentiles know themselves to be but men and since they refuse to be set free by the Son of God, to belong to the son of man and become sons of men, in other words new men, let them be slaves to a human being since they are themselves but men…” 5

 

“And behold I shall send you Elias the tishbite (Thesbite) before the great and signal day of the lord come: and he shall turn the heart of the father to the son and the heart of a man to his next of kin, lest I come and utterly smite the earth” – It is a familiar theme in conversation and heart of the faithful that in the last days before the judgment the jews shall believe in the true Christ, that is our Christ by means of this great and admirable prophet Elias who shall expound the law to them. For not without reason do we hope that before the coming of our Judge and saviour, Elias shall come because we have good reason to believe that he is now alive. For as scripture most distinctly informs us he was taken up from this life in a chariot of fire. When therefore he is come, he will give a spiritual explanation of the law which the Jews at present understand carnally and shall thus “turn the heart of the father to the son” that is the heart of the fathers to their children. And the meaning is that the sons, that is the Jews shall understand the law as the fathers, that is the prophets and among them Moses himself understood it. That the Jews also who has previously hated should then love the son who is Our Christ….” 6

 

“Some have interpreted these four kingdoms as signifying those of the Assyrians, Persians, Macedonians and Romans. They who desire to understand the fitness of this interpretation may read St Jerome’s book on Daniel which is written with a sufficiency of care and erudition…” 7

 

“Some think that the Apostle Paul Referred to the Roman Empire, and that he was unwilling to use language more explicit lest he should incur the calumnious charge of which ill to the Empire…so that in saying “For the mystery of iniquity doth already work” he alluded to Nero, whose deeds already seemed to be as the deeds of Antichrist. I frankly confess that I don’t know what St Paul means….However, it is not absurd to believe that these words of the apostle, “Only he who holdeth let him hold until he be taken out the way” refers to the Roman Empire…” 8

 

“Jacob was also called Israel which name his progeny bore after him. This name the angel that wrested with him as he returned from Mesopotamia gave, him being an evident type of Christ; for whereas Jacob prevailed against him by his own consent, to form the mystery, is signified the passion of Christ wherein the Jews seemed to prevail against Him. And yet Jacob obtained a blessing from him whom he has overcome and the changing of his name was that blessing; for Israel is as much as “seeing God” which shall come to pass in the end of the world….” 9

 

 

References

1. Yves Dupont More about the Great Monarch (and the glorious age of peace to come under the reign of the great monarch) World Trends #41, August, 1974

2. ibid

3. Yves Dupont Antichrist World Trends Magazine, September, 1975

4. The Ancient Christian Writers, St Augustine on the Psalms Dame Scholastica Hebgin and Dame Felicitas Corrigan, Vol 1, Psalms 1-29, The Newman Press 1960, p.125-126 as quoted by Desmond A. Birch Trial Tribulation and Triumph: Before, During and After Antichrist, (Queenship Publishing. 1996) p 243

5. ibid p 444

6. Basic Writings of Saint Augustine Edited by Whitney J. Oates, Chrm. Dept of Classics, Princeton University, Random House Vol II , p 557 [Section on the City of God, Bk 20, Chapter 29] as quoted by Desmond A. Birch Trial Tribulation and Triumph: Before, During and After Antichrist, (Queenship Publishing. 1996) p 470

7. Basic Writings of Saint Augustine Edited by Whitney J. Oates, Chrm. Dept of Classics, Princeton University, Random House Vol II , p 548 [Section on the City of God, Bk 20, Chapter 23] as quoted by Desmond A. Birch Trial Tribulation and Triumph: Before, During and After Antichrist, (Queenship Publishing. 1996) p 223

8. 7. Basic Writings of Saint Augustine Edited by Whitney J. Oates, Chrm. Dept of Classics, Princeton University, Random House Vol II , p 538 [Section on the City of God, Bk 20, Chapter 19] as quoted by Desmond A. Birch Trial Tribulation and Triumph: Before, During and After Antichrist, (Queenship Publishing. 1996) p 224

9. Rev R. Gerald. Culleton The Prophets and Our Times  (Tan Books and Publishers 1941) p 107-108