Augustine's Spiritual Journey: From Sin to Salvation

St. Augustine's Confessions, penned around A.D. 398, function as a spiritual autobiography chronicling his journey to Christianity. The text provides a glimpse into the author's introspection, exemplified by the initial declaration: "You stir man to take pleasure in praising you, because you have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you," underscoring mankind's inherent connection to God and the significance of adhering to His direction (1.1).

Augustine looks back on his early years and teenage years in two books, feeling sorry for his wrongdoings and admitting that he veered off course from God by succumbing to his cravings (2.

4). He attributes the realization of the hollowness of all his forbidden enjoyments to God.

Recalling the sins of passion from childhood and youth, Augustine now reveals the sins of the intellect that arose in his late adolescence and adulthood. He begins this part of his narrative by discussing his time studying at Carthage, a period during which he embraced philosophies that severely impacted his spiritual well-being.

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Falling into the belief of Manicheism, which posits a dualistic worldview where matter is seen as evil and spirit as good, Augustine disregarded the sanctity of marriage and even fathered a child out of wedlock. Despite becoming a rhetoric professor in Rome and Milan, Augustine's encounter with the Manichean bishop of Carthage led to his disillusionment with the faith. Eventually, he was moved by the teachings of St. Ambrose, the bishop of Milan, and decided to become a catechumen in the Catholic Church before leaving for Rome.

Augustine is influenced by Neoplatonic Christianity and St. Paul's works, leading him to convert to Christianity. Hearing a child in a garden chanting "Take up and read!" prompts Augustine to pick up a Bible, where he reads a passage about Jesus redeeming mankind from carnal passions, solidifying his decision to convert. After stopping his rhetoric teachings, Augustine is baptized, and his mother Monica, who prayed for his conversion for years, passes away. The remaining four books focus on Augustine's personal introspection on his new beliefs, which may have influenced his role as a priest and bishop.

Augustine's Confessions, particularly in the last four books, merges Neo-Platonism and Christianity to present a philosophical view of the Christian religion. This personalizes the concepts of St. Gregory of Nyssa in Life of Moses and Pseudo-Dionysius in The Divine Names. In Confessions, Augustine shares his spiritual journey towards God, aiming to inspire others as Gregory did through Moses and as Pseudo-Dionysius did by marveling at the mystery of God in Christ. This aligns with the earlier Church Fathers who defended the Incarnation (Isaiah 11:10). Ultimately, Augustine's Confessions makes Christianity's message inclusive to all, particularly during the later stages of the Roman Empire when Christianity was tolerated and had less urgency for conversion.

City of God, written between 412 and 426 following the Visigoths’ sack of Rome in 410, explores Augustine’s conversion experience with a focus on the universal application. Augustine aims to highlight the superiority of the City of God over other cities, emphasizing that one way of life leads to communion with God and happiness in heaven. By addressing a Roman audience and discussing the origin, progress, and destinies of both cities, Augustine reinforces his argument for the superiority of a life dedicated to God's glory.

While Eusebius focused on reporting historical events related to Christianity, Augustine provides an interpretation of Roman history from a Christian perspective. He starts by explaining the spiritual significance of the sack of Rome.

In the first two parts, starting with “The Pagan Gods and Earthly Happiness”, the saint defends Christianity against the belief held by many Romans that the sack of Rome by the Visigoths was a punishment from the pagan gods for worshipping the false god “Yahweh”. Augustine uses historical examples to show that Rome suffered because of the moral decay of its citizens.
In the second part, titled “The Pagan Gods and Future Happiness”, Augustine takes these historical arguments into the realm of abstract and philosophical, arguing that the pagan gods and the “city of man” cannot offer the eternal happiness that the “city of God” provides. Augustine criticizes pagan philosophy and polytheism, debunking their beliefs based on the temporal benefits they offer. He highlights the rejection of superstitious practices by even respected pagan theologians. Augustine goes on to show that Janus, Saturn, Jupiter, and other gods cannot grant eternal life, and he also discredits Platonism for its similarities to Christianity but rejection of key Christian beliefs such as the Incarnation.

Augustine presents a new vision of reality in the next three parts of the work, stemming from God and his Incarnation in Christ to avoid suffering and agony. He contrasts this with the lives of vice that led to the fall of Rome. Part III of City of God introduces the dichotomy between the “city of man” and the “city of God”, describing their origin, good and evil distinctions in heaven and on earth, sin, and its consequences. Part IV details the development of both cities throughout biblical history, culminating in Christ establishing the “city of God” on earth through the Church. Part V explains the ends of both cities, pagan and Christian philosophies on man’s end, the Last Judgment, and the consequences for the earthly city versus the eternal bliss of the city of God.