INTRODUCTION
Saint Augustine, in his book, The Confessions, presents to God the confession of his life of sins, and in so doing, also presents to the reader his profound insights into biblical doctrine, creation, human nature, divine nature and the relationship between man and his Creator. Though written around A. D. 397, the book is more spiritually fresh and relevant than many of today’s top selling Christian books from the most well-known authors in Christianity. The book moves easily from narrative to psalm-like confession and worship to doctrinal expression, to philosophical arguments and positions. Though often inspirational, it is never frivolous or anecdotal as is much of modern Christian writing. Augustine was a thinker. At the time of the book’s writing Augustine was in his mid 40s, had been a believer for more than a decade, and had served in ministry for half that time.
Human relationships were at least as instrumental in Augustine’s spiritual journey as was philosophy. The most important relationships seem to have been those with Monica, his mother, Ambrose, who was Bishop of Milan, an unnamed friend who dies, another friend, Alypius, who is converted with him, and his son, Adeodatus. These relationships are stepping stones to his finally acquiescing to the greatest of all relationships, the one with God, who is clearly the hero of his story. Throughout the book, while he longs for, calls out to and magnifies God, Augustine deprecates himself and humanity, especially those who are in opposition to God or His Word.
He committed himself to the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom at an early age. By his 30s he had become well-versed in philosophy, having thoroughly considered its deep questions, and having honed his mind’s understanding of most of the philosophical traditions of his time through his vocation in teaching and practicing rhetoric. His examination of philosophy, however, proved it to be largely a pursuit of vanity and ultimately left him with more questions than it answered. Rejecting many, but not all, of his philosophical conclusions, he finally turns reluctantly to Scripture in search of life-changing truth. Thus was the stage set for Augustine’s conversion to Christ, a conversion which was worked out with fear and trembling.
Book I
Augustine’s expressions of humility before God in every section of the work are evidence of his conversion at the time of writing. His view of God is clearly as sovereign Creator. His description of the character of God (p. 41) is insightful and profound, wherein he sees God’s character in perfect balance, neither excessive nor wanting in love, jealousy, regret, anger, steadfastness, forgiveness, generosity or sufficiency. He marvels at the fact of his own creation and God’s hand in it (P. 46), which is further testimony of his humility before God. Humility and contrition are common themes in this work. Augustine bemoans his having wasted the intellect of his youth on academic competitions rather than the having invested it on the praise of God (p. 57).
Augustine’s observation of human nature becomes a whip of self flagellation when he notes that humans will correct the minutiae in their lives, in matters of the pronunciation of words, for example, while ignoring the weightier matters that lead one to salvation (p. 58). The work is saturated with Scripture. At times he quotes passages directly, but more often, it seems, the ideas conveyed by Scripture are so integrated into his thoughts that they just flow out of him in his writing.
Book II
Augustine notes that God worked through his sins by showing him that while they offered some sensual pleasure, they also came at some personal expense. These disappointments that God mixed into his sinful pleasures left him with the desire to search for greater pleasures, but those free of disappointment (p. 64). This only leads to God. The intellect wasted on academic competitions, as mentioned in Book I, would have been savored on the pursuit of God’s Word, for the freedom and abandon one finds in a devotion to anything that is God can never be called folly (p. 70). One can give oneself totally to the endeavor without fear of regret, a concern that continually occupies Augustine’s mind. He shows that all pursuits are vain in a life that overlooks the only and best end of all pursuits who is He that can satisfy every human desire – the Lord.
As Augustine relates the peach theft incident, he juxtaposes his own depravity with the goodness of God (p. 72). The more he delves into each aspect of his own sins, laying bear the total depravity of each act, the more God emerges as righteous and just. God is the victor over Augustine’s flesh, but in God’s victory is Augustine’s salvation.
Book III
Augustine, a devoted fan of the theater in his earlier years, makes a fine point of the degrading qualities of the institution. His insights forced the writer of this article to recognize the oddity of pleasure in modern film, a reasonable comparison, and to reconsider its place in his life. Emotions and experiences one seeks to avoid in life are sought out and embraced in theater. The false reality of such forms of entertainment neither advance the intellect nor the character, but rather insulate from true reality and detract from that which one might have otherwise spent on loved ones or God.
In retrospect, Augustine laments the absence of Christ in the philosophical writings to which he so diligently applied himself (p. 80) as a young man. Yet, at the time, his examination of the Scriptures as a source of wisdom left him unimpressed, though not on the basis of its lack of wisdom, which was imperceptible to him because of the protective veil God keeps over His word, but on the basis of its undignified style, Augustine in his pride concludes. Finally, he identifies idolatry in the worldly philosophy of his friends, denounces philosophy, and begins the process of intellectually abandoning it as a path to truth. Augustine’s defense of human governments and God’s right to command is compelling (p. 86).
Book IV
In Book IV Augustine appears to attempt to redeem himself after confessing his sin of fornication by showing the virtue of his affection for the love child his illicit relationship produced (p. 93). While this may not have been evident to him, this writer sees the fallacy and notes that while this work is profound and valuable, it is not inspired or without blemish. Augustine’s investigation of astrology and subsequent conclusions are comical (p. 95). He takes up the subject again in Book VII, but rejects it as not logically plausible.
Considerable space is given to the death of his friend at Thagaste. His love for this friend is so strong as to be curious apart from the power of Christ to agape. One wonders if he has not taken a larger step toward God than he knows. His desperation and grief rival that of the loss of a young child (p. 99). Though his loss leads him to seek solace at Carthage (p. 100), he does not shrink from love, but exalts it. This event was pivotal in the working out of his salvation, for another’s heart may have become hardened toward in the process rather than tendered. Following this death, a fruitless search for love and beauty in philosophy ensues. He fails ultimately to find such things through philosophy because his focus is on the elemental things of the world, the creation, rather than their Creator (p. 110). Images of the prodigal son emerge as a favorite allegory of his own pre-Christ life (p. 111).
Book V
Augustine begins Book V by expressing his delight in confession (p. 113), which is consistent with the regenerate soul indwelt by the Spirit of God. His attack on Manichean philosophy (p. 114) prompts the own question: Is the knowledge of science, nature, mathematics and the other disciplines hidden from man, to be discovered gradually over the centuries, nudging man along on his pursuit of knowledge like a carrot on a stick to prevent man from wholly devoting himself to vain pursuits while keeping him, however indirectly, in pursuit of God who is revealed in the disciplines? The failure of Faustus to give a credible answer to this question is the final nail in the coffin of Augustine’s faith in Manichean philosophy (p. 122).
Augustine’s treatment of the tendency of humans to see good and evil as equal forces is at once penetrating and self-effacing. But, his inability to recognize the necessity of the virgin birth as it relates to original sin (p. 129) is more evidence of God’s veil over both His Word and the spiritual eyes of this great intellect. This writer finds Augustine’s conversion by far the most exhilarating aspect of this discourse. Though the custom of becoming a catechumen, in this writer’s opinion, prevents Augustine from recognizing his own conversion by the end of Book V, his decisions to push aside Manichaeism, reject philosophy as a means to any salvation, and single out Christianity as the object of his spiritual work is convincing proof that regeneration has probably already occurred (p. 133). Christians in Augustine’s world seemed to see salvation as a process rather than the event it is largely seen to be today. One can hardly imagine what Scriptures might support a view of gradual, arduous working out of one’s salvation. The Ethiopian eunuch, the thief on the cross, Zaccheus and other biblical examples abound to the contrary. Yet, Augustine’s story, such as it is, is his own and cannot be denied.
Book VI
His mother’s example of humility and contrition in accepting correction in the practice of her faith and her life in general causes Augustine again to marvel (p. 135-137). With the Holy Spirit now opening Augustine’s spiritual eyes, the pace of revelation quickens. Ambrose brings confidence and clarity to Augustine’s fledgling faith and is instrumental in helping him release his own misconceptions about Christianity and move out of infancy toward spiritual maturity.
Augustine, however, confined by catechumen custom still sees himself as not yet having embraced Christianity (p. 139). But, this belies the evidence that is mounting. He is merely working out his salvation with fear and trembling, but the initial work of the Spirit in regeneration seems to have been completed by this time. What are now occurring are discipleship, spiritual growth and sanctification.
This writer closely identifies with some of Augustine’s experiences on his road to maturity. For example, Augustine comes to faith through his intellect, and is enthralled by typological studies which give weight to the Scriptures (p. 140) and reinforce his faith. He is uncertain of his faith, yet the evidence for it is already coming to light.
Book VII
Augustine begins to have inklings of God’s omnipresence as he struggles against his mind’s eye which is continually conjuring up for him a physical image of God (p. 159). He finds in the books of the Platonists the doctrines of the Christian faith (p. 169-172) which further steels his faith in the Scriptures and doctrines which he has learned from Ambrose.
Well beyond coming to faith in the Scriptures, Augustine now begins to understand the value of heresy in identifying those of the true faith and as a backdrop against which truth is displayed (p. 180).
Book VIII
Titled “Conversion,” Book VIII is more likely about Augustine’s decision to make a public profession of faith through obedience in baptism. Salvation occurs in a moment, not over a period of years as the custom of becoming a catechumen would suggest. No one is partially converted or partially a member of the body of Christ at any time. The faith required for salvation is merely that of a mustard seed, and regeneration occurs in an instance. The woman who touched Christ’s garment had a superstition about the healing power of His hem, but she was nonetheless healed from her issue of blood through her very imperfect faith. The thief on the cross humbly asked only to be remembered by Christ and yet his salvation was secured from that moment. This writer argues that when one moved from audientus to catechumen, one may well have moved from seeker to saved. It is clear that Augustine would not have agreed with this assessment bound by and ingrained with the custom of catechumen as he was. That system of discipleship before baptism, still practiced today in some parts of the church, most notably in the Roman Catholic Church, was more about man’s seeking to validate another’s conversion than it was a system for actually producing salvation.
The baptism of Victorinus (p. 186) and the story related to him by Ponticianus about the two companions who happened upon the Life of Antony and were converted (p. 196-199) fueled Augustine’s courage and resolve to finally acknowledge his conversion along with Alypius. The only thing holding him back was pride, which melted away in the brokenness of the garden scene (p. 207).
Book IX
His conversion in full bloom, Augustine decides to abandon his teaching career (p. 210) as he begins to sense God’s call to ministry, which he has been in preparation for his entire life. He makes three interesting observations – two grossly erroneous and one profoundly correct. First, in his dialogue with the Lord, he expresses the belief that his sins were still being held to his account until they could be pardoned in water baptism (p. 212, 218). When he is finally baptized by Ambrose he then expresses the relief of having the emotional weight and dread of his former sins lifted from him (p. 219). No doubt his emotional experience was as it was related, but theologically, the interpretation of his spiritual experience should be questioned since baptism, a work if it must be added to faith in Christ, is not a requirement for salvation. He may have come to this false conclusion from a Scripture such as 1Peter 3:21 where Peter sates that “…Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you…” But Scripture taken as a whole does not support such a reading even of that verse. Second, his suggestion that his friend Verecundus received his salvation as a reward for kindness shown to him is also a doctrinal error. Perhaps this is simply an affectionate way of referring to the salvation experience of a dear friend, but that is not clear from the text. Salvation, of course, is never a reward for any merit on the part of the saved, but is solely a work of God’s grace. Third, he paints the death of another friend, Nebridius, as being “released” from the flesh to gain the presence of God (p. 213). This is an apt description of the death of a true Christian for the physical, temporal body in which sin is found and with which sin is needful of being dealt is merely the container of the greater glory to be expressed in eternity and may be discarded with joyous expectation in exchange for that glory.
Augustine envisions Abraham’s Bosom as that place wherein one drinks from the fount of God’s wisdom (p. 213), suggesting a period of time over which wisdom is gained in the next life. Yet, I Corinthians 13:12 lends itself more readily to the idea that at the point one comes face to face with Christ in eternity, all things become fully known. His view on this point, while understandable given his view of the catechumen tradition, is nonetheless not biblically supported. Oddly, in Book XII, he acknowledges the instantaneous apprehension of all wisdom in eternity and points to the I Corinthians 13 passage for support.
Throughout the book, Augustine uses the term “Catholic Church” in the same way modern Christians use the term “body of Christ.” In the writing of this article, this nomenclature may have contributed somewhat to this writer’s sensitivity to Augustine’s acceptance of practices and doctrines now associated with the Roman Catholic Church and largely abandoned in the Reformation.
Book X
Augustine opens Book X with a discussion of the principles of confession. He denounces confession to others rather than directly to God (p. 238). One wonders whether he is referring to the priesthood or the religious hierarchical structure of the church in his day or merely to lay Christians. He correctly sees that there can be no spiritual benefit, absolution or edification for the confessor that comes from confessing one’s sins first to man and then to God, or not to God at all. He knows that confession is a work of God in the hearts of men. He prefers confession directly to God and has a strong sense of communion with God in the act of confession.
His lengthy discussion of memory (p. 245-263), this writer admits, was a difficult passage of which to lay hold. He praises the faculty (p.246, 254), and endlessly analyzes it throughout the section. But to what end? Perhaps to explore more thoroughly his own mind, to know himself and so relate more intimately with God, as he finally suggests (260)? It seems more so to be something of a fanciful excursion into philosophy than a serious doctrinal or spiritual issue with any strong biblical underpinnings.
After the discourse on memory, Augustine asserts that love for God is diminished if love for anything is not for God’s sake (p. 263). But, this is unreasonable and not a clear biblical concept. The love one has for one’s children, for example, is not even predicated upon a relationship with God and is certainly no slight to Him since it is expected by Him. That one can love one’s children more fully through a relationship with God is true, but no vice can be reckoned to one who does not see the need to purpose such love for God. Love for one’s children is a blessing from God and need not be expressed for His sake. That it is expressed at all in such a case is an act of obedience and praise, however unwitting.
His concern over the commands to avoid the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life seems excessive to the point of ascetic. At one point he even confesses that he considered the monastic life, but was deterred by God (p. 283). He sees as a snare memory, food, music, art, dreams, and the well-deserved praise of men. Yet, he has some trouble discerning when he is over concerned about such matters and when he is not quite concerned enough (p. 270). His refrain throughout the section is the plea that God would first give him all the spiritual virtues, and then require of him what He will. This is sound practice for any believer.
Book XI
Augustine’s insights into time and eternity in Book XI are penetrating. His grasp of the concept that time is created by God as a medium within which He is performing His will, rather than a medium which contains Him shows his advanced understanding of the transcendence of God (p.291). But, he goes too far with his quirky denial of the existence of past and future (300-301). The view he adopts here appears more philosophical than theological and may be a remnant from his earlier philosophical work. Scripture declares that God only knows the end from the beginning, that He has a plan, and that He is working it out in the context of time. God established time with certain properties. It is linear, for example. Humans move forward through it, and cannot move backward. Humans look backward through it, but, apart from the power and revelation of God, cannot look forward into it. Perhaps an oversimplified argument against this view of Augustine’s is to say that all matter that exists now, has existed in ages past since the creation event and will continue in existence until it is destroyed when the old heaven and earth pass away. What exists now existed in the past and will exist in the future. Memory’s role is to provide a context to the present; for what exists in the present. The present is without value if there is no past and no future.
Augustine does make another helpful observation about the movement of heavenly bodies. He clarifies their relationship to time as not constituting it, but as a means of marking it (p. 302). This is certainly consistent with God’s method of marking time, not only as expressed in the creation event, but throughout Scripture wherever time is related to hours, days, weeks, months, years, etc. Yet, he also sees time as not so much having properties but, if it exists at all, existing in the conscious mind (p. 306). This writer would argue that anything created has properties and thus cannot exist only in the mind since that which has properties is separate and distinct from the mind.
Book XII
Augustine’s attempts in Book XII to describe heaven and earth and their creation and to draw a distinction between them and the spiritual realm in which the third heaven exists are tedious and the least fruitful of the subjects undertaken in this work, in this writer’s opinion. No doubt Augustine felt a strong need to include the discussion in this work, perhaps because the opposition to his views on the subject was broad and well-known. On that basis, the inclusion of the discussion would seem acceptable. At one point, his confidence in God’s Word at a peak, he expresses his severe hatred for his opposition, seeing them as ultimately in opposition to God (p. 321). In any case, that God created the entire universe from nothing is clear from the plain reading of the text of Genesis. Augustine’s point that God made formless matter and from it formed the universe is consistent with the best modern scholarship and, to his credit, has stood the test of time (p. 338). Tedious, though, is that he takes such a very round about route to get there.
Most useful to this writer in this section was Augustine’s discussion of the immutability of God as a condition of the existence of anything called “God” (p. 321-322). He argues that God’s will cannot be separated from the substance of who He is. From this solid ground he infers that God’s will is unchanging since God is unchanging; a simple but powerful argument.
Book XIII
The final section of the work, Book XIII, he continues his discussion of the doctrine of the creation. He makes a cogent, though simplistic, argument that God pre-existed the creation of matter (p. 343). His discovery of the Trinity’s work in the creation event (p. 345-346) is expressed with youthful enthusiasm but proof of his deep spiritual insight. The blissful beauty of the paradox of being both child-like in one’s relationship to God and spiritually mature in one’s relationship to man is clearly visible in Augustine, whose example should be the model for every pastor, spiritual leader and seminary professor in the body of Christ.
Step-by-step throughout the work, Augustine has consistently and systematically linked the philosophical idea of logos with the biblical person of Wisdom who is Christ. Wisdom is the application of knowledge. Both truth and application come together in the person of Christ as Logos. This has given this writer a much more tangible and useful understanding of the doctrine of Logos – Christ is the Truth and Wisdom of God.
Augustine’s allegorical interpretation of the creation of light stretches to the point of strain. One has difficulty seeing the call to repentance (p. 350-353) in the words “Let there be light.” This line of thinking continues through each successive day of the creation event and becomes more untenable as it progresses. However, his breakdown of the intricacies of the words used in the creation of man in the image of God as they relate to the Trinity is helpful (p. 365). While God clearly refers to Himself in the plural in the Genesis passage, one might be apt to overlook it or dismiss it, as some have, arguing that royalty is known to use the plural as a condescension when the singular meaning is intended. Augustine’s explanation is the weightier position. Toward the end of the section, He dwells on the point that the creation is declared by God to be “good” (p. 373). This is in response to the Manichees, and all Gnostics who hold that matter and the physical are evil and were not created by God. Augustine takes a risk, in this writer’s opinion, when in speaking to God he states that God intended a figurative meaning in the literal account of the creation (p. 377). While this may be true, this writer does not see it. He might have been better advised to allow some room for humility. But, as he has done throughout the book, he boldly states his convictions and surrenders himself to God’s discipline, correction and revelation (p. 380).
CONCLUSION
Augustine’s Confessions is a deeply devotional work full of prayer, meditation, praise, confession, humility, and communion, all of which is sharply focused upon God. His training in philosophy is both a help and a hindrance in his coming to faith in Christ. It helps in instances such as his reading of the Platonists, wherein he finds many biblical doctrines expressed as philosophical conclusions. It hinders in the many philosophical questions he must resolve in his mind before finally surrendering to Christ. But, in the end, even the philosophical questions he feels that he must answer through Scripture only serve to solidify and enhance his spiritual prowess and doctrinal acumen and secure his place as a major historical Christian figure.
