Augustine was moved by the idea that philosophy was the way to pursue a happy life. He wanted to use these ideas to aid his understanding of God. He disagreed with Paul the Apostle's view that philosophy could lead you astray from God. Augustine believed that both philosophy and belief in God could work harmoniously, so he praised and honored God in his use of philosophy. In this study, Augustine realized the harmonious nature of faith and reason. Even though most people believed the contrary, Saint Augustine thought that they were compatible and complementary. Faith and reason are not at odds, and reason does not necessarily lead one away from God. It can actually complement faith in order to gain a better understanding of God. The main problem with this tendency was that Cicero made no mention of Christ, and Augustine was searching for a way to understand him "One thing alone put a break on my intense enthusiasm " that the name of Christ was not contained in this book " (Saint Augustine, Confessions, Chapter III, pg. 40).
After philosophy, he decided to focus on the Holy Scriptures since Cicero did not make any mention of Christ or the religion in his book. After reading it, he felt the Bible was too simple. Augustine loved rhetoric so he preferred philosophical readings. However, he later realized the beauty of the simplicity of the Bible. In the book of Exodus, Moses asked God what he should say to the people when they asked about him, and God responded, "I am who I am " (Exodus 3:14). In the scene of the burning bush, God revealed that he existed but that his existence was far beyond our human understanding. At the end of his life, Augustine finally manages to reach this same conclusion. In accordance with the Biblical perspective, he accepted that God created the world out of love and that he was in no way made greater by this creation since he was already perfect. Augustine view God as the "most high, utterly good, utterly powerful, most omnipotent, most merciful and most just, deeply hidden yet most intimately present, perfection of both beauty and strength " (Saint Augustine, Confessions.