Augustine, Confessions X.30-35 (p. 212-221)

BIG PICTURE OF THIS SECTION

  • Augustine is now already Christian and baptized

  • Book X is not about past sins — it’s about:

    • ongoing temptation

    • inner struggle

    • self-examination

  • In X.30–35, Augustine examines desire, pleasure, and attachment

  • His main fear:

    “Even though I follow God, I might still love the world too much.”

Chapter 30 — Augustine Questions His Love of Pleasure

What’s happening:

Augustine asks God a serious question:

“Do I still love pleasure more than You?”

He is no longer stealing or living wildly —
but he realizes temptation has become subtle, not obvious.

Pleasure itself is not evil

Augustine makes an important distinction:

  • God created:

    • food

    • music

    • beauty

    • bodily pleasure

  • Therefore:

    • pleasure itself is not sinful

The danger:

  • when pleasure becomes the goal

  • when pleasure replaces God

His fear:

  • He worries that:

    • he may obey God

    • but secretly still love comfort and enjoyment more

This is not teenage lust anymore —
this is adult, quiet temptation.

Chapter 31 — Food and the Danger of Subtle Sin

Event: Augustine examines eating

  • Augustine looks at something very ordinary: food

  • He must eat to live

  • Eating is not sinful

But he notices a danger:

  • eating for pleasure, not need

  • enjoying taste more than God

Why food is tricky

  • You can’t avoid eating

  • Unlike sex or wealth, food is necessary

  • So temptation hides inside necessity

Augustine says:

  • he often doesn’t notice when:

    • need turns into indulgence

    • nourishment turns into pleasure-seeking

His prayer:

“Let me not be enslaved by what sustains me.”

He wants:

  • moderation

  • awareness

  • freedom from hidden excess

Chapter 32 — Music and Emotional Pleasure

Event: Augustine examines music

This is one of the most famous sections.

Augustine admits:

  • church music moves him deeply

  • he sometimes cries during hymns

But then he asks:

“Am I loving God — or just the feeling?”

The conflict

  • Music helps:

    • lift the soul

    • stir devotion

  • But:

    • it can overpower reason

    • emotion can replace truth

He worries:

  • he might enjoy the beauty of sound

  • more than the meaning of the words

His solution (very important)

Augustine does not reject music
He says:

  • music is good

  • but must serve God

  • not dominate the soul

He wants:

  • emotion to support faith

  • not replace it

Chapter 33 — The Lust of the Eyes (Curiosity)

Event: Augustine examines curiosity

This is not sexual lust.

He defines “lust of the eyes” as:

  • wanting to see

  • wanting to know

  • wanting to experience — just because

Examples:

  • staring at accidents

  • watching disturbing scenes

  • seeking novelty

  • craving information without purpose

Why curiosity is dangerous

  • It looks harmless

  • It feels intellectual

  • But it distracts from God

Augustine says:

  • curiosity pulls the soul outward

  • instead of inward toward truth

Key insight:

“I want to know — not to grow wiser, but to be entertained.”

This is spiritual distraction, not ignorance.

Chapter 34 — Pride and the Desire for Approval

Event: Augustine examines pride

This is the deepest danger.

He asks:

“Do I still want people to admire me?”

Even as a Christian:

  • he preaches

  • people praise him

  • people listen

And he notices:

  • he enjoys approval

  • he feels wounded by criticism

Why this is dangerous

  • Pride can hide inside good actions

  • You can:

    • serve God

    • but secretly serve your ego

Augustine fears:

  • loving his reputation

  • more than loving God

His honesty:

He admits:

  • he is not free from pride

  • temptation remains even in holiness

Chapter 35 — Where Augustine Finds Safety

Event: Augustine surrenders control

After examining everything, Augustine reaches a conclusion:

  • He cannot fully judge himself

  • He cannot fully cleanse himself

  • Even self-knowledge has limits

His final trust:

“You, Lord, judge me.”

He places himself:

  • not in his own hands

  • but in God’s mercy

What this means:

  • Augustine is not confident in himself

  • He is confident in God

  • Grace, not self-control, is his hope

KEY THEMES TO REMEMBER

1. Temptation doesn’t disappear — it changes

  • It becomes quieter

  • More respectable

  • More internal

2. Ordinary things are the hardest tests

  • Food

  • Music

  • Curiosity

  • Praise

3. The greatest danger is loving gifts more than God

  • Pleasure

  • Beauty

  • Knowledge

  • Approval

4. Augustine models self-examination

  • He does not excuse himself

  • He does not despair

  • He trusts God’s mercy

ONE-SENTENCE EXAM SUMMARY

In Book X.30–35, Augustine examines subtle temptations—pleasure, food, music, curiosity, and pride—showing that even after conversion the soul must be guarded, and that true safety lies not in self-mastery but in trusting God’s grace.