Confessions Essay, Research Paper
Confessions
The content of my paper will be an analysis of Augustine’s Confessions. I will focus on the first nine chapters of the book. First, I will write an introductory page about Augustine. Second, I will explain why Augustine wrote the Confessions and the importance of the Confessions as a philosophical work. I will analyze Augustine’s view of God and show the main theme of his book, which is, the sovereign God of grace and the sovereign grace of God. I will focus on Augustine’s view of God and His grace.
Augustine was born Aurelius Augustinus on November 13, 354 in North Africa. He received a classical Latin education and went to study rhetoric at the age of twelve in Madaura. He later studied at Cathrage and became a Manichean. After reading Cicero’s Hortensius Augustine was inspired to dedicate himself to the study of philosophy. He opened a school of rhetoric in Cathrage, he later went on to teach in Milan. In 386 he had his conversion and was baptized later. In 391 Augustine was appointed Bishop of Hippo.
He is considered the greatest Church Father. He was a defender of the Catholic faith and wrote and developed many doctrines to combat the heresies of his day, including his most famous rejection of the Pelagian doctrine. Pelagianism denied original sin and affirmed the ability of human beings to be righteous by the exercise of free will. “Augustine insisted on the fallen nature of man and the need for salvation by divine grace. (592)”
Augustine was also a great philosopher. His analysis of the nature of time, skepticism, and the relationship between divine foreknowledge and human freedom are all important philosophical contributions. His two most famous writings are the Confessions and The City of God. They are both theological as well as philosophical works.
Augustine wrote the Confessions ten years after his conversion.
The Confessions is divided into thirteen books. I will focus my analysis on the first ten books, which are his autobiography. The other three books are important but they do not have to do with his life story.
The book expresses three main concerns. One is Augustine’s frank and detailed acknowledgment of his personal sinfulness and the power he came to recognize as God’s provident grace—protective, creative, salvific—in every moment of his life. He also wrote in order to confess his own Christian faith and clearly repudiate any supposed lingering connections on his part with Manichaeism. Finally, The Confessions are a heartfelt paean of praise and thanksgiving in honor of God’s glory.
Augustine begins his autobiography with a prayer and meditation. This is fitting because the main theme of The Confessions is to praise and thank God. He begins by saying that God has, “made us and drawn us to yourself, and our heart is unquiet until it rests in you.” This is a very good point because it is a reflection of Augustine’s struggle to find piece with himself. Throughout the rest of the book Augustine is constantly changing his beliefs and looking for the truth, his heart is restless. And it is not until he finds the Catholic faith and has his conversion that he finds piece. Augustine like all philosophers is a lover of truth.
He is unsure how he should call upon the Lord (3). He points out that it is his faith, which is a gift, that calls upon the Lord (3). He wants God to come into his soul, yet he is afraid that there is no room and that He will be disgusted with the sins of his past (4). This is appropriate because the reader will later find out what those sins are, yet Augustine maintains that the Lord must be in his soul since, “I would not exist at all unless you were already in me (4).” Augustine asks many philosophical questions about the nature of God, however he does not once question His existence.
Augustine is considered to be one of the Catholic Church’s greatest theologians. However, he was also a philosopher. See pg 244 textb
Augustine’s Confessions is a beautiful prayer to God, it is also a philosophical work. It should be noted that while Augustine was a theo, pertaining to the philosophy of religion. Although Augustine is a saint and theologian, there is a distinct difference between religion and the philosophy of religion.
Infancy.
Book I.
Augustine begins his autobiography praising God. He describes God as being all-powerful, everywhere, and beyond description. The reader can see how deep Augustine’s love for God is and with what reverence he praises Him. Augustine acknowledges the fact that God is in his soul, either partially or wholly. He wants the Confessions to be an example of God’s existence throughout his entire life. His soul is restless until it rests in God. He praises God for giving him the family he did.
Augustine acknowledges the fact that as an infant he was not innocent. This seems strange since babies are thought to be pure and helpless. However, Augustine believed in the doctrine of original sin. Original sin is the sin of Adam, which all human beings inherit. It can only be taken away by baptism. Augustine mentions his regret that his mother did not baptize him as a young child. In those days it was customary to wait as long as possible to receive the sacrament of baptism. This was because baptism took away original sins as well as all other sins committed up to that point.
Augustine discusses his childish sins (22), and is discusted with them. Augustine appears to be too hard on himself, however he points out that, “These same sins grow worse as we grow older:first it is offenses against pedagogues and teachers, or chearting over nuts and balls and sparrows; then later is is crimes against prefects and kings, and fraud in gold and estated and slaves (23).” Augustine ends by thanking God and again points out the power of God’s grace in every moment of his life.
Book II.
Augustine is now sixteen and he has a sexual awakening. He recalls his past sins with great pain (25). He confesses that he was unable to distinguish between love and lust. He committed the sin of fornication. Augustine regrets not being forced to marry, this would have interfiered with his public life, so he did not marry. However, he feels he should have married in order to be cured of his concupiscence of the flesh.
Of special interest is his candid rememberance of stealing from a pear tree with his friends. He points out that he was not in need of the pear and he did not even eat it, but rather he took delight in the act of stealing with his friends. According to Augustine this is very important because it shows that we as humans, because of original sin are inclined towards evil. We take delight in the act of evil as evil. This is disturbing, but it shows that we have free will and with that the power to sin. Augustine says he was “in love with my own ruin, in love with decay (30).” This shows us what will happen if we do not have sanctifying grace. Augustine was looking for happiness and could not find it. He know realizes that happiness is from God and he is sorry he did not see that then.
Book III.
Augustine focuses on his seventeeth year to his ninteenth year, during which he was a student at Carthage. Augustine states that he was “in love with loving (37).” He is looking despertly for something to fill the void in his heart, but it is only God who can do that. During this time Augustine takes on a mistress. He lived with her for thirteen years and they had a son Adeodatus, whom he was very fond of.
It is here that Augustin begins his philosophical journey. He is greatly influenced by Cicero’s Hertensius. This awakened in him a desire for wisdom and aroused a love for philosophy that was to culminate in his conversion to Christianity. Although, Augustine warns us that philosophy can lead one astray and away from the doctrines of the Church. We should not let this happen.
Augustine then talks about his dislike of Scriptures. And attributed this to his “swollen pride (42).” He believed the Bible to be for children, and he thought he was grown up. They were not worthy to be compared to the eloquence of Cicero. He realizes his error now and now views the scriptures with revernce.
Augustine is constantly searching for the truth and it is at this time that he believes it is found in the doctrine of the Manichees. The Manichees believe that the universe is divided into realms of good and evil. Augustine liked this theory and it would account for why he took such pleasure in committing evil. This also offered Augustine a convenient rationilization for his own behavior, which would no longer make him responsible for his actions. Although he is extremely disaapointed when he meets the bishop Faustes, who is not really a lover of truth.
Другие работы по теме:
Othello Act Iv Essay Research Paper Othello
Othello Act Iv Essay, Research Paper Othello Journal Act IV In Act IV of Othello, by WIlliam Shakespeare, Iago continues his torture of Othello. Iago torments Othello until Othello pratically faints. He keeps pushing
Romeo An Juliet Essay Research Paper hi
Romeo An Juliet Essay, Research Paper hi i need an essay about a character in romeo and juliet that demonsrtated maturity. in a well developed multi pagraph essay and say why you think the character’s maturity was greater than the other characters in the play.
Historical Fiction Essay Research Paper Textbooks can
Historical Fiction Essay, Research Paper Textbooks can often prove to offer only a limited amount of information. Space and time constraints place the author(s) of these textbooks in a sticky situation. They must get the general concept through without taking up to much space. However, this can sometimes push out relevant material that van help to support the general concept.
Art Work Essay Research Paper Don
Art Work Essay, Research Paper Don’t exist exactly definition for a work of art. Work of art is something made by a person. Hence sunsets beautiful trees, ”found” natural objects such as grained driftwood, “painting” by insects or birds and a host of other natural phenomena are not considered works of art, despite their beauty.
Miranda Essay Research Paper Miranda vs the
Miranda Essay, Research Paper Miranda vs. the State of Arizona Such cases as Gideon v. Wainwright (1963) and Miranda v. Arizona (1966) considered the rights of defendants in criminal cases and initiated a continuing debate on the rights of the individual in relation to the necessary powers of the government.
Spiders On Bikes Essay Research Paper 1234
Spiders On Bikes Essay, Research Paper 1234 N. Arroya Vista Dr. E Enterprises, After extensive research of ten possible mining sites, Turkin? Co. purchased thirty-six hundred acres of mineral rights. At every site we ran several tests determining the copper content. We generally purchased land from every site that had some copper in the ground.
Our Secret Essay Research Paper In
Our Secret Essay, Research Paper In “Our Secret” by Susan Griffin, the essay uses fragments throughout the essay to symbolize all the topics and people that are involved. The fragments in the essay tie together insides and outsides, human nature, everything affected by past, secrets, cause and effect, and development with the content.
St Augustine Essay Research Paper Confessions is
St Augustine Essay, Research Paper Confessions is St. Augustine. He chooses to follow the ways of the society and indulges himself in the sins that he committed, therefore, making him responsible for his own actions.
Literature And Life Essay Research Paper Evan
Literature And Life Essay, Research Paper Evan Banks Reading Literature Henricson Literature: The Window to the Fallacies of my World I have never been a person totally content with life. I have always sought more and thirsted for some kind of meaning to the seemingly meaningless things that society forces me to do.
President Clinton Essay Research Paper The content
President Clinton Essay, Research Paper The content of President Clinton’s speech was elaborated and over zealous. His focus was directed on three topics: the past, the present, and the future. In the introduction, he started by addressing the challenges that will be bestowed upon us in the next century.
St Augustine Confessions Essay Research Paper Saint
St. Augustine Confessions Essay, Research Paper Saint Augustine s Confessions Saint Augustine was believed to be the Christian Plato. He describes Plato with the adulation of an admirer and follower. He achieved most of his knowledge through the interpretations of the immensely popular neo-Platonists.
Spanish Inquisition Essay Research Paper Over the
Spanish Inquisition Essay, Research Paper Over the years in history, there have been many formidable executions that were caused by the aspect of different faiths and races. Period after period there have been many leaders who lashed out onto others because of what they believed in. All of these incidents have never been forgotten; one very infamous one would be the Spanish Inquisition.
St Augustin Essay Research Paper From the
St. Augustin Essay, Research Paper From the analysis of St. Augustine Confessions and Beowulf, it is clear that the two authors, St. Augustine and the poet respectively, differ on their views of death, which helps to paint a better picture of the world that each writer lived in. In Augustine s writings, death plays a major role in life; it serves as the stepping stone to a greater existence in heaven.
Confessions Essay Research Paper Justin WTruth and
Confessions Essay, Research Paper Justin W. Truth and piety are two terms Augustine illustrates throughout his book Confessions. There are two types of truth: the truth found in God, but also the truth found in oneself. The truth found in and through God is quite obvious throughout the whole book. The other requires the reader to search deeply in the text.
Religion Confessions Essay Research Paper confession
Religion: Confessions Essay, Research Paper con?fes?sion “Forgive me Father, for I have sinned.” This simple phrase from Roman Catholic dogma conjures up images of famous Hollywood confessions and dramatizations, but the real root of the phrase has a much more obscure past. Not only found in modern Catholicism, the confession of sin, along with the confession of faith, can be seen in religious practices throughout the world.
The True Confessions Of Charlotte Doyle Essay
, Research Paper The True Confessions Of Charlotte Doyle In 1832, Charlotte Doyle began her voyage across the Atlantic Ocean on the ship “The Seahawk”. The captian of the ship was Captian Jaggery. At first Charlotte did not understand why the sailors did not like him, but during her voyage she learned why.
Censorship Essay Research Paper Why There Should
Censorship Essay, Research Paper Why There Should be Censorship Censorship is the examination of material for objectionable matter. It is used to keep material from influencing people the wrong
Teamwork In Business Essay Research Paper In
Teamwork In Business Essay, Research Paper In any large business organisation, teamwork is the ultimate key to the organistions success The issue of teamwork in successful business organisations is a complex one. There are many factors that influence success in business. Teamwork is an important and necessary factor but, not the only one.
Rashomon Commentary Essay Research Paper Rashomon CommentaryIn
Rashomon Commentary Essay, Research Paper Rashomon Commentary In Ryunosuke Akutagawa’s short stories In A Grove and Rashomon, an epic conflict of appearance vs. reality is reinforced by the world-renowned movie “Rashomon”. Although the stories and the movies use different symbolism and have many distinct differences, they both support this theme.
All In My Head Essay Research Paper
*Before I start, please don’t think that I am suicidal. I wrote this a LONG time ago. Please read/rate this for it’s poetic content, not the words. Thank you.*
Key Differences Which Separate Pope From Wordsworth
Essay, Research Paper Key Differences Which Separate Pope from Wordsworth In comparing excerpts from Pope’s “An Essay on Man” and Wordsworth’s “Prospectus”, I found many similarities and some key differences. Pope’s lean toward the more structured and confined, and Wordsworth’s lean towards the informal and original.
Dfferences In Pope
& Wordswort Essay, Research Paper Key Differences Which Separate Pope from Wordsworth In comparing excerpts from Pope s An Essay on Man and Wordsworth s Prospectus , I found many similarities and some key differences. Pope s lean toward the more structured and confined, and Wordsworth s lean towards the informal and original.
Television Essay Research Paper Televised debates between
Television Essay, Research Paper Televised debates between the nominees of the two major parties have become standard fare in contemporary presidential election campaigns. The authors of this important volume maintain that television has altered the very nature of presidential debates profoundly, that the demands of television have dictated the structure and formats of contemporary debates, and that the visual content of presidential debates plays an important role in the way that candidates exercise influence in televised debates.
Persia Essay Research Paper Influence of Islamic
Persia Essay, Research Paper Influence of Islamic Art The art of Europe, or ‘Western art’ is of a totally different type and style as what is known as ‘Islamic art’. It is difficult to have samples of both together in one place, observe the patterns of one and the narrative form of the other and say, “Islamic art influenced the art of Italy”.
1St Confession Essay Research Paper The story
1St Confession Essay, Research Paper The story ?First Confession? is a story about a troubled boy who is tormented by his sister and his grandmother and is forced to go to confession for his first time and he just refuses to go. He plots to kill his grandmother and tries to kill his sister with a butter knife and this is why he is scared to go to confession, because he is scared to be judged.
Augustin Zosimas And Mary Of Egypt Essay
, Research Paper Augustine, Zosimas, and Mary of Egypt Zosimas and Mary were two people from completely different worlds, yet they found commonality in their faith. And, while having different backgrounds and origins of their faith, they shared the same beliefs in God as Augustine, who wrote of his life story in “Confessions.” All three of these characters, while having the same beliefs, have quite different backgrounds.
Soil Analysis Report Essay Research Paper Soil
Soil Analysis Report Essay, Research Paper Soil Analysis Within the next few paragraphs, I will tell you all about the soil sample I collected and did tests on. I got some soil from out of one of my mom’s gardens. This one had a lot of flowers from Florida. This is a summary of what all I did to work on finding everything about my soil.
Art And Photography Essay Research Paper
- To what extent has photography been used as an instrument of social control? Use historical examples to illustrate this essay. Photography was once prized for its ability to objectively capture what sat in front of the lens. The content of a photo was to be believed without question. Because photos seemed to be able to portray objects exactly as the human eye seemed to, they were taken at face value.
Zoom Essay Research Paper send something else
Zoom Essay, Research Paper send something else | go to site map We got what you sent! This web site is updated every week with new content, and everything you send is also reviewed for use on the TV show. Plus, we read each and every Zmail and publish many in our Zmail area each week. Since we can’t respond to all of you personally, here are some frequently given answers:
Animal Cell Essay Research Paper Animal CellThe
Animal Cell Essay, Research Paper Animal CellThe model cell that you are looking at is an animal cell. The model is labeled with all of the typical organelles within a cell membrane. The following words are parts of the cell structure and the different jobs each one performs:Cell Membrane- phospholipid-protein bilayer; separates cell content from the environment.
Tracking Tv Programs Essay Research Paper Since
Tracking Tv Programs Essay, Research Paper Since its invention, television has been an important part of American life and culture. In our modern society, there are even those who would argue that it has become an absolute
Critique Essay Research Paper This critique is
Critique Essay, Research Paper This critique is divided into three sections: structure, content, and positive attributes. On the basis of structure the essay is not of high caliber. This is primarily because the thoughts within each paragraph did not correlate to the topic sentence. Within each subtopic the paragraphs supports were also separated and organized poorly.