My influence from Saint Augustine of Hippo

 Some of you may know by now that I have loved Augustine for many years. I did so when I was a Protestant, and I now as well as a Catholic. As someone who has not only read some of Augustine's works, but also studied them with extensive notes, I am very familiar with this Doctor of the Church.  In fact, I probably agree with just about everything Augustine ever said.
 Saint Augustine had tremendous influence on Roman Catholics and Protestants. Thomas Aquinas was strongly Augustinian in his theology. John Wycliffe considered himself a follower of Augustine. Martin Luther, an Augustinian Friar, and leader of the Protestant Reformation, was heavily influenced by Augustine. John Calvin quotes Augustine of Hippo more than anyone in the Institutes of the Christian Religion. Like Luther, John Wesley claimed to have converted to Christ, by Augustine's Commentary on Romans.

 I am so Augustinian that sometimes people are surprised by my strong vigorous support of Augustine beliefs. Whether it be predestination, theocracy, or baptism, or elsewhere,  I am Augustinian. This is of particular importance in relation to Augustine's influence on me, as many see Augustine's theology as being too harsh.
 I have read up to this point the following works, Confessions, On Faith, Hope, and Charity, On Faith and Works, the Retractations, and On the Trinity. I have also read some rare sermons of Augustine about Perpetua and Felicity. I am currently reading the City of God by Augustine.
 I may post more on Augustine's theology on here for the future, but for now I just wanted to aware my readers of my Augustinian worldview. I believe Baptism is necessary for salvation, I believe Predestination of the saints is not based on foreseen merits, I believe all men have free will, I believe the damned are damned out of their disobedience, I believe in the 73 canon of books decreed by the Council of Carthage, I believe in Apostolic Succession, I believe in Original Sin, I believe the Eucharist is the Body and Blood of Christ, I believe marriage is indissoluble, and I believe in Purgatory.

 Of Augustine personally, I will post some other time. This great saint is worth much more than the topic of one blog post.
 To say that Augustine was not a Catholic is false and absurd. On the other hand, Augustine believed things contrary to what the Roman Church would later teach. Like many of the Western fathers, Augustine taught the Virgin Mary was free from personal sin, but still born with original sin. Augustine's view is contrary to the later Dogma of the Immaculate conception of Mary, promulgated by Pope Piux IX. Also, while Augustine did teach the papacy, he did not give it many of the clear and precise definitions the papacy is known for, especially in comparison to what Vatican I would later define as Papal Infallibility.

 Yes, those are just some examples of things Augustine taught. All of them can be easily proven from his own writings. This is not debate but factual. One can agree or disagree with Augustine, but we must also be careful not to read our views into his own.
 But to my own influence also, I would not have thought nearly so much of the doctrines of the Trinity if it had not been for Augustine. Likewise, I would have never had a good Catholic understanding of Predestination without him.