My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Augustine’s Confessions is a foundational work for the church written by an essential church father. It is not hyperbole to say that it laid the foundations for theological and philosophical ideas that the church still espouses today. The book is written as a prayer from Augustine to God. In multiple places in the work Augustine directly addresses God and praises Him while also asking Him questions. It’s difficult to say what sort of genre Augustine’s Confessions falls under. This is because Augustine seems to switch genres multiple times as the work progresses. After a brief introduction section where Augustine writes about the nature of God Himself. He muses on how God can be eternal and the nature of God’s existence. In a way, Augustine is introducing the character of God to the reader. After this, Augustine enters into the first section of his work. He begins to talk about his life starting with infanthood. Instead of giving us the specifics about his life in a biographical sense, he begins to relate the similarities of physical human infancy to spiritual infancy and how the spiritual infant who is new to Christianity is similar in attitude and actions to the physical newborn. He continues this motif as he moves through the early life stages of childhood and adolescence. Throughout this section, Augustine continues to expand on his theology and present theological ideas about human nature. Eventually, Augustine switches moods and begins to shift away from the general into the specifics about his life. His writings become much more biographical. This turning point occurs when he retells a story about him and his friends stealing pears even though he did not need them.

Augustine begins to retell about his adulthood. He talks about leaving his common-law wife, with whom he fathered a son, at the behest of his mother. He marries another more socially connected woman. He also falls in with the Manichees. This was a very big moment for Augustine as he recounts what drew him to them in the first place. He recalls how he was swept up in their movement and this was his first real exposure to theology, even if it was an incorrect one. He also writes deeply about the loss of his dear friend. This is some of the most vulnerable and powerful writing in all the work. He goes on to talk about falling out with the Manichees. He realizes that their understanding of God doesn’t hold up to scrutiny. After abandoning them, he begins to explore Christinity. This is some of the most compelling parts of the entire work because the reader is treated to a look inside Augustine’s head as he wrestles with the desire to follow Christ on one hand but also fighting against the carnal desires of his flesh on the other. He really struggles greatly with resisting sexual temptation and states that he simply wasn’t ready to give them up for Christ. He eventually is brought to the edge and finally releases his grasp on the desires of the flesh and fully embraces Christ. He spends time in catechumen school and is finally baptized. Shortly following his conversion, his mother passes. This was also a pivotal moment in his life and he expresses just how much his mother meant to him and how important her faith was to forming his own. Augustine then shifts genres and moods as he finishes speaking biographically about himself and turns his attention to the more metaphysical and philosophical sections of the work. This isn’t to say that he was not presenting and expanding on theological ideas before this, but he now commits himself to taking on these big ideas head on. He writes about the nature of memory and how human life is simply the sum of our own minds. In one section he takes the five senses and writes about how we experience God through them and how they may lead us to sin. He writes for a long while about time and the nature of past, present, and future and how God interacts with time. All these ideas are expanded upon and wrestled with until he makes it into the closing section of his work. In what seems to be equal parts poetry and theology textbook, Augustine takes the creation account in Genesis and breaks down not only what God does in creation but how this account of creation is reflective of the human experience with God. It is a powerful section that does a great job summarizing Augustine’s worldview within the context of Genesis. All throughout his confessions, Augustine makes arguments for the nature of sin and how it is inherent within the human heart. This is the central problem presented by Augustine, but he also presents a solution. God is constantly calling the human heart back to Him and it is by resting within God that our hearts are finally at ease and that we can resist sin.

Augustine’s Confessions is considered one of the greatest works of the early church by many and upon reading it is clear to see why. The ideas that Augustine presents are foundational to much of western theology today. One of the great strengths of this work is that Augustine presents these theological ideas in such a way that they are immediately relatable to the reader. Augustine does use scripture throughout his work, but the focus of his theology is on the universal human experience. Take, for instance, his story about stealing pears as an adolescent. He uses this story of sinning simply to enjoy the act of sinning to explain the concept of original sin and how the human heart is corrupted. This is something that everyone can relate to. Augustine’s writing is also very honest. He reveals some of his deepest and darkest times and emotions throughout this work. We share in his darkest desires but also in his heart to love The Lord. This sort of brazen honesty really resonates with readers and makes it easy to connect with Augustine and his ideas.

While there are many strengths to Augustine’s Confessions, it’s not without some weaknesses. Augustine often switches topics and genre without much notice which can make following along a bit difficult. In one moment he may be explaining the loss of his dear friend and in the next he is expanding upon the failings of Manichee theology. It can be a bit jarring and difficult to follow along with at times. This seems to get worse as the work moves into its final act. Augustine jumps from ideas about time, memory, and other ideas with great speed that I sometimes found it difficult to keep up. Also, these ideas presented at the end of the work about memory, time, and other ideas were sometimes very difficult to comprehend. I felt that if Augustine grounded these metaphysical ideas in more concrete concepts they would be easier to digest and comprehend.

It is easy to see just how impactful Augustine’s confessions are not only within the context of the history of the church but also for the modern church. Augustine’s ideas are still foundational to much of our rational thought on multiple topics such as the nature of sin, identity of God, salvation, justification, sanctification, and even metaphysical concepts like time and memory. Augustine’s confessions also have application for those who are less interested in theological foundational ideas and are looking for practical applications towards ministry. Augustine provides a framework to contextualize and understand sin and the heart of the unchurched. He also provides us with methods for reaching people’s hearts on a universal level by appealing to issues he presents that all people regardless of time and culture struggle with. Because Augustine’s struggles are so honest and raw, the personal application presented here is also invaluable even for those not in full time vocational ministry. Through the telling of his own story, Augustine provides every believer with a roadmap to becoming more like Christ and to pursuing God. Overall, Augustine’s confessions are essential for everyone from the outsider who is approaching faith to the veteran believer.

View all my reviews