Christian History Home > Issue 15 > True-Life Confessions: The Precedent-Setting Revelations of Augustine's Restless Heart
True-Life Confessions: The Precedent-Setting Revelations of Augustine's Restless Heart
Our hearts are restless until they find their peace in you.
HERBERT JACOBSEN Herbert Jacobsen is a professor in the Bible/theology/archaeology department at Wheaton College, Wheaton, Ill | posted 7/01/1987 12:00AM
Perhaps Augustine is best-known for these words from his
Confessions
, but they are far from being the only meaningful or intriguing words in this precedent-setting autobiography.
Though written nearly 1,600 years ago, it still remains one of the most widely read religious works in the Western world. It offers keen insights into Augustine’s life and a sharp understanding of the human heart. Western theology and culture owe a great deal to this unique autobiography.
Augustine may have intended his Confessions as a consecration of himself for his work in the church. He wrote it between 397 and 401 A.D., shortly after being named bishop of Hippo. Repeatedly he reminds himself that God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble.
A confession, by nature, brings an indictment against oneself before God. Appropriately, Augustine’s Confessions takes the form of a prayer. Thus it is not merely a recital of his life story, nor does he melodramatically embellish the good in his life or deemphasize ... To view this item, you must be a member of ChristianHistory.net.
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