TEACHER TEACHING CHRISTIANITY

Magisterial pedagogy. Aurelius Augustine (AD 354–430), one of the most important figures in the development of western Christianity and philosophy, was the son of a pagan, Patricius of Tagaste, and his Christian wife, Monnica. While studying to become a rhetorician, he plunged into a turmoil of philosophical and psychological doubts, leading him to Manichaeism. In 383 he moved to Rome and then Milan to teach rhetoric. Despite exploring classical philosophical systems, especially skepticism and Neoplatonism, his studies of Paul’s letters with his friend Alypius, and the preaching of Bishop Ambrose, led in 386 to his momentous conversion from mixed beliefs to Christianity. He soon returned to Tagaste and founded a religious community, and in 395 or 396 became Bishop of Hippo. The Teacher (De Magistro) dates from the beginning of Augustine’s scholarly career, and Teaching Christianity (De Doctrina Christiana) from its end. Together with Confessions, these treatises contain various remembrances and reflections drawn from Augustine’s personal educational experiences over time, allowing the reader to trace the development of his mature understanding of what teaching is, or should be. They also showcase his prowess as a theorist and thinker of timeless importance.