Confession

Author: Augustine
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-05-01
Features: In the book, Augustine not only reveals sincere emotions but also conducts a profound analysis of his actions and thoughts. His writing is delicate, vivid, and unique, making it a representative work of late Latin literature and listed as one of the great classics of ancient Western literature. This book was written during Augustine's tenure as a teacher in Hippo and published in 401 AD. It is the first important autobiography in Western literary history. The main theme of the book is to acknowledge the greatness of God, recall the humility of the secretary, and praise the grace of Christ. The entire book consists of thirteen volumes. The first nine volumes narrate his family history from birth to the death of his mother, detailing his growth and transformation in life, spirit, and faith during his childhood, youth, adulthood, and mature years. The tenth volume records his thoughts and emotions while writing Confessions, which can be seen as the conclusion of the autobiography. The last three volumes focus on interpreting chapters of the Old Testament of the Bible and explaining some philosophical and theological theories. Reading through the entire book, we can observe that Augustine sometimes passionately expresses his heartfelt praise for God, sometimes desperately laments the harsh criticism of humanity and himself, sometimes deeply reflects, introspects, and talks to himself as if the reader does not exist, and at other times, he looks up to the heavens and converses in a sincere yet mysterious tone. His thoughts flow smoothly at times, with words pouring out like a spring, while at other times, he ponders deeply, searching for words and phrases to convey his ideas and insights that seem to transcend language. Regardless, even reading this ancient great man's autobiography from today's perspective, we are moved by his piety and honesty, his knowledge and wisdom, as well as his thoughts and spirit.