Aurilius Augustine was born in Tagaste, in Numidia, Africa on Nov. 13, 354 A.D. His mother Monica was a devout Christian while his father Patricius was a pagan. Monica taught him the Christian truths of faith as Augustine tells us,
"For . . . this name of my Savior Thy Son, had my tender heart, even with my mother's milk, devotedly drunk in, and deeply treasured...." (Confessions 3.4.8)
As a young boy Augustine was admitted as a catechumen but not baptized. Why not? He tells us that he heard many times people say, "'Let him alone, let him do as he wills, for he was not yet baptized". (Conf. 1.11.18) He was not baptized because in their way of thinking God's judgment would have been greater had he been baptized and in any event, Baptism took away of sin later on. Augustine comments that this was an unreasonable attitude because , "As to bodily health, no one says, 'Let him be worse wounded, for he is not healed.' How much better then, had I at once been healed...." (Conf. 1.11.18)
Augustine disliked having to learn Greek and reading, writing and arithmetic. He was negligent in his studies and so was at times beaten by his tutors. He loved to play and see the classical plays of Greece and Rome. He would lie to his tutors and parents and even steal from home in order to achieve his end.
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