Augustine's Confessions

born 354 AD, Algeria

after St. Paul, Augustine is most significant writer of the church

student of rhetoric

originally a pagan (Manichaeism) - converted under Ambrose

paganism is a big influence in his life, especially Plato’s teaching

his writings seek to explain the Gospel to a pagan society

greatest work: City of God → the physical world is temporary; the heavenly “city” is forever

influenced Western Civilization with a Christian worldview

infancy is a miserable state → all desires internal → thoughtless and already sinful

children born selfish → cute when a kid does it → annoying when a kid does it

selfishness serves a purpose bit it’s not necessary

hates reading and writing

born to devout Christian mother and non-Christian father

baptism put off for a while - common because most sins come out in childhood

got very sick at one point → healed by God → wanted to be baptized → father not against it and mother arranged it

disapproves fiction → sinful to read of other peoples sins while ignorant of his own

cry at fiction, does'n’t shed a tear at own sin

watching other people’s sin will just build onto their own

many good things from God given to him → his many sins were a “misdirection” of the gifts given to him

“the single desire that dominated my search for delight was simply to love and be loved” → “misdirection” → love perverted toward worldly things

praises father for raising money so that he can go to Carthage to study

Theft of the Pears

desired to do wrong

consequence was guilt and misery

goes off to college in Carthage

gives free reign to his desires in the name of love

result of his immoral behavior - jealous, suspicion, fear, anger

discovers Cicero

Manichaeism - puts good and evil as equal but opposing forces

God is all-good and all-powerful; evil is not equal in power to good

justice according to Augustine

uses armor as a visual of what’s abstract about justice

“… put on his leg, a helmet, and then complain it is not a good fit…”

• ppl not following God’s justice - making their own

(God’s def.) justice remains unchanged everywhere at all times - it’s universal

recounts a beloved friendship - someone he turned away from the faith

friend gets fever/becomes ill

friend is baptized

he recovers

Aug. jokes about baptism

friend tells him not to ore else their friendship ends

friend dies

Aug. thanks God because he would’ve turned him away from faith again

this situation had significant influence on his direction (conversion)

Augustine’s view on beauty

questions definition of beauty and its charms

logical, symmetrical, orderly, appealing visually

beauty in the world reflects the order of God

• attracts people because of this essence

Augustine’s move to Rome

the philosophers (Plato, Aristotle, Socrates) begin to shake his faith in Manichaeism → reasonable explanations and logic from them caused this

reason and logic destroying principles of Mani - showing irrationality

Mani was a persuasive talker but didn’t know what he was talking about

Aug. meets Faustus, a Manichee leader, who is unable to answer his questions — he was unknowledgeable

being a teacher of rhetoric, Aug. was fascinated with how he spoke — Faustus knew how to speak, not what he was speaking about

he attributes what God does in his life to the tears and prayers of his mother, Monica

false matter was evil but spirit/soul good

• good God created world, so how can it be evil

Aug. in his reading of Plato - God keeps slipping in - the philosopher’s explanation of truth matches the revelation

they judged world with understanding and their beliefs seemed more probable than Manichaeism

• Manichees attributed themselves to parts of Creation and lost in own ideas, philosophers focused on logic

he reflects on “conflict” between pursuing a secular life vs one devoted to spiritual things

a person cannot be healed except by believing in Christ

“I believe in order to understand”

in pursuit of truth

goes to Rome then Milan

meets Ambrose, devout and educated Christian

• his life convinces Aug. of Gospel

loved how Ambrose spoke and followed him

was slowly growing closer

sin starts with desire

dismisses the sin as a burden and finds the light in obedience to God

introduced hymns and songs into the worship

sitting under fig tree grieving over sin

hears child say “pick up and read”

reads Romans 13

relieved of guilt

mother died

he was in grief but also believed into eternal life/heaven/afterlife

universal search of humanity is for happiness

Aug. says that happiness is found in God and living according to His Truth

lust - strong desire - arises from our animal nature - associated with 5 senses