In his book, City of God, he said "No one should be so given to contemplation that in this condition he gives no thought to the needs of his neighbour; nor so given to activity that he allow no time for the contemplation of God...
"The love of truth seeks out holy leisure, but the compelling force of love takes on necessary activity. But if no one imposes this burden, time should be passed in searching out and looking into truth."
"If, however, the burden is imposed, it ought to be borne because of the compelling force of love."
"However, not even in this case should the delight for learning be entirely abandoned, lest that delight be lost and the burden crush him." [Augustine, City of God, 19, 19]
Augustine was a priest for four years before becoming a bishop. This was a formative time for him.
As a priest, Augustine devoted himself to the study of Scripture in a different way than before, and even successfully sought otium ("study leave") from Bishop Valerius of Hippo in order to do so.
He prepared himself for the years ahead. There would be struggles with heretics and a huge amount of writing that he would undertake.
During this period he wrote the first of his treatises against the Manichees.
The dialogues that Augustine wrote at Cassiciacum the year following his conversion and preceding his baptism show few substantial signs of a theological understanding that was decisively or distinctively Christian.
But by the time of his ordination to the presbyterate the basic lines of a comprehensive and orthodox theology within him were firmly laid out.
Augustine neglected to write about what had happened in his thought between 385 and 391.
He had other questions, more interesting to him, with which to wrestle.
(Continued on the next page.)
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