Throughout the ages, there have been innumerable influences not only on social and political life, but also on character and religious prevalence. Aurelius Augustine, who would eventually rise to the position of bishop in the early Catholic Church, was one of the most interesting figures who would surely leave his mark on the Roman Empire, particularly in the few decades before the establishment of the western part of the empire. be taken over by the Germanic tribes of the North. Perhaps his most influential characteristic that history still records today was his striking tenacity in preserving the Christian religion as it was "meant" to be and extending that influence to all who walked the earth. This, of course, is only a small fraction of the intense influence that the great man called Saint Augustine of Hippo actually had and still has on the world. The man we would call the most saintly Augustine, Doctor of the Church today, was born under the name Aurelius Augustine in the year 354, on November 13, in Thagaste. Growing up in the Roman province of North Africa, present-day Tunisia, Augustine is said to have been "among the many who were freed by the famous edict of Caracalla of 212, by which almost all free men in the Empire became Roman citizens » (Bonner 1963). , 36). This can be attributed to the origins of his last name. He grew up in a poor and difficult family, but this did not stop his father Patricius, as Gerald Bonner puts it, from "determining to provide him with the best possible education" (1963: 38). What is also interesting to note are the strikingly opposing feelings towards the Christian religion towards Augustine's two parents. His mother, very pious, as some sources say, was a catalyst in Augustine...... middle of paper ...... true Christian faith, can be considered a soldier. Therefore, there is reason to differ whether he should be labeled a Doctor of the Church or a Soldier of the Faith, or perhaps even both. Works CitedAugustin, Aurelius. The Confessions. Translated by JG Pilkington. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1876. Bonner, Gerald. Saint Augustine of Hippo: life and controversies. London: SCM Press, LTD., 1963. McCabe, Joseph. “The Conversion of Saint Augustine”. International Journal of Ethics (The University of Chicago Press) 12, no. 4 (July 1902): 450-459. Philip Woollcott, Jr. “Some Considerations on Creativity and Religious Experience in Saint Augustine of Hippo.” » Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion (Blackwell Publishing, Ltd.) 5, no. 2 (spring 1966): 273-283. Portalié, Eugène. “Life of Saint Augustine of Hippo.” The Catholic Encyclopedia (Robert Appleton Society) 2 (1907).