 Augustine of Hippo and his "The City of God" do for religious literature essentially what Plato had done for philosophy, but Augustine's approach was far less conversational and more didactive.His "Confessions" is perhaps the first true autobiography, and it gave rise to the genre of confessional literature which is now more popular than ever.Knowledge traditions in India handed down philosophical gleanings and theological concepts through the two traditions of Shruti and Smriti, meaning "that which is learnt" and "that which is experienced", which included the Vedas.