The Confessions - Book III

Augustine, whose father had died by now, moved to Carthage at age 18, where he continued his sinful ways and began his studies in rhetoric. He studied one of the great rhetoriticians, Cicero (his bust on the left) - specifically Horentius, a book now lost to us. It argued that the the pursuit of truth through philosophy - the love of wisdom - led to the happy life. This thought deeply moved Augustine "and turned my prayers to Thyself O Lord." Augustine "longed with an incredibly burning desire for the immortality of wisdom." Eventually, this lead him to start reading the Bible.

Unfortunately, the Bible Augustine started reading was a poor Latin translation of the Greek, and it seemed too "lowly" for his "swollen pride" and his "sharp wit" could not seem to "pierce the interior" of it.

Soon, Augustine fell in with the Manicheans, a heretical Gnostic Christian sect that arose in Persia, which combined Greek philosophy with Christianity. Augustine describes Manicheanism, but critically as a Christian following his conversion. So Augustine complains they offered him the sun and the moon, things God created, instead of offering God himself. Their God was confused with material matter, instead of understanding his immortal and spiritual nature. And as with other Gnostics, they did not believe God could have created this world with its evil material matter - that must have been done by a demi-God. Augustine would be confused by the Manicheans for the next 9 years.

In the meantime, his mother, Monica began to ardently pray for Augustine. She saw the local bishop and asked him if he would talk to young Augustine. The bishop declined, saying Augustine was not teachable yet, and urged her to keep praying for him. She told the bishop of her tears over Augustine. He told her, "Go thy ways and God bless thee, for it is not possible that the son of these tears should perish." Monica took this as the voice of heaven.

Back to Book II.

On to Book IV.