the brewmaster

picture a man who is consumed by parties and wordly ambitions, living a life seeped in impurity and pride. he believes christianity is the one true religon, but is not a christian because he does not believe he can lead a pure life. this man looks a lot like the guy on the left, st. augustine of hippo, patron saint of brewers. he earned his title because of his conversion from a former life of loose living and serves as an inspiration to those who struggle with a particular vice or habit.

st. augustine was thought to be one of the most intelligent people who ever lived, and is quoted before his conversion as saying to his friend,"we, with all our knowledge, are so cowardly that we keep rolling around in the mud of our sins!"



he became an influential theologian and argued in the early 400s that god alone could suspend the normal laws of the universe. in his view, neither satan nor witches had supernatural powers or were capable of effectively invoking magic of any sort. if witches are indeed powerless, the church need not overly concern itself with their spells or other attempts at mischief. the late medieval church accepted this view, and felt little need to bother itself with tracking down witches or investigating allegations of witchcraft.