Confessions (St. Augustine)
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Confessions is the name of a series of thirteen autobiographical books by St. Augustine of Hippo written between AD 397 and AD 398. In modern times, the books are usually published as a single volume known as The Confessions of St. Augustine in order to distinguish the book from other books with similar titles such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau's Confessions.
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[edit] Summary
The book tells about his sinful youth and how he converted to Christianity. It is widely seen as the first Western autobiography ever written, and would be an influential model for Christian writers throughout the following 1000 years of the Middle Ages. It is not a complete autobiography, as it was written in his early 40s, and he lived long afterwards, producing another important work (City of God); it does, nonetheless, provide an unbroken record of his evolution of thought and is the most complete record of any single individual from the 4th and 5th centuries. It is a significant theological work. In the work St. Augustine talks about how much he regrets having led a sinful and immoral life. He talks about how he regrets following the Manichaean religion and believing in astrology. And he talks about how Nebridius helped to persuade him that astrology was not only incorrect but evil. And he talks about how St. Ambrose helped convert him to Christianity. He also talks about how much he regrets his sexual sins and how important sexual morality is to him. He also says that when he was in school that his favorite subject was mathematics because it was concrete and rigorously defined whereas other subjects were not.
[edit] Outline (by Book)
- His infancy and boyhood up to age 14. He speaks of his inability to remember the sins he almost certainly committed during this time. Children serve as insight into what man would be if it weren't for being socialized into waiting one's turn. God teaches us to think of others before we think of ourselves, unlike children who cry until they are fed.;
- His fall amongst bad companions, which led him to commit theft and succumb to lust. Augustine comes from a good family and he himself has never wanted for food. In this chapter Augustine explores why then did he and his friends steal pears from someone else's tree? He had many more, better pears of his own. He explains the feelings he had when he ate them and threw the rest away to the pigs. Augustine argues that he would not have stolen anything, probably, had he not been in the company of others who could share in his sin. Some insight is given into group mentality.;
- His studies at Carthage, his conversion to Manichaeism and continued indulgence in lust between 16 and 19;
- His loss of a friend and his studies in Aristotle and the fit and the fair between 20 and 29. Augustine is overcome with grief after his friend dies in his absence. Things he used to love he began to hate because everything reminded him of what was lost. He concludes that any time one loves something not 'in God', one is bound to feel such loss. Augustine then suggests that he began to love his life of sorrow more than his fallen friend.;
- His moving away from Manichaeism under the influence of St. Ambrose in Milan at 29. Augustine starts to understand that things said simply can be true, while things put eloquently may be lacking in substance. He is unimpressed with the substance of Manichaeism but has not found something to replace it. He feels a sense of resigned acceptance to these fables as he has not yet formed a spiritual core to prove their falsity.;
- His moving towards Catholicism under the influence of St. Ambrose at 30. He is taken aback by Ambrose's kindness but still does not understand the substance of his teachings.;
- His moving towards a greater understanding of God at 31;
- His conversion to Christianity at the age of 32 and his instruction by Simplicianus on how to convert others; (See Book 8 Summary)
- His baptism at 33, the death of his mother Monica and the death of his friends Nebridius and Vecundus, and his abandonment of his studies of rhetoric;
- Continued reflections on the values of confessions and on the workings of memory, as related to the 5 senses.
- Reflections on Genesis and searching for the meaning of time;
- Continued reflections on the book of Genesis; and
- Exploration of the meaning of Genesis and the Trinity
[edit] References
- Warner, Rex (1963). The Confessions of St. Augustine. New York: Penguin Books. ISBN 0-451-62474-2. (Translation into English)
[edit] External links
