What I found interesting about St. Augustine’s book confessions would have to be how he goes through his past sinful life and proposes questions to God as to if he was there when it happened, and if this was his destiny before his revelation and conversion to a Christian. For example, book II talks about adolescence and through each stage of adolescence to adulthood he became less sinful. I like how he asked the question if your sins as a baby are forgiven. He brings up the idea that babies tend to think that they can order around everyone and that it is alright to tantrum once no one has tended to their needs.Also that they try to adapt to their surroundings in order to make their demands more clear. For me I do think that it is excusable on the idea that they don’t know any better and the only way they think they can get taken care of is through demands by “baby noises.” It proposes the idea of why did Jesus take children to be so special. For me I think it was a good idea for Jesus to focus on children because they would be the next generation of adults so if they learn the “Word of the Lord” as children and since seen in the baby phase of life you pretty much absorb everything around you, they will absorb the good morals and preach it to their descendants. I found it interesting when he mentions the story of him and his friends stealing the pears. I understood that he told this story because he fell to peer pressure, but I am also curious as to why he would ask God if he lead him down this path of loving the idea of stealing. To me, although I don’t practice the religion, I see God to be a figure that is just. So I am confused as to why he would assume that God chose this path for him. I mean yes, God is also seen to make the destinies of everyone, but it was his free will to steal the pears since it’s under a sinful act. I think that maybe he asked this question to have us reflect on the idea that maybe if he had the faith in God he had while writing this piece then maybe he wouldn't do this act. Or maybe he brought up this questions to have readers contemplate as to why God would make us destine to sin. This leads to the idea that maybe God knew that Eve would eat the forbidden fruit and if so why did he do that? Augustine’s confessions in book II brought about many ideas that made me refer back to both the Old and New testament about God’s teachings. It also had me reflect on how my life was as I child which I enjoyed.
I completely agree with you on this. I thought Augustine explained his questions thoughtfully and thoroughly to God when he examined the sins that he had committed when he was a child and an adolescent. He talks about various things, such as his mindset on education when he was a kid versus when he looks back on it now. Augustine mentions how he would've never learned anything if he had not been forced to learn through his education. He stated that even though he never liked education as a child, he learned a lot of information that made him a better person and more faithful in God. For me, the stealing of the pears from the tree symbolized Eve taking the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Life and Knowledge. I also noticed that Augustine becomes more thoughtful and respectful of others and many ideas as he enters adulthood. One example of this was when he visited his friend who was about to pass away. When Augustine made fun of his baptism, his dying friend scolded him for making fun of it instead of going along with Augustine's teasing. To an extent, it made me learn about how I could be more empathetic towards people and be open-minded to new opportunities and ideas, as well as think before I make decisions or verbalize my thoughts and feelings. Augustine is by far one of the most enjoyable reads I've ever done.
I found St. Augustine’s “Confessions” to be very interesting. St. Augustine recounts events of his life from birth to when he converts to Catholicism. In each area of life he looks back on, he is able to learn something new, and each experience shapes him to be the person he is. As a baby, he was told of how he acted. He did not know much at that time and would mainly cry when things did not go his way. In grade school, as he begins to grow older, he begins to realize that boys are taught to seek material pursuits instead of seeking God. He is pressured to steal pears and throw them, and he does so just for the fun of it. As a teenager he enters the realm of sexual exploration. At this time, he also learns teachings from Manicheism, a false philosophy. Augustine is teaching rhetoric during this time, while also feeling conflicted about his mind, actions, and place in the world. He feels that teaching rhetoric, which can be used to fool others, and pursuing a career as a salesman are regretful pursuits to him. This leads him to become passionate about the pursuit of truth in the form of philosophy, and marks the beginning of Augustine’s conversion to believing in God. Once his a close friend passes away, Augustine suffers much grief. He realizes that because he is attached to material things, that is why he is experiencing so much grief. A belief in God separates one from material pursuits which are only temporary, while God is permanent. Though this is only the beginning of Augustine’s journey to truth through exploration, I felt that his thoughts and feelings about what he went through up to this point are admirable. There have been many instances within the Bible, Qu’ran, and Plato’s Republic where the importance of knowledge and “knowing thyself” is encouraged and viewed as one of the most important ways a person can use their mind. The way Augustine recounts his life, picking it apart and realizing all the ways he went wrong can be seen as a commonality between him and mankind. To be able to do better and be a better person, one must be able to look at the past, mindful of the mistakes that were made so they are not repeated. As he is doing this, he is also trying to learn as much as he can so that he may reach the truth and live his life the way that he envisioned it. This journey of his is an important marker in the philosophical world. Although he is eventually converted to Catholicism, the philosophy behind his words, ideas, and actions can be examined and utilized by others in their own journey to truth.
I find it interesting that half of Confessions is autobiographical and half is Augustine’s thoughts on philosophy and theology. It implies that philosophical and theological ideas are not set in stone but rather are fluid and take the shape of the context of the time period and the nature and the environment of the person who is expressing them. In the biographical portion Augustine reveals a lot about his sins and how he believes all sins are committed in a quest for God. For example, Augustine’s sinful and lustful sexual endeavors, he explains, were simply a quest to find love and to be loved. This isn’t a bad thing, Augustine explains, he simply didn’t know that he was supposed to be looking for love in God, and not within himself or God’s other creatures. Augustine explains how events that took place and ideas that he was exposed to throughout his life eventually influenced him to devote the rest of his life searching for the eternal truth, through God. I found it especially interesting that upon reading a book based mostly on the importance of the study of philosophy, Hortensius by Cicero, Augustine immediately becomes obsessed with finding God and dedicating his life to finding the “eternal truth” that belief in God entails. This immediately made me think of Averroes and how he in his Decisive Treatise asserts for the necessity of the study of philosophy, because the law (according to the Qur’an) “encourages and urges reflection on beings” (44). It is interesting how in the Treatise, Averroes has to force this connection because the study of philosophy is banned in current Islamic society. But in Confessions, this connection is made naturally by Augustine because he believes that the study of both philosophy and God will lead him to a life of truth. Like Averroes in Decisive Treatise, Augustine recognizes the differences in interpretation that people of different understanding levels can have of the Scriptures. After Augustine examines the holy Scriptures for the second time he realizes that, “I had too much conceit to accept their simplicity and not enough insight to penetrate their depths…It is surely true that as the child grows these books grow with him” (60). Augustine realizes that as one grows older one may have a deeper capacity for understanding the Scriptures in more than just one literal way. He also points out that those that are too proud (as he once was) to examine the texts of the Scriptures closely will never be able to understand it’s true deeper allegorical message. I find that the importance of recognizing differences in levels of understanding among people is an important theme that is addressed by many of the scholars or philosophers we have read even besides Averroes and Augustine. Plato in his Republic also discusses how only some people of higher education, such as the Philosopher-king and others who have been dragged out of the cave, will be able to understand the deeper meaning behind societal functions. The topic of these different levels of understanding is also acknowledged in Thucydides during the Mytilean debate through the notion that in controlling the ideologies of a conquered nation, one will never have to worry about rebellion. This implies that it is possible, as a governing body, to control the levels of understanding of the citizens (instead of waiting for them to come to their own deeper level of understanding) in a very uniform way. This way everyone functions for the greater good of the nation as a whole and no one knows how to question the authority and structure that holds each citizen in place.
The style is very immersive, Augustine is portraying himself as the choir boy of God, which is important in that you are arguably led to believe you might find more honesty and godly inspiration than a text by one who isn't one.
I take the text more seriously after accepting that St. Augustine actually thinks he has received books, and books worth of divine revelation. The intro calls it 'psychological', I agree, very self reflective and adamant of this poetic perspective of reality.
I personally think that one prayer should suffice, but the reading seems to be one prayer in andof itself, and often doesn't seem to include the readers necessary presence.
I liked how St. Augustine's projection of himself is relatable as a story as his dialogues begin and then veer off into a complex analyses of his experiences of themselves. The reader, depending on their experiences, will relate differently to plenty of awkward allegorical lines of thinking apparent in the book, leaving the readers head spinning trying to figure it all out.
I found that Saint Augustine’s “the Confessions” was like no other book or epic we have read so far this semester. First off the fact that it was an autobiography was a nice change in the style of reading we have been doing. I thought it was interesting how before each book started in the Confessions we got a glance at what the book was going to be about with his prayer to God.
The introduction wasn’t misleading when it mentioned how “intimate” the prayers and all the books in general are. I liked how much insight we got in the introduction but also in the prayers. Each prayer that Augustine writes about seems so personal about his life and what he’s going through. There were times when I was amazed by what he was willing to mention or talk about in a book.
For instance in book nine he opens up to God and essentially all of his readers about his self-identity questions. “But who am I, what am I? Is there any evil I have no committed in my deeds, or if not in my deeds, then in my words, or if not in words, at least by willing it?” After that “confession” he goes on and praises God about how merciful he is and how grateful he is for all he has done. It amazed me that he didn’t question God or any of his actions like how he had to piece together his childhood or not understanding himself at the time of book nine. Instead of praising God he could have just as easily put the blame on God. I thought that the part of the Confessions that we read was very interesting and although it wasn’t the quickest read I enjoyed reading it.
Confessions was a very interesting text to read because of the very personal feel Augustine added to it by retelling important stories and lessons he learned throughout his life. It was a very detailed narrative of his life starting from his early childhood and eventually leaded into his conversion into Catholicism. His tone changes from the early books to Book IX in which he was very reflective and thoughtful while telling the last story of Monica and himself. Book IX was the last book of his autobiographical portion of Confessions, and I think this book was very insightful of what the rest of the book has to hold. This book starts with the events directly following his Catholic conversion. He retired from what he called his secular job of being a teacher which allowed him more time to read, write, and focus on his faith. He thought that it would be a more meaningful way to spend his life than being a teacher that was just spreading loquacity. He talks about how grateful he was to finally be baptized, although it was later in life, and after his baptism he was more devoted to his faith.
Then he starts to talk about a very important woman in his life, his mother. The tone he used to describe Monica was one of the highest admiration. He was grateful of how nurturing and kind she was throughout her life. Augustine believed that she was put on this earth for a higher purpose by God, which was to guide him to faith. A very powerful image that Augustine wrote about was the vision him and his mother shared in Ostia. This vision lead them both to a kind of eternal wisdom, which Augustine so desperately wanted to attain. Augustine gained great insight to his faith and God through this vision with his mother. After this, Augustine says that the two of them had a conversation where his mother said that she thought she had accomplished everything she could on earth, and it was time for her to move on. Soon after this conversation Monica passed away, yet Augustine tried not to morn. This time where he started to realize that God was very compassionate. A quote that we read previously in the course from Exodus relates to the compassion that Augustine was referring to. “And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.” In Augustine’s eyes, God always had a plan and knew what the future had to hold for Augustine. This devotion to God is what fueled Augustine’s journey to get baptized and converted into the Catholic faith. Book XI was very insightful into this period of his life where it was clear that he was coming into his own and knew that there was a higher power that was steering him into the great future God had in store for him. Part of which was his pursuit of philosophical truth.
This first part Book I reminded me so much of Plato’s Republic where Augustine asked so many questions. Although he did not really get a response he asks himself a lot about the people’s relationship with God. He also makes questions in page 8 regarding fate because he talks about how God made him and others a certain way. I interpreted this passage as a way for Augustine telling us that God made him a way for a reason and by God being able to control our destiny he is all powerful. Throughout book I we see that Augustine explores a lot about humans (death, life, language, human development and sex). His exploration on himself from the beginning is definitely something that can be related to specific teachings mentioned in the Quran which states that it is important for people to seek knowledge and science. Augustine’s seek for development of himself is also clearly related to our past readings of Plato’s Republic where an important factor was to question others (or in this case ourselves) in order to come up with the truth by examining our lives (through elenchus) and educating ourselves. Book II was very interesting to me because he mostly talks about some of the sins he commits when he is young. He writes about the pears he stole and his reason for them. Augustine mentions that his reason was for pleasure of the “crime itself… in association with a group” (p.32). This is such an important section of the book because it represents adolescence in nature and something that so many people experience throughout their lives despite culture of year decade. During the end of this chapter Augustine says that friendships can contribute to us making sins. This reminded me of Averroes allegory of water and how water is a necessity but if we have too much of it we can choke and die. Not only is it important for us to have friendships because with friends it is better for us to understand the world around us, but it is also important for us to “sin” because if not we would not be able to make interpretations of our actions and do better. I slightly disagree with Saint Augustine’s argument about his sins because without these “sins” we are unable to make perspectives of things in life and make decisions that have reason behind them, instead we would always prevent ourselves from exploring our world because we are told that they are wrong without us really knowing why. In a way this can put some people in the position of the majority spoken in Plato’s Republic because we would not be able to understand the way a Philosopher king would.
As you mentioned Book I, St. Augustine states questions and is trying to find greater meaning in life. I think that this relates to Averroes in a way because it is questioning what is always taken for granted, which the church was a little leary about in those days. He definitely proves himself of philosopher status by this questioning, for he wants answers and questions the reason God did and made things the way they are. I enjoy how he so cleverly states his questions.
I feel like all of the books we have read thus far, I related to Augustine’s Confessions the most, especially his biography regarding God’s existence. Augustine confronts problems and obstacles that most people face today –Gods existence, giving into pressure, dwelling about the past, trying to better the future, fearing death and realizing, educations as a mean to succeed and the materialistic word –which are all issues that are also misguided in society.
I was intrigued when Augustine’s relationship with God seemed like it couldn’t get much worse, it was at this point he realized that seeking truth would be more important than worldly success. This is an important moral throughout this novel because advocates finding the meaning of your life and yourself (in his case finding his right philosophy).
I also thought it was interesting that Augustine and Aeneas have traveled the same places. For example, he moves to Carthage, with the support of his father, to further study in order to obtain worldly success, as did Aeneas when Venus made Aeneas and Achates invisible so they could travel safely into Carthage.
I liked how personal and in-depth this book was regarding Augustine’s experiences. It’s relatable and really makes you think about your own life. I was also intrigued by Augustine’s relationship with God, it’s a long, confusing journey but finding meaning in one’s life is worth it. Learning, gaining knowledge, and finding meaning in life has been a common theme in several of the books we’ve read this semester. I like your comparison of the traveling in Confessions and The Aeneid — very interesting. I had not made the connection until I read your post. In a way, they were both on their own journeys, physically and spiritually. They also both had love and devotion for their fathers (in Augustine’s case, the father would be God/finding the right philosophy), but were temporarily distracted from their journeys at times. A loose comparison of the two, but it is interesting nonetheless.
I found that while reading St. Augustine I found interesting the topic of babies and sin. The fact that the question of whether sin was forgiven for babies was really interesting. I never thought about it in the way it was written and when he talked about what sin is considered to be for babies, and I consider that to be a very valid statement. He talks about the topic of greed of breasts as a baby, and it seemed that babies did have some sort of control over their 'actions' in terms of sin.
Especially, he talks about the tantrums as tactics in order to control the other people around them was an interesting idea. The main idea is that babies are 'evil' but how and why it happens and what sin and evil is to them is intersting because there really isn't a good answer to the question.
Finally, the most interesting part was the testing of religion and God's existence. In all the books I've read about God, whether it is the bible or other books from outside of class, there isn't much that really tests and theorizes the existence of God and his powers. However through the St. Augustine confessions, I was able to see a whole new side of the topic of God in a more humanly figure and question. I thought many of the questions were questions that an individual can potentially ask.
I found confessions to be a very different type of work compared to what we have read in class before. Although the series of questions that Augustine poses in the beginning of Book I was very reminiscent of Plato’s Republic, the autobiographical format is a variation compared to previous books.
I believe this style to be a more effective method of discussing philosophy and religion, as it is more accessible and, in my opinion, more logical. In previous philosophical texts we have read in this class, the discussion of different concepts has been produces merely from hypothetical situations, heavily affected by the author’s own bias. In Confessions Augustine uses examples from his own life to assert his opinions on God and religion.
Augustine uses examples from his past to relate back to religion going as far back as his own infancy, which he notes that he cannot accurately recall. He makes the argument that he sinned even as a baby, and in his toddlerhood tantrums, and was unthankful and demanding. I found the concept that babies are sinful completely ridiculous, and they are not capable of conscious thought or decision making. He continues to detail his own sins though his adolescence, focusing on an instance where he stole some pears. He then begins to advocate for development though education, which fuels much of his discussion of religion.
What I found interesting about St. Augustine’s book confessions would have to be how he goes through his past sinful life and proposes questions to God as to if he was there when it happened, and if this was his destiny before his revelation and conversion to a Christian. For example, book II talks about adolescence and through each stage of adolescence to adulthood he became less sinful.
ReplyDeleteI like how he asked the question if your sins as a baby are forgiven. He brings up the idea that babies tend to think that they can order around everyone and that it is alright to tantrum once no one has tended to their needs.Also that they try to adapt to their surroundings in order to make their demands more clear. For me I do think that it is excusable on the idea that they don’t know any better and the only way they think they can get taken care of is through demands by “baby noises.” It proposes the idea of why did Jesus take children to be so special. For me I think it was a good idea for Jesus to focus on children because they would be the next generation of adults so if they learn the “Word of the Lord” as children and since seen in the baby phase of life you pretty much absorb everything around you, they will absorb the good morals and preach it to their descendants.
I found it interesting when he mentions the story of him and his friends stealing the pears. I understood that he told this story because he fell to peer pressure, but I am also curious as to why he would ask God if he lead him down this path of loving the idea of stealing. To me, although I don’t practice the religion, I see God to be a figure that is just. So I am confused as to why he would assume that God chose this path for him. I mean yes, God is also seen to make the destinies of everyone, but it was his free will to steal the pears since it’s under a sinful act. I think that maybe he asked this question to have us reflect on the idea that maybe if he had the faith in God he had while writing this piece then maybe he wouldn't do this act. Or maybe he brought up this questions to have readers contemplate as to why God would make us destine to sin. This leads to the idea that maybe God knew that Eve would eat the forbidden fruit and if so why did he do that?
Augustine’s confessions in book II brought about many ideas that made me refer back to both the Old and New testament about God’s teachings. It also had me reflect on how my life was as I child which I enjoyed.
I completely agree with you on this. I thought Augustine explained his questions thoughtfully and thoroughly to God when he examined the sins that he had committed when he was a child and an adolescent. He talks about various things, such as his mindset on education when he was a kid versus when he looks back on it now. Augustine mentions how he would've never learned anything if he had not been forced to learn through his education. He stated that even though he never liked education as a child, he learned a lot of information that made him a better person and more faithful in God. For me, the stealing of the pears from the tree symbolized Eve taking the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Life and Knowledge. I also noticed that Augustine becomes more thoughtful and respectful of others and many ideas as he enters adulthood. One example of this was when he visited his friend who was about to pass away. When Augustine made fun of his baptism, his dying friend scolded him for making fun of it instead of going along with Augustine's teasing. To an extent, it made me learn about how I could be more empathetic towards people and be open-minded to new opportunities and ideas, as well as think before I make decisions or verbalize my thoughts and feelings. Augustine is by far one of the most enjoyable reads I've ever done.
DeleteI found St. Augustine’s “Confessions” to be very interesting. St. Augustine recounts events of his life from birth to when he converts to Catholicism. In each area of life he looks back on, he is able to learn something new, and each experience shapes him to be the person he is. As a baby, he was told of how he acted. He did not know much at that time and would mainly cry when things did not go his way. In grade school, as he begins to grow older, he begins to realize that boys are taught to seek material pursuits instead of seeking God. He is pressured to steal pears and throw them, and he does so just for the fun of it.
ReplyDeleteAs a teenager he enters the realm of sexual exploration. At this time, he also learns teachings from Manicheism, a false philosophy. Augustine is teaching rhetoric during this time, while also feeling conflicted about his mind, actions, and place in the world. He feels that teaching rhetoric, which can be used to fool others, and pursuing a career as a salesman are regretful pursuits to him. This leads him to become passionate about the pursuit of truth in the form of philosophy, and marks the beginning of Augustine’s conversion to believing in God. Once his a close friend passes away, Augustine suffers much grief. He realizes that because he is attached to material things, that is why he is experiencing so much grief. A belief in God separates one from material pursuits which are only temporary, while God is permanent.
Though this is only the beginning of Augustine’s journey to truth through exploration, I felt that his thoughts and feelings about what he went through up to this point are admirable. There have been many instances within the Bible, Qu’ran, and Plato’s Republic where the importance of knowledge and “knowing thyself” is encouraged and viewed as one of the most important ways a person can use their mind. The way Augustine recounts his life, picking it apart and realizing all the ways he went wrong can be seen as a commonality between him and mankind. To be able to do better and be a better person, one must be able to look at the past, mindful of the mistakes that were made so they are not repeated. As he is doing this, he is also trying to learn as much as he can so that he may reach the truth and live his life the way that he envisioned it. This journey of his is an important marker in the philosophical world. Although he is eventually converted to Catholicism, the philosophy behind his words, ideas, and actions can be examined and utilized by others in their own journey to truth.
I find it interesting that half of Confessions is autobiographical and half is Augustine’s thoughts on philosophy and theology. It implies that philosophical and theological ideas are not set in stone but rather are fluid and take the shape of the context of the time period and the nature and the environment of the person who is expressing them.
ReplyDeleteIn the biographical portion Augustine reveals a lot about his sins and how he believes all sins are committed in a quest for God. For example, Augustine’s sinful and lustful sexual endeavors, he explains, were simply a quest to find love and to be loved. This isn’t a bad thing, Augustine explains, he simply didn’t know that he was supposed to be looking for love in God, and not within himself or God’s other creatures. Augustine explains how events that took place and ideas that he was exposed to throughout his life eventually influenced him to devote the rest of his life searching for the eternal truth, through God. I found it especially interesting that upon reading a book based mostly on the importance of the study of philosophy, Hortensius by Cicero, Augustine immediately becomes obsessed with finding God and dedicating his life to finding the “eternal truth” that belief in God entails. This immediately made me think of Averroes and how he in his Decisive Treatise asserts for the necessity of the study of philosophy, because the law (according to the Qur’an) “encourages and urges reflection on beings” (44). It is interesting how in the Treatise, Averroes has to force this connection because the study of philosophy is banned in current Islamic society. But in Confessions, this connection is made naturally by Augustine because he believes that the study of both philosophy and God will lead him to a life of truth.
Like Averroes in Decisive Treatise, Augustine recognizes the differences in interpretation that people of different understanding levels can have of the Scriptures. After Augustine examines the holy Scriptures for the second time he realizes that, “I had too much conceit to accept their simplicity and not enough insight to penetrate their depths…It is surely true that as the child grows these books grow with him” (60). Augustine realizes that as one grows older one may have a deeper capacity for understanding the Scriptures in more than just one literal way. He also points out that those that are too proud (as he once was) to examine the texts of the Scriptures closely will never be able to understand it’s true deeper allegorical message. I find that the importance of recognizing differences in levels of understanding among people is an important theme that is addressed by many of the scholars or philosophers we have read even besides Averroes and Augustine. Plato in his Republic also discusses how only some people of higher education, such as the Philosopher-king and others who have been dragged out of the cave, will be able to understand the deeper meaning behind societal functions. The topic of these different levels of understanding is also acknowledged in Thucydides during the Mytilean debate through the notion that in controlling the ideologies of a conquered nation, one will never have to worry about rebellion. This implies that it is possible, as a governing body, to control the levels of understanding of the citizens (instead of waiting for them to come to their own deeper level of understanding) in a very uniform way. This way everyone functions for the greater good of the nation as a whole and no one knows how to question the authority and structure that holds each citizen in place.
The style is very immersive, Augustine is portraying himself as the choir boy of God, which is important in that you are arguably led to believe you might find more honesty and godly inspiration than a text by one who isn't one.
ReplyDeleteI take the text more seriously after accepting that St. Augustine actually thinks he has received books, and books worth of divine revelation. The intro calls it 'psychological', I agree, very self reflective and adamant of this poetic perspective of reality.
I personally think that one prayer should suffice, but the reading seems to be one prayer in andof itself, and often doesn't seem to include the readers necessary presence.
I liked how St. Augustine's projection of himself is relatable as a story as his dialogues begin and then veer off into a complex analyses of his experiences of themselves. The reader, depending on their experiences, will relate differently to plenty of awkward allegorical lines of thinking apparent in the book, leaving the readers head spinning trying to figure it all out.
I found that Saint Augustine’s “the Confessions” was like no other book or epic we have read so far this semester. First off the fact that it was an autobiography was a nice change in the style of reading we have been doing. I thought it was interesting how before each book started in the Confessions we got a glance at what the book was going to be about with his prayer to God.
ReplyDeleteThe introduction wasn’t misleading when it mentioned how “intimate” the prayers and all the books in general are. I liked how much insight we got in the introduction but also in the prayers. Each prayer that Augustine writes about seems so personal about his life and what he’s going through. There were times when I was amazed by what he was willing to mention or talk about in a book.
For instance in book nine he opens up to God and essentially all of his readers about his self-identity questions. “But who am I, what am I? Is there any evil I have no committed in my deeds, or if not in my deeds, then in my words, or if not in words, at least by willing it?” After that “confession” he goes on and praises God about how merciful he is and how grateful he is for all he has done. It amazed me that he didn’t question God or any of his actions like how he had to piece together his childhood or not understanding himself at the time of book nine. Instead of praising God he could have just as easily put the blame on God. I thought that the part of the Confessions that we read was very interesting and although it wasn’t the quickest read I enjoyed reading it.
Confessions was a very interesting text to read because of the very personal feel Augustine added to it by retelling important stories and lessons he learned throughout his life. It was a very detailed narrative of his life starting from his early childhood and eventually leaded into his conversion into Catholicism. His tone changes from the early books to Book IX in which he was very reflective and thoughtful while telling the last story of Monica and himself. Book IX was the last book of his autobiographical portion of Confessions, and I think this book was very insightful of what the rest of the book has to hold. This book starts with the events directly following his Catholic conversion. He retired from what he called his secular job of being a teacher which allowed him more time to read, write, and focus on his faith. He thought that it would be a more meaningful way to spend his life than being a teacher that was just spreading loquacity. He talks about how grateful he was to finally be baptized, although it was later in life, and after his baptism he was more devoted to his faith.
ReplyDeleteThen he starts to talk about a very important woman in his life, his mother. The tone he used to describe Monica was one of the highest admiration. He was grateful of how nurturing and kind she was throughout her life. Augustine believed that she was put on this earth for a higher purpose by God, which was to guide him to faith. A very powerful image that Augustine wrote about was the vision him and his mother shared in Ostia. This vision lead them both to a kind of eternal wisdom, which Augustine so desperately wanted to attain. Augustine gained great insight to his faith and God through this vision with his mother. After this, Augustine says that the two of them had a conversation where his mother said that she thought she had accomplished everything she could on earth, and it was time for her to move on. Soon after this conversation Monica passed away, yet Augustine tried not to morn. This time where he started to realize that God was very compassionate. A quote that we read previously in the course from Exodus relates to the compassion that Augustine was referring to. “And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.” In Augustine’s eyes, God always had a plan and knew what the future had to hold for Augustine. This devotion to God is what fueled Augustine’s journey to get baptized and converted into the Catholic faith. Book XI was very insightful into this period of his life where it was clear that he was coming into his own and knew that there was a higher power that was steering him into the great future God had in store for him. Part of which was his pursuit of philosophical truth.
This first part Book I reminded me so much of Plato’s Republic where Augustine asked so many questions. Although he did not really get a response he asks himself a lot about the people’s relationship with God. He also makes questions in page 8 regarding fate because he talks about how God made him and others a certain way. I interpreted this passage as a way for Augustine telling us that God made him a way for a reason and by God being able to control our destiny he is all powerful. Throughout book I we see that Augustine explores a lot about humans (death, life, language, human development and sex). His exploration on himself from the beginning is definitely something that can be related to specific teachings mentioned in the Quran which states that it is important for people to seek knowledge and science. Augustine’s seek for development of himself is also clearly related to our past readings of Plato’s Republic where an important factor was to question others (or in this case ourselves) in order to come up with the truth by examining our lives (through elenchus) and educating ourselves.
ReplyDeleteBook II was very interesting to me because he mostly talks about some of the sins he commits when he is young. He writes about the pears he stole and his reason for them. Augustine mentions that his reason was for pleasure of the “crime itself… in association with a group” (p.32). This is such an important section of the book because it represents adolescence in nature and something that so many people experience throughout their lives despite culture of year decade. During the end of this chapter Augustine says that friendships can contribute to us making sins. This reminded me of Averroes allegory of water and how water is a necessity but if we have too much of it we can choke and die. Not only is it important for us to have friendships because with friends it is better for us to understand the world around us, but it is also important for us to “sin” because if not we would not be able to make interpretations of our actions and do better. I slightly disagree with Saint Augustine’s argument about his sins because without these “sins” we are unable to make perspectives of things in life and make decisions that have reason behind them, instead we would always prevent ourselves from exploring our world because we are told that they are wrong without us really knowing why. In a way this can put some people in the position of the majority spoken in Plato’s Republic because we would not be able to understand the way a Philosopher king would.
As you mentioned Book I, St. Augustine states questions and is trying to find greater meaning in life. I think that this relates to Averroes in a way because it is questioning what is always taken for granted, which the church was a little leary about in those days. He definitely proves himself of philosopher status by this questioning, for he wants answers and questions the reason God did and made things the way they are. I enjoy how he so cleverly states his questions.
DeleteI feel like all of the books we have read thus far, I related to Augustine’s Confessions the most, especially his biography regarding God’s existence. Augustine confronts problems and obstacles that most people face today –Gods existence, giving into pressure, dwelling about the past, trying to better the future, fearing death and realizing, educations as a mean to succeed and the materialistic word –which are all issues that are also misguided in society.
ReplyDeleteI was intrigued when Augustine’s relationship with God seemed like it couldn’t get much worse, it was at this point he realized that seeking truth would be more important than worldly success. This is an important moral throughout this novel because advocates finding the meaning of your life and yourself (in his case finding his right philosophy).
I also thought it was interesting that Augustine and Aeneas have traveled the same places. For example, he moves to Carthage, with the support of his father, to further study in order to obtain worldly success, as did Aeneas when Venus made Aeneas and Achates invisible so they could travel safely into Carthage.
I liked how personal and in-depth this book was regarding Augustine’s experiences. It’s relatable and really makes you think about your own life. I was also intrigued by Augustine’s relationship with God, it’s a long, confusing journey but finding meaning in one’s life is worth it. Learning, gaining knowledge, and finding meaning in life has been a common theme in several of the books we’ve read this semester. I like your comparison of the traveling in Confessions and The Aeneid — very interesting. I had not made the connection until I read your post. In a way, they were both on their own journeys, physically and spiritually. They also both had love and devotion for their fathers (in Augustine’s case, the father would be God/finding the right philosophy), but were temporarily distracted from their journeys at times. A loose comparison of the two, but it is interesting nonetheless.
DeleteI found that while reading St. Augustine I found interesting the topic of babies and sin. The fact that the question of whether sin was forgiven for babies was really interesting. I never thought about it in the way it was written and when he talked about what sin is considered to be for babies, and I consider that to be a very valid statement. He talks about the topic of greed of breasts as a baby, and it seemed that babies did have some sort of control over their 'actions' in terms of sin.
ReplyDeleteEspecially, he talks about the tantrums as tactics in order to control the other people around them was an interesting idea. The main idea is that babies are 'evil' but how and why it happens and what sin and evil is to them is intersting because there really isn't a good answer to the question.
Finally, the most interesting part was the testing of religion and God's existence. In all the books I've read about God, whether it is the bible or other books from outside of class, there isn't much that really tests and theorizes the existence of God and his powers. However through the St. Augustine confessions, I was able to see a whole new side of the topic of God in a more humanly figure and question. I thought many of the questions were questions that an individual can potentially ask.
I found confessions to be a very different type of work compared to what we have read in class before. Although the series of questions that Augustine poses in the beginning of Book I was very reminiscent of Plato’s Republic, the autobiographical format is a variation compared to previous books.
ReplyDeleteI believe this style to be a more effective method of discussing philosophy and religion, as it is more accessible and, in my opinion, more logical. In previous philosophical texts we have read in this class, the discussion of different concepts has been produces merely from hypothetical situations, heavily affected by the author’s own bias. In Confessions Augustine uses examples from his own life to assert his opinions on God and religion.
Augustine uses examples from his past to relate back to religion going as far back as his own infancy, which he notes that he cannot accurately recall. He makes the argument that he sinned even as a baby, and in his toddlerhood tantrums, and was unthankful and demanding. I found the concept that babies are sinful completely ridiculous, and they are not capable of conscious thought or decision making. He continues to detail his own sins though his adolescence, focusing on an instance where he stole some pears. He then begins to advocate for development though education, which fuels much of his discussion of religion.