Other editions of book The Confessions of St. Augustine

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The work outlines St. Augustine's sinful youth and his conversion to Christianity. It is widely seen as the first Western autobiography ever written, and was an influential model for Christian writers throughout the following 1,000 years, through the Middle Ages. It is not a complete autobiography, as it was written in his early 40s, and he lived long afterwards, producing another important work (City of God). It does, nonetheless, provide an unbroken record of his development of thought and is the most complete record of any single person from the 4th and 5th centuries. It is a significant theological work, featuring spiritual meditations and insights.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Ever wonder why you do the bad things you do? Well, Augustine proved himself to be a pro at answering that question for himself in the Confessions. And, if you pay attention, you might learn something too. First thing's first: Augustine is born in North Africa, to a Christian mother and a non-Christian father. But the book is really about his journeys as he ages and commits various sins. Sometimes he even sins just for the hec of it. When Augustine becomes a young man, he goes to Carthage to be educated. There, he joins the Manichees (pronounced man-ih-kees), a religious sect that believes in the separation of good and evil matter. He discovers that he has an aptitude for rhetoric , and becomes a literature teacher. But his real job is a Professional Thinker. Through all of this, Augustine's mother is always weeping over his lack of Christian faith. Next, our man Augustine decides to go to Rome to get away from the riff-raff of Carthage, but he runs into some problems there too. He eventually accepts a position in Milan. There, he meets the Bishop Ambrose. Ambrose gets Augustine more interested in the Scriptures, since he has been losing steam with the Manichees anyway. And, along with his two friends Alypius and Nebridius, Augustine starts to learn more about Christian belief. Overjoyed by his interest in Christianity, his mother decides to join him in Italy. But even though Augustine begins to accept Christianity, he still struggles with the notion of giving up all worldly pleasures—especially sex. During one particular existential crisis, in which he really wants to accept God but feels like he just can't live the kind of life that the Scriptures demand, Augustine melodramatically runs out into the garden of the house he's at. There, he hears the voice of a child singing, telling him to pick up the book and read it. Which book, you ask? Well, he picks up the letters of Paul, which are, conveniently, at hand, and flips to a random page. What he reads on that page finally convinces him to convert. Augustine, along with his friends, is baptized. Not long after, on their way back to Africa, Augustine's mother falls ill and dies. This is where the narrative of Augustine's life ends. Augustine writes about how he continues to confront sin and temptation, and explains how he has come to interpret some of the more difficult bits of Christian doctrine. The work ends with Augustine thoroughly analyzing the creation story of Genesis 1.

Great art Thou, O Lord, and greatly to be praised; great is Thy power, and Thy wisdom infinite. And Thee would man praise; man, but a particle of Thy creation; man, that bears about him his mortality, the witness of his sin, the witness that Thou resistest the proud: yet would man praise Thee; he, but a particle of Thy creation. Thou awakest us to delight in Thy praise; for Thou madest us for Thyself, and our heart is restless, until it repose in Thee.

The work outlines Augustine's sinful youth and his conversion to Christianity. It is widely seen as the first Western autobiography ever written, and was an influential model for Christian writers throughout the following 1,000 years of the Middle Ages. It is not a complete autobiography, as it was written in his early 40s, and he lived long afterwards, producing another important work (City of God). It does, nonetheless, provide an unbroken record of his development of thought and is the most complete record of any single person from the 4th and 5th centuries. It is a significant theological work, featuring spiritual meditations and insights. In the work St. Augustine writes about how much he regrets having led a sinful and immoral life. He discusses his regrets for following the Manichaean religion and believing in astrology. He writes about Nebridius's role in helping to persuade him that astrology was not only incorrect but evil, and St. Ambrose's role in his conversion to Christianity. The first nine books are autobiographical and the last four are commentary. He shows intense sorrow for his sexual sins, and writes on the importance of sexual morality. The books were written as prayers to God, thus the title, based on the Psalms of David; and it begins with "For Thou hast made us for Thyself and our hearts are restless till they rest in Thee." The work is thought to be divisible into books which symbolize various aspects of the Trinity and trinitarian belief.