Augustine's Conversion in his Confessions 8: Some Disputed Issues

In his Confessions 7, Augustine of Hippo explained how he came to accept some biblical presuppositions via Neoplatonic literature. Confessions 9 ends with Augustine's baptism and the death of his mother, who had prayed much for his salvation. Between these two events, Confessions 8 focuses upon...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Mills, D. Forrest (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Brill 2019
In: The Evangelical quarterly
Year: 2019, Volume: 90, Issue: 4, Pages: 326-341
IxTheo Classification:KAB Church history 30-500; early Christianity
KAH Church history 1648-1913; modern history
KAJ Church history 1914-; recent history
Further subjects:B Manichaeism
B WILLS, Garry, 1934-
B Augustine of Hippo
B Confessions
B Paganism
B conversion narrative
B monastic celibacy
B garden scene
B Romans 13:13-14
B disputed issues
B fig tree
B CONFESSIONS (Book : Augustine)
B Tolle lege
B Neoplatonism
B the fallen will
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Description
Summary:In his Confessions 7, Augustine of Hippo explained how he came to accept some biblical presuppositions via Neoplatonic literature. Confessions 9 ends with Augustine's baptism and the death of his mother, who had prayed much for his salvation. Between these two events, Confessions 8 focuses upon Augustine's inability to turn his will towards God in his own power. While Augustine's Confessions 8 remains the most cited section in his Confessions, it also has generated a lot of debate. For example, some scholars claim the book portrays Augustine's conversion, while others say it narrates his call to celibacy and the monastic life. Some scholars have even denied the famous garden scene occurred, claiming Augustine invented the tale for rhetorical purposes. This article looks closely at the various debates that have arisen over Confessions 8, ultimately arguing that Confessions 8 narrates Augustine's conversion, when God turned Augustine's affections completely towards him.
ISSN:2772-5472
Contains:Enthalten in: The Evangelical quarterly
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1163/27725472-09004004