The summary of St. Augustine's Confession must be known to all who are interested and want to understand the history of world literature, as well as the features of medieval philosophy. In the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church completely controlled the lives of people and society in Europe. It was the views and writings of St. Augustine that had a decisive influence on her in many matters. His teaching should be addressed in order to begin to understand the origins of Catholicism.
Biography of a religious philosopher
The summary of St. Augustine's Confession should be remembered in order to understand how the worldview of religious philosophers was formed over the course of many centuries. Aurelius Augustine was born in Tagaste in the year 354. Today it is a city called Suk Ahras, which is located in the northeast of Algeria.
His parents held different religious beliefs. Mother was a Christian, and father a pagan. This left a definite imprint on his idea of the world and character.
The family had a little money, but parents still managed to give their son a quality education. Initially, only his mother was engaged in his upbringing, then he graduated from school in Tagast. At 17, he went to Carthage, where he studied rhetoric. In this city, he fell in love with a girl with whom he lived 13 years together, never marrying, even after they had a baby, since she was of low descent.
As a result, Augustine's family life did not work out. His mother chose a bride who was suitable for status, but the wedding had to be postponed, since the girl was only 11 years old. He spent this time with his new lover, then left his mistress, and broke off the engagement to the bride.
In philosophy, at the very beginning, the works of Cicero influenced him, he was also inspired by the ideas of the Manichaeans, but he soon became disappointed in them, regretting the wasted time.
For a long time he taught at a school in Milan, discovering Neoplatonism, in which God was presented as something transcendental and beyond. This allowed him, on the other hand, to look at the teachings of the early Christians. He began to read the epistles of the apostles, to attend the sermons of modern theologians, carried away by the ideas of monasticism. In 387, he was baptized under the name of Ambrose.
After that, he sold all his property, donating money to the poor. When his mother died, he returned to his homeland, creating a monastic community. Augustine died in 430.
"Confession"
A summary of the books "Confessions" of Blessed Augustine allows you to create a complete picture of this important work. In fact, this is the common name for 13 autobiographical works, which were written by the author in 397-398. In them he talks about his life, the path to Christianity.
It is believed that this is the first autobiography in European literature, over the next millennium it served as the basis and literary model for most Christian writers. All of them knew very well the summary of the Confession of St. Augustine.
It is noteworthy that the book covers only part of his life - about 33 years out of 40 lived by that time. It contains the most important information about his spiritual path, the development of religious and philosophical views. In analyzing Blessed Augustine's Confession, it is important to emphasize the Christian component of this work. The author describes his previous life, in which there were many errors and vices. He begs forgiveness from God, giving praise to his writings.
He also criticizes the teachings that he was interested in at different times - Neoplatonism, Manichaeism, astrology, the last books contain an interpretation of the Book of Genesis, thoughts about the sacrament of confession, teachings about the Trinity, discussions about the essence of time, memory and language. Speaking briefly about the "Confession" of St. Augustine, it is necessary to dwell on these points.
Childhood and youth
At the very beginning of his work, the author tells in detail about his childhood, parents, primary education. Remember the summary of the books "Confessions" of St. Augustine is necessary if you need to prepare for the exam or test.
An important stage in his fate was the arrival in Carthage, where he studied at the rhetorical school. At that time, the city was considered the center of vice. According to a brief summary of the chapters of "Confession" of Blessed Augustine, we can assume that the author led a dissolute lifestyle, in reality this is not so. Mostly the young man went to the theater to play about love, did not forget about his studies, which he devoted a lot of time to.
Manichaeism
In the same period, he became acquainted with the works of Cicero, working in the library. Having become acquainted with the "Categories" of Aristotle, he became disillusioned with the Bible. He began to seek truth in other teachings. The Manichaean sect promised to give him answers to all his questions.
Their teaching was based on philosophical dualism. Manichaeans demanded asceticism from their adherents. They despised the human body, linking it to Evil. Augustine in Manicheism attracted a way to overcome himself, which he had long dreamed of. He first received a theoretical justification for the existence of evil. In a call to self-determination, he saw the means necessary for him to fulfill his life mission.
In the sect, Augustine was an ordinary novice, while his connections with the Manichaeans were strong enough, he even attracted several of his friends to the sect. The sect helped him move up the career ladder.
Work as a rhetorician
After briefly returning to his hometown, Augustine describes how he returns to Carthage, having received the place of a rhetorician. In the fourth book, he admits how he ended up in the intellectual impasse into which pseudoscience led him - astrology and magic.
After the death of a close friend, big changes take place with him. Augustine realizes that happiness cannot be obtained from transient beings, and only the Lord remains unchanged. Only in God is the soul able to find a happy life and peace.
In Manichaism, he is disappointed, since the doctrine greatly limits personal freedom, which was of great importance to the author. In addition, he understands that the explanations of the Manichaeans about the nature of evil do not at all satisfy him.
Road to rome
From the book "Confession" by Blessed Augustine, we learn that after this the philosopher goes to Rome, having received an interesting job offer. He quickly decides to move, as he expects to find students interested in his lectures.
In fact, Rome is no better. At first, he teaches rhetoric and gathers several students at home. Soon he becomes disillusioned with his followers, moving to Milan, where his mother arrives.
The influence of Ambrose
Describing the summary of the Confession of St. Augustine, it is important to dwell on his acquaintance with Bishop Ambrose, which took place in Milan. The author admires his sermons, finally deciding to break with Manichaeism.
Ambrose convinces him to accept Catholic beliefs. Meanwhile, in philosophy, he is fond of the ideas of Neoplatonism, but very quickly finds in it many contradictions. Ambrose introduces him to the works of the ancient Greek philosopher Plotinus.
Conversion
In the seventh and eighth books of Confession, St. Augustine (Aurelius Augustine) tells about his path to God. He is trying to realize his essence from a philosophical point of view. He still does not perceive it as a pure spirit, being still unable to solve the question of the origin of evil. In it, the internal struggle continues, Augustine again and again returns to the question of the relationship between spirit and flesh.
He comes to the realization that God is an absolute being. Frequent meetings with the confessor of Ambrose priest Simplician lead him to the final conversion to the Catholic faith. He declares to his mother that he is ready for conversion. Almost the entire ninth book is devoted to his spiritual path. In the end he talks about the death of his mother, gives her a detailed biography.
Memory properties
In The Confession of St. Augustine, the summary of book 10 is of particular importance for understanding the essence of the philosopher. It analyzes the properties of memory.
In particular, he considers it a treasury or a container in which the countless images that we receive from external feelings are hidden. Moreover, it contains not only images of things, but they themselves. Self-awareness exists thanks to the memory that connects the present with the past, which allows us to predict the future.
From the summary of the Confession of St. Augustine 10, the book is of most interest to many. In it, the author discusses the ability of memory to turn the experience of the past into the present. Her presence is confirmed even by human forgetfulness. This is a necessary condition for any human action. This specific function is manifested in the acquisition of intellectual knowledge. In it, Augustine sees a sensory element that stores objects of knowledge, images of sounds.
This concept is initially contained in the heart, with the help of reflection, the memory searches for them, begins to dispose. This, according to Augustine, is the basis of knowledge.
Time
The 11th book of Confession by St. Augustine is devoted to the problem of time. All confession is dedicated to God from beginning to end. The author continues philosophical reflections, asking the Lord to inspire him and help to reveal the true meaning of the Bible.
The philosopher believes that the time that existed before the creation of the world is simply impossible to imagine, since God created them together.
Book 12 begins with a discussion of formless matter that exists outside of time. The author analyzes the book "Genesis", dedicated to the origin of man. He has been trying for a long time to formulate his position, only after lengthy reflection he comes to the conclusion that much of what is stated in the Holy Scriptures is simply inaccessible to us. However, it contains truth, therefore it is required to be treated with reverence and humility.
Book 13 is dedicated to spiritual functions and Creation. In the end of his autobiography, he betrays the grace of the Lord, who is out of time and out of peace.
The fate of the work
This work of the philosopher was of great importance, becoming the main work of his whole life. Disputes about its content have been going on since the 5th century. Reviews about this work over the centuries have appeared the most diverse.
Currently, it is believed that Confession is primarily interesting in that it is a story about the formation of human thought, the conditions for the emergence of a philosophical moment. Understanding and awareness of these conditions largely determines its content. It is believed that Augustine was one of the first to analyze in detail and in detail the process of becoming one's own self.
This is a deep psychological work, which remains a testament to the path of becoming an original and unique personality of a philosopher.
Structure
The structure of this book is unusual, as it is simultaneously addressed to God, all believers, as well as descendants.
In the analysis of Confession, many scholars believed that Blessed Augustine sought to write an autobiography that would answer the questions posed at that time. Towards the end of the 4th century, the church encountered a Donatian heresy. It was a movement that, in the guise of the inviolability of the Holy Scriptures, actually pushed the rich Roman colonists with the poor agricultural Berbers. One of the centers of such a movement was precisely Hippon.
So this text can be considered a powerful and effective tool in the ideological battles unfolding at that time.
Certain difficulties lie in the fact that the book was written 30 years before the death of the author, 13 years after his conversion. The autobiography is fragmentary, since it only reaches the moment of the death of the author’s mother. It does not tell about subsequent important events in his fate.
In the reviews of this book, many readers note that this is an amazing book about the path of man to God, which will be useful to everyone who doubts whether it is worth believing in the divine essence of everything that happens. Augustine with amazing psychological accuracy describes his sins, starting literally from infancy. Readers admit that this work helped them to take a fresh look at the world, to reconsider their attitude to many things happening around.