St. Augustine’s Personal Experience of Marriage and Family and his Influence on the Theology of Marriage

Abstract

This study presents St. Augustine’s personal experiences related to marriage and family that eventually influenced his views on these topics. Augustine of Hippo is considered one of the greatest theologians of the ancient Christian world. Although he was unmarried, he was born into a Christian family and experienced what it was like to live with a woman in a quasi-married state before he converted to Catholicism. Augustine left behind a large body of writings dedicated to the topics of marriage and family. Even though these works do not constitute a coherent treaty on marriage and family, they do shed light on these issues. They also reflect the current and pressing problems that affected not only St. Augustine but also the people of his time. St. Augustine’s views on marriage and family have had an immense influence on the entire Latin Church’s position on these issues. In this regard, the primary source that contains a lot of biographical information is Augustine’s Confessions. This study is made up of two parts. Part I describes Augustine’s childhood experiences and family life. Part II describes youth and his experience living with a female concubine. This original study presents the sources of St. Augustine’s views on human sexuality and his relationship with his family.