MRST 106 - The Confessions of St. Augustine

Semester Offered: Spring
1/2 unit(s)

(Same as GRST 106 and RELI 106) Augustine of Hippo (354-430 CE) was born and raised in Roman Africa, converted to Christianity at the age of 32, entered the priesthood, and composed works of theology that greatly influenced the development of Western Christianity. The Confessions, his most famous work and an enduring masterpiece of late Latin literature, is an autobiographical account of a young man’s search for happiness and truth, from the sins and errors (as he later viewed them) of his youth—his sexual affairs, friendships, and intellectual enthusiasms—to the mystical experience of his conversion. Augustine captures his journey from confusion to enlightenment in an emotional and innovative style, blending personal recollection, intense soul-searching, biblical quotation, prayer, and philosophical reflection on the meaning of memory and time. The course sets the Confessions in the cultural context of late imperial Rome and examines its unique ideas and literary qualities. Mr. Brown.

6-week course.

All readings are in English translation.

Two 75-minute periods.