age where he was first exposed to the works of Cicero. After reading Hortensius Augustine became enamored of philosophy. As he put it, "The book excited and inflamed me...,"(P. 39) and he "...longed after immortal wisdom." (P. 38). With this, he had found a new purpose in life, and set out the find wisdom and truth. Cicero's writings were eloquent, and as such appealed to Augustine's intellect.It was a short time after his exposure to Classical philosophy that Augustine joined the Manicheans. The Manicheans believed that spiritual salvation and the grace of God could only be achieved through study and interpretation of the Bible and other works to find specialized, secret knowledge. The Manicheans held a certain appeal for Augustine. The belief that only through higher reasoning and study could one achieve grace, fit with Augustine's own perception of the value of reasoning, and classical rationalism. Augustine was a skilled rhetorician and orator, and had a great deal of confidence in his intellectual superiority. The Manicheans also felt themselves intellectually superior, and Augustine was drawn to this sect in part, because of his intellectual snobbery.Though Augustine remained involved with the Manichees for nine years, he questioned certain of their beliefs from the beginning. The Manicheans preached a dualist point of view. They believed the universe was ruled by an evil god and a good god. These two gods fought for dominance over mankind. Augustine took issue with this dualist belief. He could not rationalize the idea of a good god that was powerless to conquer evil. The Manicheans portrayed a corporeal vision of God. This also displeased Augustine. As he puts it, "...they served me up the sun and the moon, beautiful works of Yours [God's], but works of Your's all the same and not Yourself..." (P.39). Also part of the Manichean ethos, was a belief that fruits held particles of life which were part of the divin...
