| St Augustine of Hippo
Claim to fame: St. Augustine, bishop of Hippo from 396 to 430, is one of the Latin Fathers of the Church and perhaps the most significant Christian thinker after St. Paul. Augustine’s adaptation of classical thought to Christian teaching created a theological system of great power and lasting influence. His numerous written works, the most important of which are Confessions (c. 400) and The City of God (c. 413–426), shaped the practice of biblical exegesis and helped lay the foundation for much of medieval and modern Christian thought. In Roman Catholicism he is formally recognized as a doctor of the church. Quote: “My heart is restless until it finds rest in You Jesus.” Fun fact: In his Confessions, Augustine wrote an account of his conversion, which he described as being prompted by hearing a child’s voice say “take up and read”. When he did so, he read a passage from St Paul’s letter to the Romans, which said: “Not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying, but put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof.” He was baptised by Ambrose in Milan over Easter in 387.
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