The world of Greco-Roman antiquity came to an end both gradually and dramatically. Many attempted to transform its thought, but among them Augustine was the most radical and the most influential, though the transformation he attempted was not always the transformation he produced. To transform is not necessarily to improve, and Augustine was handicapped by his lack of knowledge of much of the best classical philosophy. In the late twentieth century we know more about the thought of Plato, Aristotle, Plotinus and the Stoics than he did, though we do not always convert our knowledge into understanding. Augustine's more limited knowledge may even be thought to have left the originality of his own mind less constrained.

Unlike us, Augustine lived on the frontier between the ancient world and mediaeval Western Europe. For ill or for good, or it may be for both, the transformation he effected left an indelible mark on subsequent Western thought. Despite his lack of resources, he managed to sit in judgement on ancient philosophy and ancient culture.