Church History Survey I: Lecture Eight

W ay back in lesson one, we were asked to consider the intellectual search for
truth, and were reminded that any wholehearted search for truth would lead us to
God, the source of all truth. We have also studied the martyrs, who so passionately
held to God’s truth that they were willing to endure persecution and death for Christ.
It is clear that this God who created the church, who guides it, and who continually
works for its good is not about doing things halfway. He is all about accomplishing
his goals in an overwhelmingly complete way—transforming lives that are confused
by sin into lives that are filled to overflowing with His strength and purity—bringing to
minds that have been darkened the understanding of His mysteries.

Dualism–A belief that the world consists of two mutually hostile forces or beings; the
one being the source of all good, the other the source of all evil.

Conversion–The act of radical personal change in mind and heart through heartfelt
repentance.

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© 2003 Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary
 St. Augustine of Hippo

What was Augustine’s greatest wish as a young man? What did he do in order to
accomplish this?

What happened to Augustine after his first year of study?

What is the famous “pear tree” incident? What does this incident reveal about the nature of
sin?

What did Augustine do when he finally got to Carthage at the age of 17?

Why was Augustine attracted to the Manichean religion? Why did he become
disenchanted with it?

How did Ambrose and Simplicianus influence Augustine?

What did Augustine do with his life after his conversion?

What was Augustine’s quarrel with the Donatists? How did he argue against their
practices?

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© 2003 Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary
 Church History Survey I

How are you affected by listening to Augustine’s own account of his conversion?

Do you think there is a useful place in the life of the church for the giving of
“testimonies” such as this? What effect does the telling of conversion stories have?

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© 2003 Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary
 St. Augustine of Hippo

Roy W. Battenhouse. A Companion to the Study of St. Augustine. New York: Oxford
University Press, 1956.

Peter Brown. Augustine of Hippo. Berkely: University of California Press, 2000.

Henry Chadwick. Augustine. New York: Oxford University Press, 1986.

Jaroslav Pelikan. The Excellent Empire: The Fall of Rome and the Triumph of the Church.
San Francisco, CA: Harper and Row, 1990.

Philip Schaff, ed. The Nicene and Post-Nicene Father. First Series. Grand Rapids, MI:
Eerdmans, 1979. (Volumes 1-8 contain writings by Augustine.)

“In a remarkable series of

events, God drew that
brilliant young man to
himself, transforming his
life and giving him the
privilege of touching
literally tens of thousands
of individuals across the
centuries with the good
news of the glorious
gospel.”

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© 2003 Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary