Augustine's Confessions

Augustine’s Confessions is an autobiography of Augustine’s life.  He wrote it in the years of 397 to 430.  It consisted of him retelling many parts and specific stories of his life.  He was a highly religious Christian towards the end of his time and confessed many of his sins and negative thoughts in the work. 

The genre of the confessions is non-fiction and one of the main themes is God and Augustine tells of his conversion to Christianity.  The first book accounting his childhood begins focusing on God.  “What have I to say to Thee, God, save that I know not where I came from, when I came into this life-in-death—or should I call it death-in-life? I do not know, I only know that the gifts Your mercy has provided sustained me from the first moment: not that I remember it but so I have heard from the parents of my flesh, the father from whom, and the mother in whom, You fashioned me in time.”  This first section in his work illustrates his focus on God and Christianity. 

Throughout the text he views himself as a sinner, specifically the pear tree incident where him and some friends stole pears off a tree and threw them to hogs.  He states, “Our only pleasure in doing it was that it was forbidden.”  The whole work is a confession of his wrongdoings in an apologetic standpoint.  Augustine refers to God in his work closely and intimately.  I found the pear tree incident comparable to that of current times.  I argue similar situations are present today among both children and adults.  He states, “For once I had gathered them I threw them away, tasting only my own sin and savoring that with delight; for if I took so much as a bite of any of those pears, it was the sin that sweetened it.” People often act out of impulse and do something or disobey authority “just to do it”.    

I found Augustine’s Confessions very interesting in the reality of it and coming straight from the source of one man’s account of his own life and personal experiences and feelings.  Augustine says, “I came to Carthage where a cauldron of illicit loves leapt and boiled about me. I was not yet in love, but I was in love with love, and from the very depth of my need hated myself for not more keenly feeling the need.”  While reading the text, I appreciated his honesty and the detailed description of his feelings.  His honesty and trueness in his work makes it relatable to today despite how long ago Augustine lived and when the confessions were written.

Question for the class:

·        List some comparisons of the work to modern culture. How Augustine acted? How he felt? Are there any types of work that closely compare to the his confessions?

·        List some differences to modern culture.

·        List some recurring themes

·        Do some research and find more information about Augustine. What was the culture like? Was he ever persecuted for his religion? 

Work Cited

Puchner, Martin. "Augustine’s Confessions" The Norton Anthology: World Literature. Shorter Third Ed. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, 2013. 832-858. Print.