A review by lingfish7
The Confessions of Saint Augustine by
4.0
Although this book is a classic, and definitely worth the read, I’ve determined that Augustine is like a four year old: he incessantly asks questions he doesn’t have the mind to know the answers to. This is how humans are with God, and I’m all for being inquisitive, but sometimes I felt like he asked too inconsequential, detailed questions that made him spin around in circles agonizing over the meaning of “time” and what God really meant when He said “God made heaven and earth.” We’re talking pages of verbosity that really didn’t end up with any conclusive statements. If you’re like me, and you prefer organized, thesis driven, research papers that are concise, this book probably isn’t for you. But if you want a challenging read that is authentic, written 1500 years ago, and unique in its writing style, then you’re up for an adventure!
I honestly could have done without the last 100 pages. If the book stopped before the last 100 pages of endless questions about the nuances of the meaning of random passages of Scripture, I think I would have been a lot more sane. Instead, I found myself beating my head against the wall to finish the book while wanting so desperately to travel back in time and tell Augustine, “Dude, you just don’t know, okay? Ask God all of these questions when you’re in heaven, but please don’t write them down in a book for readers in the 21st century to tediously read through every detail of your incessant questions. Now can you get back to the confessions part of the book?” But alas, perhaps God is teaching me patience and endurance in pushing through all of Augustine’s timeless book.
I actually was decently surprised how timeless the first 3/4 of the book was. Yes, there are very clear differences between the 21st century and the 4th century, but overall you can see how mankind in essence hasn’t changed. Men are still tempted by the same things. Conversions to Christ happen in the same way: death to life epiphanies of men turning from sin and coming to the Light. Families are still dysfunctional and mother-son relationships are similar. Although mankind has “progressed” in the last 1500 years, mankind in its core soul has not. And I found that to be truly fascinating and comforting. God is at work regardless of which century, and it’s very clear how He actively pursued Augustine from sinner to saint and it was beautiful to witness.
One last note: reading the first half really did increase my love and zeal for the word of God. Augustine used so many verses from the old testament to the new in his writings and confessions, which really showed me how much emphasis he placed on the treasure that scripture is. Reading this book made me want to read my bible more, and that in and of itself was worth the challenging read.
I honestly could have done without the last 100 pages. If the book stopped before the last 100 pages of endless questions about the nuances of the meaning of random passages of Scripture, I think I would have been a lot more sane. Instead, I found myself beating my head against the wall to finish the book while wanting so desperately to travel back in time and tell Augustine, “Dude, you just don’t know, okay? Ask God all of these questions when you’re in heaven, but please don’t write them down in a book for readers in the 21st century to tediously read through every detail of your incessant questions. Now can you get back to the confessions part of the book?” But alas, perhaps God is teaching me patience and endurance in pushing through all of Augustine’s timeless book.
I actually was decently surprised how timeless the first 3/4 of the book was. Yes, there are very clear differences between the 21st century and the 4th century, but overall you can see how mankind in essence hasn’t changed. Men are still tempted by the same things. Conversions to Christ happen in the same way: death to life epiphanies of men turning from sin and coming to the Light. Families are still dysfunctional and mother-son relationships are similar. Although mankind has “progressed” in the last 1500 years, mankind in its core soul has not. And I found that to be truly fascinating and comforting. God is at work regardless of which century, and it’s very clear how He actively pursued Augustine from sinner to saint and it was beautiful to witness.
One last note: reading the first half really did increase my love and zeal for the word of God. Augustine used so many verses from the old testament to the new in his writings and confessions, which really showed me how much emphasis he placed on the treasure that scripture is. Reading this book made me want to read my bible more, and that in and of itself was worth the challenging read.