Augustine writes his book Confessions, to be exactly that: a confession of his sins. This may have little meaning to us, but to Augustine, his Confessions have a specific purpose. Augustine believes that confessing his sins will make him more able to praise God and to deepen his relationship with God. He also believes that only through confession will God heal him and make everything harmed within him by sin healthy again. These reasons for Augustine’s confession are important because by using his personal confessional experience he is trying to relate the benefits of confession.
First, Augustine sees confession as a means through which to praise God. He says, “Let me confess my sins to you for your honor and glory. Allow me, I beseech you, to trace again in memory my past deviations and to offer you a sacrifice of joy” (71). Augustine does not take pleasure in the fact that his past was sinful. But he feels that through examining his sinful experiences he can appreciate God better. Many times before his confession Augustine talks about not liking to recall his sin but that he is doing it to further his relationship with God: “The memory is bitter, but it will help me to savour your sweetness, the sweetness that does not deceive but brings real joy and never fails. For love of your love I shall retrieve myself...” (43). Augustine sees confession as a way to experience the goodness of God. By examining the sin he has committed in the past, it makes Augustine all the more able to praise and form a relationship with God.
Next, Augustine uses confessions as a way to heal from the sin he has committed. He says, “To him my soul confesses and he is its Healer, because the wrong it did was against him” (83). Augustine confesses to God because the sin he commits is direct wrong against God. Augustine believes that God is the only one who can heal the injury inflicted by sin. Augustine says, “Entrust to the Truth all that the Truth has given to you and nothing will be lost. All that is withered in you will be made to thrive again” (81). If he confesses to God and tells him all, he will be whole. Augustine makes it clear that without confession he believes that we lose something within us that is good and healthful. Sin somehow wounds us and we can only heal this wound through confessing our sins to God.
Through looking at why Augustine is confessing, we can in turn see how Augustine is trying to relate the benefits of confession to the readers. One reason Augustine confesses is to better praise God and for a closer relationship to God. Also, he confesses in order to be healed from the sin he has committed. Augustine is happy with the results his confession has brought and in turn he is hoping that we as readers will also want the benefits of confession.
I definitely agree with Marlee's reasoning of why Augustine writes Confessions. I would wonder, though, if there is another way that Augustine praises God, aside from the one Marlee posits in her post. Augustine very consistently professes his ignorance of the reasons for God's actions. Throughout Confessions, Augustine relates all these actions of God. For example, he says, "You follow close behind the fugitive and recall us to yourself" (75). However, he repeatedly also relates that he does not know why God does something. In this example, Augustine says that the fugitive is recalled "in ways we cannot understand" (75). I believe that by proving his ignorance, Augustine is praising God for his omniscience.
ReplyDeleteI would combine the arguments of Marlee and Emma and state that Augustine uses confessions for the purpose of praising God and understanding him. if the book were in fact solely a confession of his sins then the the constant questions Augustine poses would be of little use as they do not advance his goal of relating his sins. this shows me that the confession and the questioning go hand in hand to produce catharsis for Augustine. by relating his experiences he is gaining the release of confession, and by working through his questions he gains the clarity if understanding. these two elements of the text show Augustine's dual motives.
ReplyDeleteEmma brings up an interesting point, when she points out both his claimed ignorance and yet absolute assurance (as when Augustine describes each of the reasons that God had for each experience that Augustine underwent). This dual view of both knowing and not knowing seems contradictory, but the novel itself is written as a narrative of confession, in a large part of ignorance -- what Augustine is saying is only what he believes to be true. We still cannot be sure that his account is completely truth even now.
ReplyDeleteEmma- I think that you are correct to say that there are other ways that Augustine praises God. I noticed that Augustine directly says that his confessions help him appreciate God and so I only wanted to prove one purpose of Augutine's confessions. Your observation is interesting and valid that Augustine uses professions of ignorance to praise God's greatness. John, I agree that the book is not only a confession and that questioning and praising God become a large part of the text. I do think though that the book does remain primarily focused on confession and that questioning and praise all arise from the confessions that Augustine is giving.
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