Overview and Objectives

This lesson provides a brief introduction to some of the historical and religious developments leading up to  Augustine’s lifetime. We will survey developments in Roman politics in the first four centuries of the  Christian era, Roman religion and the persecution of the Church and specific developments in the life of the Church. Augustine lived in a tumultuous time when social, political and economic structures were in disarray and the Church was embroiled in deeply divisive and critical theological debate. God would raise up a champion, from the backwaters of internal North Africa, on the fringe of nowhere, to provide  leadership and vision for this troubled generation and many to follow.

When you complete this lesson, you should be able to do the following:

• Challenge a potential bias that might minimize the relevance of the history of the church in the ancient and medieval period
• Identify strong connections between political, economic and social history and the life of the church
• Understand Augustine’s unique place in history
• Discuss the origin of Latin Christianity and Augustine’s place as a Doctor of the Latin Church
• Give a description of Bauer’s thesis, list its implications, and provide a critical response to the thesis based on early evidence