Christianity: Saint Augustine of Hippo Quiz

Answer: Algeria

Now a municipality of Algeria called Souk Ahras, Thagaste was a Roman-Berber city, in what is now Algeria. Souk Ahras was built on the ruins of Thagaste.

Answer: Berbers

The Berbers are mostly spread throughout North Africa, mainly in Morocco, Algeria, Libya, and Tunisia. They are also found in Mauritania in smaller numbers, as well as parts of Niger and Mali.

Answer: Monica

Like her son Saint Augustine, Monica or Monnica of Hippo is venerated by both the Orthodox and Catholic churches. She is honored for her suffering, both from her husband, Patricius, a Roman pagan with a bad temper and a wandering eye, and that caused by Saint Augustine, during his years of behaving the opposite of pious.

Patricius did not displease Monica entirely, however. Like Saint Augustine, he took a long time to come to her way of thinking, converting to Christianity on his deathbed.

The city of Santa Monica, California, is named after Saint Monica.

Answer: Manichaeism

Manichaeism is an ancient religion, and was once a popular one. It emerged in the Sasanian Empire in the 3rd century AD, started by the prophet Mani, a man of Parthian (Iranian) origin. This religion declared Mani the final prophet after Zoroaster, Gautama Buddha, and Jesus. Saint Augustine's devout Christian mother did not appreciate her son's new religion, and tried to persuade him to consider Christianity.

Saint Augustine was Manichaean for 10 years.

Answer: False

On the contrary, it was the other way around: Saint Augustine was indeed a keen student, although he never mastered Greek. Latin, however, was his expertise, excelling in it.

Answer: Faustus of Mileve

Although adhering to the Manichaean for 10 years, Saint Augustine had many questions regarding the faith, causing him doubts, doubts he was told would be quelled once he met Faustus of Mileve.

Although he was impressed with Faustus of Mileve's intellectual capabilities and talent for debating, Saint Augustine found he did not clearly answer any of his questions, nor banish his doubts. He came to the conclusion that the claims of Manichaeism were unproven, and to the delight of his mother Monica, converted to Christianty.

Saint Augustine's decision could also have been influenced by the fact that around the same time, Roman Emperor Theodosius I banned Manichaeism, ordering the death of their monks, although Augustine always stayed on the lowest tier in Manichaeism, never rising in the ranks of the religion, possibly due to his scepticism and doubts of it.

Answer: Ambrose of Milan

Ambrose was the Bishop of Milan since 374, and was a well known theologian and philosopher. When Augustine met him, he only grew more and more impressed, and they formed a strong relationship. Augustine eventually accepted Christianity in his 30s, and Ambrose had a lasting influence on his philosophy and teachings. After Augustine's father died, Ambrose adopted him as a spiritual son. Ambrose was also the person who baptized Augustine, and his son.

Ambrose also achieved sainthood.

Answer: Professor

Augustine was first a teacher of grammar in his home town of Thagaste, and progressed to become a rhetoric professor in Carthage. He had several problems whilst teaching. He did not appreciate the unruly students Carthage offered, he moved to establish a school in Rome, where he believed he would find the most dedicated and hard working of students.

However, Rome disappointed him also, and he eventually abandoned his teaching career in favour of becoming a priest.

Answer: False

In Saint Augustine's work "In The Literal Meaning of Genesis", he argues that God created everything in the universe at once, and that the six day analogy, simply came from humanity's inability to completely understand how God could possibly create the entire World at once.

Answer: False

Although Saint Augustine was influenced by Plato in his lifetime, this was actually a difference in their philosophies. Plato showed disdain for bodily pleasures, because he believed they were inferior when compared with thinking and philosophical contemplation, in one's life.

Augustine did not always share Plato's disdain for bodily pleasures, particularly as a teenager. But once he had become a teacher, estranged himself from both his mistress and fiance, and become a priest, Augustine began to hate the pleasures of the flesh. He believed that they were worthless compared to pleasures awaiting in the afterlife. Both philosophers showed distrust and disdain for bodily pleasures, but for different reasons.

Answer: Astrologers

Augustine beieved that horoscopes and astrology contradicted the doctrine of free will, and God not being responsible for evil in the world. He argued that philosophically and logically, astrology does not make sense, citing the fact that there are many twins who behave differently.

Answer: Adeodatus, his son

It is not clear how Adeodatus died exactly, but it is known that he died when he was about Saint Augustine's age when he fathered him, 17. Augustine's work, "Confessions" details his grief and sadness at losing people close to him, such as his son and mother.

Christian writers have long omitted Adeodatus from their memorials of Saint Augustine, as he is a reminder of Saint Augustine's lustful days, before he found his Christian faith. Before this, Adeodatus' mother was Augustine's concubine.

Answer: Annaba

In the 390s (exact date is disputed) Saint Augustine was ordained as a priest.

Annaba is a coastal city of Algeria, and is an important industrial city of Algeria today, home to a large steel plant named the El Hadjar Complex, which has been in operation since 1969, and has fuelled the city's growth.

Answer: Perpetua

Augustine mentions his sister in his works, but never by name. Although she was living a holy life as a head nun in Hippo, Augustine would not allow her to stay at his monastery, in case the servants she brought with her tempted him and other men in the building.

Answer: 28 August

Saint Augustine's memorial is 28 August because that was the date he died, aged 75.