A Character Study of Saint Paul and Saint Augustine

Posted: December 11th, 2013

Saint Paul and Saint Augustine are the two authors whom we have read this semester who speak to us directly: Paul in his epistles, and Augustine in his spiritual autobiography.  As such, we have a good opportunity of drawing some conclusions not just about the personalities of these two men, but also how they chose to present themselves to their auditors and readers.

Using as much detail as is possible from Paul’s Letter to the Galatians and Augustine’s Confession, please compose a character study of both men.  With the evidence at hand, how would you describe the personalities of both men, what intimate details do they reveal about their psyches, their temperaments, their struggles and frustrations, their dealings with the contemporaries, the vision they espoused as men of faith, the happiness that kept them moving forward, and the quirks of their personalities.  To the extent that you are able, don’t completely isolate these two from each other–please compare these men, their agendas, and the glories and flaws of their personalities that made them so monumentally significant to the future of Christianity.