Aurelius Augustine was born on November 13, 354 in Thagaste, North Africa, (now, Algeria) son of the pagan Patrick and devout Monica who gave him a Christian education even when he was not baptized. He studied rhetoric and philosophy in Madaura and Cartago; during this period he embraced Manichaeism renouncing to Christian faith.

Since he was seventeen he lived with a woman as an unmarried couple for fifteen years, they had a child named Adeodato, who stayed with Augustine until his early death in 389.

Augustine taught rhetoric and philosophy in Thagaste, Cartago, Rome and Milan. When he was at Milan, he was very interested in the great capacity of oratory of bishop Ambrosius, he followed his preaching, which in a moment of great inner conflict, led him to conversion and baptism in 386. In 288 he went back to Africa to live in a religious community, and he was ordained as a priest. He was bishop of Hipona´s assistant for four years and afterwards, he substituted him in 396. He died on August 28, 430 when some vandals seized the city of Hipona.

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