Augustine and the First ChurchAugustine of Hippo by Peter BrownLive Oak Public Library, STACKS 270.2 BROWQ5. In his unerring attempt to combat the heresies plaguing the early Church, Augustine realized that many of his colleagues and congregation lived by an unquestioned faith in the Catholic Church. He also realized that this left them without a solid foundation on which they believed. (Brown, 354) His contributions to the written theological doctrines of Catholicism helped strengthen the authority of the Church on controversial subjects. Due to the lack of clearly written doctrines, ideas such as Pelagianism had infiltrated the Church through philosophies taught by apparently serious men. Augustine, however, was able to see that these ideas weakened the very foundations of the Catholic Church. (Brown, 354) Therefore, Augustine wrote to establish a formal affirmation of what the Church actually believed. Augustine could see that people within the Church, even many bishops, did not have a solid doctrinal foundation, because they were unable to determine whether Pelagius' ideas actually contradicted their theology. They wanted to treat Pelagius according to his merits even if they were not sure that his teaching conformed to traditional orthodoxy. (Brown, 355) Augustine wrote letters and books to help clarify the Church's position on many issues. For example, he wrote letters correcting the false teachings of the Donatists, which also infiltrated the teachings of the Catholic Church. (Brown, 360) Augustine strove to ensure that his writings were correct, as he asked God to help him understand the writings of the Bible. (Brown, 165) Augustine, in his later years, was able to clarify ecclesiastical authority through this...... middle of article...... In Augustine's early years as as a bishop, some bishops viewed him with suspicion and initially refused to recognize his position. (Brown, 203) This distrust, due to his Manichaean past, led Augustine to find it necessary to justify his beliefs, because Augustine believed he still had much to explain. (Brown, 163) Nevertheless, the vast majority of the Catholic community considered Augustine's work to have had a great impact on their doctrine, not only for his generation but also for subsequent generations. (Brown, 429)Works Cited_____________________________________________________________________________________________Peter Brown. Augustine of Hippo. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1967. Print. Works Cited by Peter Brown. Augustine of Hippo. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1967. Print.