CooperWHY DID AUGUSTINE WRITE XIXIII OF THE CONFESSIONS.docx

CooperWHY DID AUGUSTINE WRITE XIXIII OF THE CONFESSIONS.docx

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CooperWHYDIDAUGUSTINEWRITEXIXIIIOFTHECONFESSIONS

AugustinianStudies

    Volume2

        1971

            Articles

                JohnC.Cooper:

WHYDIDAUGUSTINEWRITEBOOKSXI-XIIIOFTHECONFESSIONS?

†*

JohnC.Cooper:

WHYDIDAUGUSTINEWRITEBOOKSXI-XIIIOFTHECONFESSIONS?

†*

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Toinquirewhyanauthorhaswrittenaportionofagenerallyacceptedgenuineworkmayseemalittleabsurduntiltheworkitselfiscarefullyexamined.InthecaseoftheConfessionsofAugustine,itbecomesimmediatelyclearthatthewholetoneandsubjectmatteroftheworkbeginstochangeinBookX,andthatBooksXI-XIIIareseeminglyunrelatedtotheearlierpartsofthebook.TheGermanscholar,MaxZepf,oncewrote:

…Theentireworkisdividedintotwopartswhichseemtohavenothingwhatsoevertodowitheachother.TheBiographyofthefirsttenbooksissuddenlyresolvedintoadryexpositionofthefirstchapterofGenesis.WhohasnotbeencompelledtoshakehisheadandaskwhatpurposeAugustinecouldhavehadinmindwhenhethusbroughttogethersuchvariousmaterials.†1

EverycarefulreaderoftheConfessionshasnoticedtheabruptchangeofpaceandcontentbeginningwithBookXI.Noextensiveevidencewillberepeatedhere,buttheinterestedscholarcandiscoverthischangeofpaceforhimselfbyreadingtheConfessions.Hereisanoutlineofthebook.

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I.BooksI-IIIwhichdiscussthechildhoodandyouthofAugustine.Indeed,theeventsofhislifearemerelyguidepostsinthespiritualjourneyofhisintellectthatisamajorthemeofthework.Augustinepaystributetoorcondemnsallthevariousphilosophiesandtheologiesthathavehelpedtoshapehismindandbeliefs,andinterpretstheexperiencesthataffectedhimalongthewayinthemostsubtlepsychologicalterms.Viewedinthisway,theConfessionsareagoldmineofpsychologicalinsights,aswellasofphilosophicspeculation.

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Thispaperisnecessarilylimitedinscope,soonlythebarestoutline

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ofAugustine’sthoughtandtheinnerrelationshipsofthevariousBooksarepresentedhere.Inthisstudyonlytwothemeswillbeexplored.ThefirstisexpressedinBook1,Chapter1,Line1:

“GreatartThou,OLord,andgreatlytobepraised;greatisThypower,andinfiniteisThywisdom.”AndthefamouslinefromBookI,Chapter1,Line5:

“ThouhastpromptedhimthatheshoulddelighttopraiseThee,forThouhastmadeusforThyselfandrestlessisourheartuntilitcomestorestinThee.”†2

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ThesetwobasicthemesarerepeatedthroughouttheConfessions,andnotonlyrepeatedbutexaminedandexpanded.

II.BooksIV-IXwhichdiscusshisspiritualwanderingsandconversionexperience.

III.BookXwhichformsasummaryofthephilosophicquestionsraisedinconnectionwiththeeventsofhislifecoveredinBooksI-IXandthusmakesthetransitionto:

IV.BooksXI-XIIIwhicharecastintheformofaphilosophical-theologicalcommentaryuponGenesis1:

1–31.（BookXIdiscusses“Time”andthenpassestoadiscussionofeternityandcreationinBooksXII-XIII.）AugustinedevotesmostofhisspacetoGenesis1:

1–2.

SuchanoutlineoftheConfessionsmakesthegenerallyaccepted（buthardtomaintain）viewoftheunityoftheConfessions,moredoubtful,butdoesmorejusticetothesubtilityanddepthofAugustine’sthought.

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ThisstudyproposestheinvestigationofcertaininnerrelationshipsbetweentheBooksoftheConfessions,inordertofindwhethertheworkisaunityornot.Inordertoinvestigatethismatter,thewriterproposesthefollowingthesis:

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ThattheconcludingBooks（XI-XIII）oftheConfessionsdoformanintegralpartofthewholework,inthattheConfessionsaremorethananautobiographyordiary,butformahistoryofAugustine’smentalandspiritualexperiencesinwhichhediscoveredsatisfactoryanswerstothephilosophicquestionsthatconcernallthinkingmen.

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Inthis“spiritualhistory”Augustinethusnaturallycoversmorematerialthanthebarerecordofhislife.Thefirsttheme,theMajestyofGod,isthekeytoAugustine’sspeculationaboutcreation,eternity,time,andothertheologicalmattersdiscussedinBooksXI-XIII.Thesecondtheme,thePlatonicattractionofthesoultowardsGod,isthekeytoAugustine’s

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understandingofhisownspiritualperegrinationsthatprecededhisconversion.†3

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ThemostobviousconnectivebetweenBooksI-XandXI-XIIIistherepetitionoftheopeninglineoftheConfessions（BookI,Ch.1,Line1）inBookXI,Ch.1,Lines3and4:

…WhyamIrecountingsuchataleofthingstothee?

Certainlynotinordertoacquainttheewiththemthroughme,but…thatthroughthem…allmaysay,‘GreatistheLordandgreatlytobepraised.’Ihavesaidthisbeforeandwillsayitagain:

‘ForloveoftheyloveIdoit.’†4

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Butthereismoreunitytotheworkthantherepetitionofkeyideas,indeedtheexpositionofAugustine’ssecondkeythemeistheframeworkofBooksI-IX.Augustine’sfallfromChristianfaith,hisexcursionintoManicheanism,hissusceptibilitytotemptationsoftheflesh,hislongirregularconnectionwithaconcubine,hisintellectualattachmenttoNeo-Platonism,andeventualconversiontoanddeepcommitmenttotheCatholicChurch,allillustrateAugustine’sdeep-feltbeliefthat“ourheartisrestlesstillitrestsinThee.”Itisnoexaggerationtostatethattheentireworkillustratesthetruthofthispiousverse.

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Herewemustmakeclearapeculiarcircumstanceofscholarship.Thetheorythatthisthemeofman’srestlessnessandunfulfillmentuntilhecomestorestinfaithinGodisthekey（oroneofthetwokeys）tounderstandingtheConfessionswasoriginalwiththiswriter.Itwasfirstproposedbyhimin1957inapaperwrittenatTheLutheranTheologicalSouthernSeminaryinColumbia,SouthCarolina,U.S.A.However,furtherresearchhasturnedupthisembarrassingfact:

In1948,BishopAndersNygrenofLund,Sweden,publishedashortpaperentitled“TheMeaningandStructureofSt.Augustine’sConfessions.”†5ThispaperwasnotreadbythiswriteruntilMarch,1962.Inhisarticle,Nygrenreviewsthetheoriesofpre-warGermanscholarship,andproposesthat:

“ThecontentoftheConfessionsisthekeytotheunderstandingoftheirliterarystructure.”†6Thenhegoesontodefine,whatisforhim,thefundamentalideainAugustine’sConfessions,theconfession:

“ThouhastmadeusforThyself,andourheartisrestlessuntilitrestsinThee.”Heproceedstoabriefexpositionoftheentireworkanddemonstratesthattheworkdoesrevolve

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aroundthistheme.HealsostatesthatmuchoftheworkiscoloredbyAugustine’sformerlyheldPlatonism,anotherofthisauthor’sbasictheories.Intheinterestsofsoundscholarship,thisparallelismofthoughtmustbepointedout.However,NygrendoesnotdeveloptheideaofAugustine’scontinueddependenceuponPlatonicthoughtpatterns,nordoeshegiveexamplesoftheunityofhisthoughtthroughoutthework,whichisthebasisofthispresentstudy.

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ThismatterofAugustine’s“Platoniccoloration”isanimportantpoint.ThatthereisintheConfessionsmorethanalittleNeo-Platonism,withitsdoctrineoferos,orman’snaturalaspirationtoachieveonenesswiththeDivine,andaconsequentdepreciationofthebodyastheprisonhouseofthesoul,cannotbedenied.JusthowdeeplyAugustinecoloredChristiantheologywithNeo-Platonismshouldbethesubjectofmorephilosophicalandtheologicalinvestigationtoday.Insomeways,notableintheareaofreligiousdevotionsymbolizedbyAugustine’scaritasorlove,hebroughtasmuchPlatonismintoChristianityasThomasAquinasbroughtAristotelianism.†7Interestingasthisstudyis,itformsnopartofthispaper,andwemustcontentourselveswiththesefewobservations.

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AugustinewasclearlyaNeo-PlatonistbeforehisconversiontoChristianity.Hehadfullyacceptedthedoctrineoftheinherentevilnessofthebodyandthelowerstateofthephysicalworldincontrasttothespiritualrealm.Hefullybelievedinthesynergisticconceptofsalvationthrougheros,theascentofthesoulfromtheconfinesofthisworldtounionwiththedivinethroughaprogressivedisassociationfromthethingsofsense.Thequestionis,didAugustineeverexperiencethemysticalecstacyofhenosisorunionwiththeDivinepreachedbyNeo-Platonism?

WashetrulyaNeo-PlatonistorwasheinfactaPlatonistoftheoldschool?

ItwouldseemtothiswriterthatalthoughAugustinecametoPlatothroughNeo-Platonists,†8hewasneverreallyanecstaticmysticbutremainedasober-sidedmoralistinthetraditionoftheAcademyinstead.Theviewisgroundedontwoinsights.

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One:

AugustineevidentlyneverachievedaNeo-Platonicstateofecstacy,orhewouldhavenotcontinuedsearchinguntilhefoundhis“rest”intheCatholicfaith.†9And,Two:

The“Rest”hedidfindwasonebasedon

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faith,notmysticalexperience.Allinall,itwasmoreacrystalizationofhismoralrepugnanceagainstsexualindulgenceandtemporalpleasuresthanasoul-stirringexperiencelikePaul’sontheDamascusRoad（Acts9:

3–9）.Also,Augustinecompletelyrejectedtheconceptofself-salvationthrougherosandembracedtheOrthodoxChristianconceptionofGrace,althoughheneverfullyfreedhimselffromallhiserosideas,asisseeninhiscaritassyntheses.BishopNygren,inhisfamousstudyofAgapeandEros,maintainsthatAugustineneverfullygaveuphisbeliefinthespiritualizingpoweroferos,orthe