Augustine in His Own Words (continued)
Confessions 35
One reason why the effort continues is that, despite the odd architecture, Confessions does feel unified and Augustine himself always considered it a unified work. If one reads the entire text, one comes away with the sense that it does somehow fit together. Partly this is because many hidden threads crisscross the text. But one central thread, one that subtly unites the work, is the idea of confession, a three-fold confession of sin, of praise, and of faith.57 John O'Meara once remarked that "it is a mistake . . . to seek to separate these three elements, for though the emphasis varies from place to place the confession of sin nearly always implies faith and praise, and likewise each of the other two implies the others."58 Here are a few passages that illustrate the theme. Note they typically appear at the opening of individual books: (i) Confession of Sin
From Confessions, Book 2:
(1.1) I want to recall to mind the foul deeds of my past and the carnal corruptions of my soul, not because I love them but that I may love You, O my God. I do this for love of Your love, bringing again to mind my wicked ways in a bitter-tasting remembrance that You may bring sweetness to me, O undeceiving Sweetness, Sweetness both happy and secure. You gathered me together from a dispersion in which I was divided and torn asunder when I turned away from the Oneness of You and frittered myself away on the many.59 (ii) Confession of Praise
From Confessions, Book 5:
(1.1) Accept the sacrifice of my confession as the offering of "the hand of my tongue" (Prv 18:21), which You formed and stirred up to confess Your Name. "Heal all my bones" (Ps 6:3) and "let them say: Lord, who is like You?" (Ps 34:10) Not that one who confesses to You teaches You anything about what goes on within him, for the heart that is closed is not shut to Your eye nor does the hardness of humanity stay Your hand. Rather, You soften it whenever You desire, either in compassion or in punishment. "There is no one who
57. Augustine discusses the various meanings of "confession" (confessio) in his sermons: s. 67.1–2; en. Ps. 29.2.22, 141.19. He does so at length in one of the newly discovered Dolbeau sermons: s. 29B.1–6 (= Dolbeau 8). On this theme in Confessiones, see O'Donnell, 2:3–7. 58. John O'Meara, The Young Augustine: The Growth of St. Augustine's Mind Up to His Conversion, rev. ed. (New York: Alba House, 2001), 2.
59. Conf. 2.1.1 (CCL 27:18); my trans., based on Bourke, FOTC 21:33.