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Saint Augustine

Saints
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

4th-5th century Bishop of Hippo, Doctor of the Church, and author of Confessions, foundational to Western theology and autobiography.

Detailed Definition
Saint Augustine of Hippo converted from Manichaeism through Ambrose's influence, authoring profound works on grace, time, and the self in Confessions. In poetry, his introspective narrative influences confessional verse, exploring inner turmoil, divine grace, and the restless heart seeking God. Poets cite his ideas on memory and eternity in meditations on time's passage and redemption. His struggle between flesh and spirit resonates in lyrics on sin, conversion, and the integration of classical philosophy with Christian faith, making him a touchstone for existential and spiritual poetry across eras.
Example
Example in poetry:
Saint Augustine's "Confessions" influences confessional poetry, with poets adopting his style of introspective examination of sin and grace.; In metaphysical poetry, his ideas on time and memory are referenced when meditating on eternity and the restless human heart.; Poets explore his conversion under Saint Ambrose as a model of intellectual surrender to faith.; A modern poem might use Saint Augustine to discuss the integration of classical philosophy with Christian belief.; His "City of God" inspires apocalyptic or dualistic verses contrasting earthly and heavenly cities.
Additional Notes
Saint Augustine of Hippo (354-430), whose Confessions pioneered introspective spiritual autobiography and whose City of God responded to Rome's fall, profoundly shaped Western theology on grace, time, sin, and the self; a Doctor of the Church, his restless heart ("inquietum est cor nostrum") resonates in existential and confessional poetry. For students, Augustine offers models of inner dialogue, conversion narrative, and philosophical lyricism, influencing poets from Petrarch to moderns exploring memory, eternity, and divine pursuit. Tip: pair passages from Confessions with poetic adaptations to discuss how personal turmoil fuels redemptive verse; related to Ambrose and Monica, he exemplifies the integration of classical learning with Christian insight, ideal for sequences on the soul's journey or the two cities motif in apocalyptic poetry.
Also Known As
Augustine of Hippo St. Augustine of Hippo Augustine
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