The confessions of St.Augustine: A Review

Tiffany stained-glass window of St. Augustine,
in the Lightner Museum, St. Augustine, Florida.

I recently read 'The Confessions' a spiritual autobiography written by St.Augustine. It was a wonderful reading as he describes his early childhood, his lack of interest for arithmetic and his interest to study Latin. His early adolesence where he steals pears with a group of friends. His Adulthood where he goes to Carthage to study and which makes him fall in love with wisdom. How he embraces Manichaeism-a religion founded by Manes in the third century; a synthesis of Zoroastrian, Babylonian folklore and Buddhist ethics and superficial elements of Christianity. How he Becomes a teacher of rhetoric and his grief at the death of a close friend. How the sermons of Bishop Ambrose cause him to reject the teaching of Manichees. 


The confessions consists of 13 Books and this review is of first 5 books, translated by Edward Bouverie Pusey


Book 1: All of our initial childhood is full of mischiefs, which we later recollect and enjoy. But in Augustine case he regrets for having done bad in his studies, In fact he didnt like subjects like arithmetic. He also explains how he learnt Latin with interest and mere observation among his firends who encouraged him. When he explains he`s early childhood he recalls how miserable it was for him to carry on with his initial studies


Quotes: "Thee, O God, are all good things, and from my God is all my health." 


Book 2: Adolesence is the period where most of us enjoy with our friends, it is also the time when some major changes happen in our body. Augustine recalls how he stole pears with his friends at age of 16 and how lust empowered him at that age. He also further recollects that he didnt enjoy what he did but sin itself was enjoable. 


Quotes: "...there is no place whither altogethere to retire from thee"

"St Augustine and Monica"

Book 3: Adulthood is full of oppurtunities for everyone where we select the colleges we like to go and study the subject which we dreamt of in accordance with our pursuit for good future. Even Augustine goes to Carthage to study, he reads Cicero's Hortensius, which inspires him to love wisdom and embrace Manichaeism. He enjoyed the stage plays there which had lot of grieve in them. He also tell how his vanities drive him into greater vanities


Quotes: " For within me was a famine of that inward food, Thyself, my God; yet, through that famine I was not hungered; but was without all longing for incorruptible sustenance, not because filled therewith, but the more empty, the more I loathed it.


Book 4: Our early year of career are full of challenges and hardships similary was Augustine case. He became a teacher of grammer at Thagaste. He also shares a living with a woman and says how he challenged the holy convenant of martirmony. He also elaborates the death of his close friend due to fever whom he loved dearly and which made him leave his native town Thagaste. He stressed the importance of sexual morality in this book which is very relevant in this modern era full of  lust lunacy. He also suggests that he began to love his life of sorrow more than his fallen friend.


Quotes: " Wretched I was; and wretched is every soul bound by the friendship of perishable things; he is torn asunder when he loses them, and then he feels the wretchedness which he had ere yet he lost them."


Book 5: Quotes: Searching for new carrer opputurnities is also essential part of one`s life, hence Augustine moves to Carthage to take up rhetoric classes, and he would remain there for next nine years. There he meets Manichees Bishop, Faustus. He was completely disappointed with Faustus lack of knowledge. He then moves to Rome to meet the best and brightest rehtoricians as per his belief, but it too was shattered as the students in Roman schools simply fled when it was time for them to pay fees. He then moves to Milan and occupies a most visible position in latin world. It is here his actual conversion towards christianity began after hearing the sermon of St.Ambrose, Bishop of Milan he gave up  Manichaeism. St.Ambrose had most influence over Augustine. Ambrose was a master of rhetoric like Augusitne, but older and more experienced.


Quotes: "O Thou my exceeding mercy, my God, my refuge from those terrible destroyers, among whom I wandered with a stiff neck, withdrawing further from Thee, loving mine own ways, and not Thine; loving a vagrant liberty."


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