Reading Augustine's Confessions Lecture 2: Books I and II Dr. Ann T. Orlando

Three Part Analysis  Historical and philosophical background on each Book Historical and social context Historical and social context Intellectual movements Intellectual movements People People  Key aspects of the Book itself Truth about human nature Truth about human nature EpistemologyEpistemology LanguageLanguage Evil and sinEvil and sin Love and HappinessLove and Happiness Truth about Creation Truth about Creation Truth about God Truth about God Connections between Book understudy and other Books Connections between Book understudy and other Books  Influence of Confessions Impact in later intellectual history Impact in later intellectual history How does this theological reflection touch us How does this theological reflection touch us

Roman Africa  Ancient Roman Province, dating to Roman conquest of Carthage in last Punic Wars, 146 BC Economically prosperous Economically prosperous Capital city Carthage, rebuilt after the wars Capital city Carthage, rebuilt after the wars  By Augustine’s time, it was proudly Roman One of few areas of Mediterranean where Greek was not much spoken One of few areas of Mediterranean where Greek was not much spoken Greatest Latin orators were said to come from Africa Greatest Latin orators were said to come from Africa

Roman Africa (cont.) 

Roman Family  Defined very broadly Husband, wife, children Husband, wife, children Business clients Business clients Servants, slaves Servants, slaves Common practice of adult adoption Common practice of adult adoption  Ruled by father, paterfamilia Sons and others governed by father until his death Sons and others governed by father until his death

Roman Education  Primary school most boys 7 to 12 years old 7 to 12 years old Teacher: magister taught mixed age class Teacher: magister taught mixed age class Reading, writing and arithmetic Reading, writing and arithmetic Discipline through corporal punishment Discipline through corporal punishment  Secondary School, Wealthy and precocious boys, 12 – 15 Wealthy and precocious boys, 12 – 15 Teacher: grammaticus Teacher: grammaticus Emphasis on Latin language and some Greek Emphasis on Latin language and some Greek  Orator School In major cities, for most ambitious and brightest students In major cities, for most ambitious and brightest students Teacher was orator Teacher was orator Emphasis on rhetoric Emphasis on rhetoric Preparation for important careers in law courts and administration Preparation for important careers in law courts and administration

Virgil and the Aeneid  Virgil (70 – 19 BC) most famous and important Roman poet  Aeneid most famous work Roman children learned Latin by studying Aenied Roman children learned Latin by studying Aenied Learned the great myth of Roman history Learned the great myth of Roman history  Story of Aeneas after fall of Troy Travels around the Mediterranean Travels around the Mediterranean Meets Dido in Carthage, falls in love but must leave her to continue to Italy and Rome Meets Dido in Carthage, falls in love but must leave her to continue to Italy and Rome  Already an old classic by Augustine’s time

Christianity in Fourth Century Africa  Earliest Latin theologians come from Africa Tertullian (d. 212) Tertullian (d. 212) St. Cyprian (d. 257) St. Cyprian (d. 257)  Embroiled in questions of how ‘pure’ should Church be No one should seriously sin after Baptism No one should seriously sin after Baptism Those who did should not be forgiven and admitted back into Church Those who did should not be forgiven and admitted back into Church  Majority of Christians were Donatists, who believed in the Church of the Pure Effectiveness of sacraments was dependent on personal holiness of minister Effectiveness of sacraments was dependent on personal holiness of minister Bitter, bitter foes of Augustine Bitter, bitter foes of Augustine  Baptism as adults (Catholics and Donatists)

Confessions Structure Augustine's Reflection on His Past Book I: From God; birth and relationship of infant with mother Book II: Bondage of Flesh Book II: Bondage of Flesh Book III: Slavery of eyes and mind; problem of evilBook III: Slavery of eyes and mind; problem of evil Book IV Ambition of World Book IV Ambition of World Book V Encounter with Faustus, Manichaeism, philosophy; moving from Carthage to RomeBook V Encounter with Faustus, Manichaeism, philosophy; moving from Carthage to Rome Book VI: Recognition of emptiness of world’s ambition Book VI: Recognition of emptiness of world’s ambition Book VII: Freedom of mind; resolution of problem of evilBook VII: Freedom of mind; resolution of problem of evil Book VIII: Liberation from bondage of flesh Book VIII: Liberation from bondage of flesh Book IX: Relation to Monica, her death, return to God Augustine’s Present Book X: Memory Book XI: Time Book XII: Interpreting Scripture Book XIII: Trinity and Church

Outline of Book I  Opening Prayer I.i.1 – I.v.6  Infancy I.vi.7 – I.vii.12  Natural Learning and Primary School I.viii.13 – I.x.16  Early Illness I.xi.17 – I.xi.18  Secondary School I.xii.19 – I.xviii.29  Early Sins I.xix.30  Closing Prayer I.xix.31

Book I Opening Prayer I.i.1 – I.v.6  Begins with a prayer, a Psalm But quickly includes references to 2 Cor., Rom., and Mt. But quickly includes references to 2 Cor., Rom., and Mt.  Includes one of most famous lines from Augustine: “Our heart is restless until it rests in You.” (I.i.1)  Note the importance of questions, many of which will not be directly answered  Note the importance of paradoxes about God’s nature (and our limited ability to understand God) in I.iv.4  This prayer is echoed at the end of Book XIII  Sets the tone of the entire work as a ‘theological reflection’

Book I Infancy I.6.7 – I.7.12  infantia Latin, noun meaning inability to speak Note I.6.7 begins with Augustine asking God to allow him to speak in God’s presence Note I.6.7 begins with Augustine asking God to allow him to speak in God’s presence  Trace development of babies Helpless (but only because of weakness) Helpless (but only because of weakness) Laughter Laughter Not innocent Not innocent  Parents care for babies, and babies grow, as part fo God’s plan, in accordance with eternal law Note how adults react to babies Note how adults react to babies  An enduring, unanswered question for Augustine: does human soul pre-exist conception  Discussion of God and time will be significantly expanded in Book XI

Book I Natural Learning and Primary School I.8.13 – I  Augustine ‘becomes’ a boy when he can talk Learns to talk so that he can make his desires better understood Learns to talk so that he can make his desires better understood Relationship between actual object and words which signify them Relationship between actual object and words which signify them  Forced learning at school nothing like natural learning of language First prayer was to avoid being beaten at school First prayer was to avoid being beaten at school  Note how adults are like children, although adults laugh at children

Book I Early Illness I – I  Augustine almost baptized due to early illness Common practice not to baptize until later in adult life Common practice not to baptize until later in adult life Example of Ambrose Example of Ambrose  Note comparisons between bodily health and physical health Jesus as physician of the soul Jesus as physician of the soul Church as ‘hospital’ for the sinful Church as ‘hospital’ for the sinful  Note more said about baptism here than in Book IX

Book I Secondary School I – I  Augustine must be forced to learn; Sinfulness of parents and teachers who put pressure on him to succeed in thinks of the world Sinfulness of parents and teachers who put pressure on him to succeed in thinks of the world Sinfulness of himself as a boy unwilling to learn “So tiny a child, so great a sinner” Sinfulness of himself as a boy unwilling to learn “So tiny a child, so great a sinner”  Augustine does not learn Greek Greek language of the Bible Greek language of the Bible Differences between natural and forced language learning Differences between natural and forced language learning  Comparison of wanderings and love of Aeneas and Dido and his own wanderings in search for true Love  Use of language in education to teach errors, not the Truth  Problems with rhetoric as a career

Book I Early Sins I –I  “Is this childhood innocence?” Lying Lying Stealing Stealing Cheating Cheating  “My sin consisted in this, that I sought pleasure, sublimity and truth not in God but in his creatures, in myself and in other created beings.”

Book II Outline  Developing Sexuality II.i.1 – II.ii.4  His Parents Reaction II.iii.5 – II.iii.8  Stealing the Pears II.iv.9 – II.x.18

Book II Developing Sexuality II.i.1 – II.ii.4  Dual wakening of sexual desire and personal ambition in Augustine  But erotic awakening does not lead to happiness, quite the contrary  “Where was I in the sixteenth year?”  Only concern of family was his career  Both ambition and lust resolved in Book VIII

Book II His Parents Reaction II.iii.5 – II.iii.8  Patricius Augustine writes very little about him; a convert very late in life Augustine writes very little about him; a convert very late in life Worked hard to save money to send Augustine to best school in Carthage, “my father had more enthusiasm than cash” Worked hard to save money to send Augustine to best school in Carthage, “my father had more enthusiasm than cash” No moral guidance from his father No moral guidance from his father Patricius very happy over prospect fo grandchildren Patricius very happy over prospect fo grandchildren  Monica A main character A main character Born into a Catholic family Born into a Catholic family Some moral guidance for Augustine, at least don’t get involved with a married woman Some moral guidance for Augustine, at least don’t get involved with a married woman Also eager for grandchildren; see how this will change at conclusion of Book VIII Also eager for grandchildren; see how this will change at conclusion of Book VIII

Book II Stealing the Pears II.iv.9 – II.x.18  Augustine and a group of friends steal pears after carousing late one night  A great meditation on true and false friendships Effect of community and society on actions Effect of community and society on actions  Note especially how turning to the wrong things, away from God leads to sins (II.vi.13) Sins as disordered desires Sins as disordered desires Sins which have the wrong object Sins which have the wrong object Sins cannot satisfy these desires Sins cannot satisfy these desires  Note that the great climax in Book VIII also occurs in a garden under a tree

Influence of Confessions Book I and II  New Literary Genre  Theory of Language

New Literary Genre  Biographies and autobiographies were part of ancient literature  But a ‘soul-searching’ prayer and theological reflection are new  Includes some elements of autobiography, BUT Augustine gives us little specifics, Augustine gives us little specifics, Certainly does not cast himself in the best light Certainly does not cast himself in the best light  His prayer as a way to help his fellow pilgrims…Book X

Language Augustine’s Theory of Signs  A thing (res) is an external reality  Sign (signum) is something sensed which shows the mind something else Natural signs, e.g. smoke indicating fire Natural signs, e.g. smoke indicating fire Conventional or given (data) signs Conventional or given (data) signs  Words (verbum) are a type (but not the only type) of given signs  De Doctrina Christiana (Teaching Christianity)

Augustine’s Theory of Language  Human communication of reality is by the signs of words  Inherent ambiguity of how to use words Denotation vs connotation Denotation vs connotation  Language is not unique Multiple languages not only with different words but with different structures Multiple languages not only with different words but with different structures Same sounding word can mean different things in different languages (e.g., lege) Same sounding word can mean different things in different languages (e.g., lege)

Relation Between Language and Thought  What is to be said is in the heart, the inner man  Only when it is to be communicated is the choice of specific language made “Matching the differences in your audience you employ different languages in order to produce the word you have conceived; but what you have conceived in your heart was confined to no language.” (Tractates on John ) “Matching the differences in your audience you employ different languages in order to produce the word you have conceived; but what you have conceived in your heart was confined to no language.” (Tractates on John )  We learn language as a child by learning to associate words with thoughts, feelings and things

The Unambiguous Word: Jesus Christ  The Word is the perfect eternal Truth (no ambiguity)  Word became flesh to cure our corrupt souls Perfect Word becomes perfect man Perfect Word becomes perfect man Mediator of grace to us Mediator of grace to us  Confessions VII, Epistles and Tractates on John

Augustine and Sacraments  Sacraments are a movement from visible to invisible, from ordinary experience to spiritual reality Sacraments as visible divine word Sacraments as visible divine word  Sacrament both sign and reality of the mystery (spiritual reality) of Christ Scripture as a sacrament Scripture as a sacrament Interpretation of Scripture as a Sacrament Interpretation of Scripture as a Sacrament Creed and Lord’s Prayer as Sacraments Creed and Lord’s Prayer as Sacraments Triduum Triduum  Church is the authority that mediates sacraments (including Scripture)  Baptism  Eucharist: theory of sacrifice CoG X.4-6  Sermon 272, 228

Ludwig Wittgenstein  Born in Vienna in 1889  Moved to Cambridge in 1911 and developed close relation with Bertrand Russell  Returned to Austria and fought in WW I POW POW  After WWI settled permanently in Cambridge  Died in 1951

Wittgenstein and Language  ‘The only problem in philosophy is language’  Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus was first published in German in 1921, shortly after in English Thought is more like a picture than language Thought is more like a picture than language Language used to express thoughts Language used to express thoughts  Philosophical Investigations was published posthumously in 1953 (translated and edited by G.E.M. Anscombe) A type of reconsideration of earlier work A type of reconsideration of earlier work Begins with Augustine and language Begins with Augustine and language Augustine’s ostensible model of language too limiting; in particular does not account for how words change within context of use Augustine’s ostensible model of language too limiting; in particular does not account for how words change within context of use Develops ‘language-game’ as a way to describe language; but rules of game are not static Develops ‘language-game’ as a way to describe language; but rules of game are not static

Some Things To Notice As you Read  Augustine is always asking questions, even if he never gets to an answer  Augustine's use of Scripture, especially Psalms, as he reflects on his life  The difference between true and false friendship  Effects on Augustine’s education of Family Family Friends Friends Teachers Teachers Reading Reading

Book I and II Questions to Consider  Are babies cute and innocent? What might this imply about human nature?  What do you think of his parents reaction to his sexuality as a teenager?  What was our earliest prayer? Do we have any prayers other than prayers of petition?

Questions to ask in all Books  How is Augustine ‘modern’?  What is love?  What is friendship?  What is sin and evil?  What role does faith play in Augustine's life?  Where is happiness found?

Assignment  Read carefully Confessions Books I and II  On Christian Teaching, Book II (optional)  Brown, Augustine of Hippo, Chapters 1, 2 and 3  Post one long paragraph by Friday June 4  Post two responses by Sunday June 6  Remember: Focus on Augustine, not secondary sources Focus on Augustine, not secondary sources References should be Book.Chapter.Paragraph (e.g., I.i.1) NOT page numbers References should be Book.Chapter.Paragraph (e.g., I.i.1) NOT page numbers