2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25
Summary of the "Confession" of Blessed Augustine should be known to everyone who is interested and wants to understand the history of world literature, as well as the peculiarities of medieval philosophy. In the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church completely controlled the life of people and society in Europe. It was the views and works of Blessed Augustine that had a decisive influence on her in many matters. It is worth turning to his teachings to begin to understand the origins of Catholicism.
Biography of a religious philosopher
Summary of the "Confession" of Blessed Augustine should be remembered in order to understand how the worldview of religious philosophers was formed over many centuries. Aurelius Augustine was born in Thagaste in 354. Today it is a city called Souk-Ahras, which is located in the northeast of Algeria.
His parents held different religious views. The mother was a Christian and the father was a pagan. This left a certain imprint on his understanding of the world and character.
The family had little money, but the parents still managed to give their son a quality education. Initially, only his mother was involved in his upbringing, then he graduated from high school in Tagaste. At the age of 17, he went to Carthage, where he studied rhetoric. In this city, he fell in love with a girl with whom he lived together for 13 years without marrying, even after they had a child, as she was of low birth.
As a result, Augustine's family life did not work out. His mother chose a bride suitable for his status, but the wedding had to be postponed, since the girl was only 11 years old. He spent this time with a new lover, then left his mistress as well, and broke off his engagement with his bride.
In philosophy at the very beginning he was influenced by the works of Cicero, he was also imbued with the ideas of the Manicheans, but soon became disillusioned with them, regretting the wasted time.
For a long time he taught at one of the schools in Milan, discovering Neoplatonism, in which God was presented as something transcendent and beyond. This allowed him to take another look at the teachings of the early Christians. He began to read the epistles of the apostles, attend the sermons of modern theologians, and became interested in the ideas of monasticism. In 387 he was baptized under the name Ambrose.
After that, he sold all his possessions, donating money to the poor. When he diedmother, he returned to his homeland, creating a monastic community. Augustine died in 430.
Confession
Summary of the books "Confessions" of Blessed Augustine allows you to get a complete picture of this important work. In fact, this is the common name for 13 autobiographical works that were written by the author in 397-398. In them, he talks about his life, the path to Christianity.
Considered to be the first autobiography in European literature, over the next millennium it served as the basis and literary model for most Christian writers. They all knew very well the summary of the "Confession" of Blessed 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 the analysis of the "Confession" of Blessed Augustine, it is important to emphasize the Christian component of this work. The author describes his previous life, in which there were many delusions and vices. He asks forgiveness from God, praising his writings.
He also criticizes the teachings that he was interested in at different times - Neoplatonism, Manichaeism, astrology, recent books contain an interpretation of the Book of Genesis, reflections on the sacrament of confession, the doctrine of the Trinity, reasoning about the essence of time, memory and language. Speaking briefly about the "Confession" of Blessed Augustine, it is necessary to dwell on thesemoments.
Childhood and youth
At the very beginning of his work, the author talks in detail about his childhood, parents, primary education. Remembering the summary of the books of "Confessions" of Blessed Augustine is necessary if you need to prepare for an exam or test.
An important stage in his life is the arrival in Carthage, where he studied at the rhetorical school. At that time, the city was considered the center of vice. According to the summary of the chapters of the "Confession" of Blessed Augustine, it can be assumed that the author led a dissolute life, in reality this is not so. Basically, the young man went to the theater to see plays 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 while 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 Manichean sect promised to give him answers to all his questions.
Their teaching was based on philosophical dualism. The Manicheans demanded asceticism from their adherents. They despised the human body, associating it with Evil. Augustine in Manichaeism was attracted by a way to overcome himself, which he had long dreamed of. He first received a theoretical justification for the existence of evil. In the call for self-determination, he saw the means he needed to fulfill his life's destiny.
In the sect, Augustine was an ordinary novice, while his connections with the Manichaeans werestrong enough, he even attracted a few of his friends to the sect. The sect helped him advance his career.
Working as a rhetorician
After briefly returning to his hometown, Augustine describes how he returns to Carthage, having received a position as a rhetorician. In the fourth book, he admits how he ended up in an intellectual impasse into which he was led by pseudoscience - astrology and magic.
After the death of a close friend, great changes take place with him. Augustine understands that happiness cannot be obtained from transient beings, and only the Lord remains unchanged. The soul is only in God able to find a happy life and peace.
He is disappointed in Manichaeism, as the doctrine severely restricts personal freedom, which was of great importance to the author. In addition, he understands that the explanations of the Manicheans about the nature of evil do not satisfy him at all.
Road to Rome
From the book "Confessions" of Blessed Augustine, we learn that after that 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 his home. He soon becomes disillusioned with his followers, moving to Milan, where his mother arrives.
Ambrose's influence
Telling a summary of the "Confession" of Blessed Augustine, it is important to dwell on hisacquaintance with Bishop Ambrose, which took place in Milan. The author admires his sermons, finally deciding to break with Manichaeism.
Ambrose urges him to embrace Catholic beliefs. Meanwhile, in philosophy, he is fond of the ideas of Neoplatonism, but very quickly finds many contradictions in it. Ambrose introduces him to the works of the ancient Greek philosopher Plotinus.
Conversion
The seventh and eighth books of "Confessions" of Blessed Augustine (Aurelius Augustine) tell about his path to God. He tries to understand its essence from a philosophical point of view. He still does not perceive it as a pure spirit, being still unable to resolve the issue of the origin of evil. It continues the internal struggle, Augustine again and again returns to the question of the relationship between the spirit and the flesh.
The realization comes to him that God is an absolute being. Frequent meetings with the confessor of Ambrose, the priest Simplitian, lead him to the final conversion to the Catholic faith. He tells his mother that he is ready to be converted. Almost the entire ninth book is devoted to his spiritual path. At the end, she talks about the death of her mother, gives her a detailed biography.
Memory properties
In the "Confession" of Blessed Augustine, the summary of the 10th book is of particular importance for understanding the essence of the philosopher. It analyzes the properties of memory.
In particular, considers it a treasury or receptacle in which are hidden the countless images that we receive fromexternal senses. Moreover, it contains not only images of things, but they themselves. Self-awareness exists thanks to memory, which connects the present with the past, which makes it possible to foresee the future.
From the summary of the "Confessions" of Blessed Augustine 10, the book is of the greatest interest to many. In it, the author discusses the ability of memory to transform the experience of the past into the present. Its presence is confirmed even by human forgetfulness. It is a necessary condition for any human action. This specific function is manifested in the acquisition of intellectual knowledge. In it, Augustine sees a sensual element that stores objects of knowledge, images of sounds.
This concept is initially contained in the heart, with the help of reflection, memory searches for them, begins to dispose of them. This, according to Augustine, is the basis of knowledge.
Time
11 The book "Confessions" of Blessed Augustine is devoted to the problem of time. The entire confession is dedicated to God from beginning to end. The author continues his philosophical reflections, asking the Lord to inspire him and help him discover 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.
12 The book begins with a discourse on formless matter that exists outside of time. The author analyzes the book "Genesis", dedicated to the origin of man. He tries for a long time to formulate his position, only after long reflections coming to the conclusion that much of whatstated in the Holy Scriptures, is simply not available to us. However, it contains the truth, so it must be treated with reverence and humility.
13 the book is dedicated to spiritual functions and Creation. At the end of his autobiography, he betrays himself to the mercy of the Lord, who is beyond time and beyond peace.
The fate of the work
This work of the philosopher was of great importance, becoming the main work of his life. Disputes about its content have been going on since the 5th century. Reviews of this work over the centuries have appeared very different.
Currently, it is believed that "Confession" is primarily interesting because 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 the process of becoming one's own "I".
This is a deep psychological work that remains evidence of the path of becoming an original and unique personality of the philosopher.
Structure
The structure of this book is unusual, as it is simultaneously addressed to God, to all believers, and also to posterity.
In the analysis of the "Confessions" many researchers believed that Blessed Augustine sought to write an autobiography that would answer the questions posed at that time. By the end of the 4th century, the church was confronted with the Donatist heresy. It was a movement that, under the guise of the inviolability of the HolyThe Scriptures actually pitted we althy Roman colonists against poor Berber farmers. Hippon was one of the centers of such a movement.
So this text can be considered a powerful and effective tool in the ideological battles that unfolded 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, as 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 reviews of this book, many readers note that this is an amazing book about a person's path to God, which will be useful to everyone who doubts whether it is worth believing in the divine essence of everything that happens. Augustine describes his sins with amazing psychological accuracy, starting literally from infancy. Readers admit that this work helped them take a fresh look at the world, reconsider their attitude to many things happening around.
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