The book named The Confessions of St. Augustine was written by St. Augustine of Hippo somwhere from 397 to 400. It is essentially an autobiography of St. Augustine with what was written being his life from child to bishop. It is an incredibly religious text, with a myriad of references to the bible as well as to ancient greek philosophers such as Aristotle, Plato, and Homer. It is written as an “epistle to God”, with St. augustine confessings the sins of his life to God. It begins with a prayer stating God’s purpose for creating us and his call to follow him. It follows with his description of his early years and continues to his teens and 20’s, from Tagaste to carthage and to Rome. The work revolves around his path to God, how he stumbled on the way, sinning, and joining heretical groups, until eventually he sees his mistakes and returns to the church finding peace of mind and happiness. I saw the book as mostly instructive and entertaining. I have an absurd amount of balance with this book containing my three favorite things; figurative language, history, and religion. I ate this book up. With both me and Augustine being Catholic, I understood and agreed with his opinions. He was in fact a prominent father of the church. Early sections had him describe how many do wrong for simply for the”flattery of others”, and how if he were alone he would not have stolen as often as a teen (Augustine 61). He mentioned the divinity of Christ, the importance of baptism, and the necessity of skepticism. In fact, the Bible speaks on such things, a far more popular book, affirming these beliefs. The book furthered my knowledge on christian beliefs and strengthened my ties to Catholicism. I loved this book. I intend to read it many times. I have no problems, dislikes, or conflicting opinions, it was simply magnificent. Any christian with enough time should read this. Its word choice is not unlike the Bible, but approaches the reader on a more personal level, speaking directly to them. Lovers of history and God should read this. Those without hope should read this.
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