The Confessions
St. Augustine
Review by Rafael Jose Manulid
The Confessions: A Window Into Christianity
To many students my age, The Confessions of St. Augustine is merely a book that they need to read to pass a subject. However, if one looks beyond the surface, it serves as proof of St. Augustine’s skill, great foresight, and as a testament to the conservative mindset in earlier times.
St. Augustine’s constant mentioning of Bible passages impressed me. Throughout the Confessions, Augustine stops telling his story to string together several scriptures to form paragraphs. St. Augustine easily alternates between passages from the New Testament and the Old Testament. What impressed me was that he was able to get copies of so many sections or bible passages during a time when things were still handwritten. Also impressive is St. Augustine’s insights regarding seemingly mundane events in life, such as how he could have avoided sinning by stealing pears if he had no friends to experience this with him. Furthermore, it is amazing to think that St. Augustine was able to complete this thorough work without any of the aids that students and authors have today, like the internet.
Throughout The Confessions, St. Augustine shares with the reader the story of his life from birth until the middle age. His conversion to Christianity serves as the ‘climax’ of the book because this is the culmination of all of Augustine’s Christian thoughts and realizations. The Confessions mirrors the way of thinking of devout Christians and the teachings of the Church because he lives his life according to “The Will of God”. Anyone looking to understand the inner workings of a Christian mind should look no further, as St. Augustine is one of the best examples of the ideal Christian. He explains his ideas in clear and concise ways that can be understood by a typical reader.
While Augustine shares the story behind his conversion to Christianity, I was disappointed because he did not include more details and anecdotes regarding his priesthood. It would have been better to hear Augustine’s masterful account of that event in his life so that we can further understand the journey from an ordinary person to sainthood. In the context of SSP4, this will help us understand the values upheld by Christian morality in their time.
Augustine speaks of his desire to clasp Moses and beg him to explain the Creation. What Augustine may not know is that is precisely what many people feel about Moses- They would like to approach him and ask him to make sense of his bible passages.
In Augustine's book, he refers to the Holy Spirit in the recounting of the events in his life. The Holy Spirit was never mentioned prior to this. St. Augustine mentions the Holy Spirit the most in 12th and 13th chapters. It was surprising that despite being an example for Christian mentality and morality, he seldom referred to this concept in the preceding chapters. It seems that Augustine, like most persons, learned of the Trinity in the same manner that a child learns about it. First, Augustine met the Father, which is God, then the sibling, which is Jesus, and finally understood the concept of the Holy Spirit as he reached adolescence and was able to think critically.
The Confessions of St. Augustine were between him and God about his flaws and how he dealt with these shortcomings spiritually and intellectually. The Confessions was not meant to be a day-by-day diary for the curious. Indeed, if it was supposed to be for anyone who was intrigued about him, it was for the people of his time who doubted his credibility as a church because of his turbulent past. Today, it is a great look into the mind of a revered Catholic. This book will help anyone trying to understand the period when the influence of Christianity was still very evident in society. Aside from minor nitpicking, I cannot find any real flaw in the book.
To many students my age, The Confessions of St. Augustine is merely a book that they need to read to pass a subject. However, if one looks beyond the surface, it serves as proof of St. Augustine’s skill, great foresight, and as a testament to the conservative mindset in earlier times.
St. Augustine’s constant mentioning of Bible passages impressed me. Throughout the Confessions, Augustine stops telling his story to string together several scriptures to form paragraphs. St. Augustine easily alternates between passages from the New Testament and the Old Testament. What impressed me was that he was able to get copies of so many sections or bible passages during a time when things were still handwritten. Also impressive is St. Augustine’s insights regarding seemingly mundane events in life, such as how he could have avoided sinning by stealing pears if he had no friends to experience this with him. Furthermore, it is amazing to think that St. Augustine was able to complete this thorough work without any of the aids that students and authors have today, like the internet.
Throughout The Confessions, St. Augustine shares with the reader the story of his life from birth until the middle age. His conversion to Christianity serves as the ‘climax’ of the book because this is the culmination of all of Augustine’s Christian thoughts and realizations. The Confessions mirrors the way of thinking of devout Christians and the teachings of the Church because he lives his life according to “The Will of God”. Anyone looking to understand the inner workings of a Christian mind should look no further, as St. Augustine is one of the best examples of the ideal Christian. He explains his ideas in clear and concise ways that can be understood by a typical reader.
While Augustine shares the story behind his conversion to Christianity, I was disappointed because he did not include more details and anecdotes regarding his priesthood. It would have been better to hear Augustine’s masterful account of that event in his life so that we can further understand the journey from an ordinary person to sainthood. In the context of SSP4, this will help us understand the values upheld by Christian morality in their time.
Augustine speaks of his desire to clasp Moses and beg him to explain the Creation. What Augustine may not know is that is precisely what many people feel about Moses- They would like to approach him and ask him to make sense of his bible passages.
In Augustine's book, he refers to the Holy Spirit in the recounting of the events in his life. The Holy Spirit was never mentioned prior to this. St. Augustine mentions the Holy Spirit the most in 12th and 13th chapters. It was surprising that despite being an example for Christian mentality and morality, he seldom referred to this concept in the preceding chapters. It seems that Augustine, like most persons, learned of the Trinity in the same manner that a child learns about it. First, Augustine met the Father, which is God, then the sibling, which is Jesus, and finally understood the concept of the Holy Spirit as he reached adolescence and was able to think critically.
The Confessions of St. Augustine were between him and God about his flaws and how he dealt with these shortcomings spiritually and intellectually. The Confessions was not meant to be a day-by-day diary for the curious. Indeed, if it was supposed to be for anyone who was intrigued about him, it was for the people of his time who doubted his credibility as a church because of his turbulent past. Today, it is a great look into the mind of a revered Catholic. This book will help anyone trying to understand the period when the influence of Christianity was still very evident in society. Aside from minor nitpicking, I cannot find any real flaw in the book.