St. Augustine

A Survey of

Confessions

            The Confessions of St. Augustine; Book VIII chapter 11 opens with Augustine describing his chain, “I was in torment, reproaching myself more bitterly than ever as I twisted and turned in my chain.” (Pg. 251 line 1)  Augustine appears to take ownership of the chain e.g. “my chain” as opposed to “the chain.” I believe Augustine is using the word “chain” as a metaphor; his true meaning is sin. Augustine’s use of possessive language reflects the personal responsibility he feels for his sins.

            The modern doctrine of “born again” Christians is echoed in Augustine’s statement “...I held back from the step by which I should die to death and become alive to life.” (Pg. 251 line 19)  Augustine is struggling with the commitment represented by being born again yet he believes he must take that step to be freed from his chain or his sin. Augustine is in agony over this. On  one hand he truly desires freedom from sin; however, Augustine will miss sinning. “Are you going to dismiss us? From this moment we shall never be with you again, for ever and ever. From this moment you will never again be allowed to do this thing or that, for evermore.” (Pg. 251 line 28)  Some would interpret this passage as temptation, in other words the voices are nagging Augustine; tempting him not to make the commitment to God. I chose to interpret this passage as Augustine’s own voice. The voice of his flesh reminding him of the lifestyle changes that comes with a complete commitment to God.

While Augustine desires freedom from sin, he doubts his strength to remain strong and follow God. The character of Continence, which I presume to be a personification of the practice of resisting immoral temptation and not an actual entity, alludes to Augustine’s weakness, “Can you not do what these men and these woman do? Do you think they find the strength to do it themselves and not in the Lord their God?” (Pg. 251 line 56) Once again this voice, Continence, appears to be Augustine’s own voice. “It was the Lord their God who gave me to them,” (emphasis added, Pg. 251 line 58) bears out the fact that in Augustine’s mind Continence is a virtue and something to be given by God.

Augustine does not provide us with a narrative of a baptism or ceremony to signify his making the commitment to God. He does reference a story he heard of an Antony (not introduced in my readings) and how Antony had heard a passage from the Gospel and “by this divine pronouncement he had at once been converted to [God].” (Pg. 252 line 30) It is with that story in mind and the belief in that story of Antony’s instant conversion that “all at once [Augustine] heard the sing-song voice of a child,” (Pg. 252 line 14) command him to “take it and read, take it and read.” (Pg. 252 line 17) Because of Augustine’s faith in Antony’s experience and subsequent conversion Augustine is convinced that this is his moment. This is the moment chosen by God for Augustine to make his commitment. Without hesitation, without any agonizing or contemplation Augustine rushes back to his bible. “I seized and opened it, and in silence I read the first passage on which my eyes fell...” (Pg. 252 line 34) Augustine reads a passage of scripture that answers with uncanniness the very struggles he faces with his desired commitment to God and worries of dismissing sin from his life, “Not in reveling and drunkenness, not in lust and wantonness, not in quarrels and rivalries. Rather, arm yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ; spend no more thought on nature and nature’s appetites.” (Pg. 252 line 35) That is enough for Augustine. I strongly believe that it was Augustine’s faith in the genuineness of Antony’s similar conversion that leads Augustine to declare, “I had no wish to read more and no need to do so. For in an instant, as I came to the end of the sentence, it was though the light of confidence flooded into my heart and all the darkness of doubt was dispelled.” (Pg. 252 line 38) Augustine believes that the voice that led him to read the scripture was divine and his conversion is complete; his commitment secure.

Proceeding Augustine’s divine inspiration he runs to tell his mother. At this point Augustine’s agony over living without sin has seemed to disappear and his mother is “overjoyed;” (Pg. 252 line 56) Augustine, it appears, has been saved.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

Cunningham, L.S., & Reich, J.J. (2006). Culture and Values: A Survey of Humanities, Volume 1 (6th ed.). Belmont, CA: Thompson Wadsworth