St. Augustine’s Confessions

Overview

Course No. 6627

This 24-lecture course offers a profound chapter-by-chapter analysis of Augustine’s Confessions – a foundational text of Christianity and Western philosophy. Professors Cook and Herzman guide you through Augustine’s spiritual autobiography and philosophical meditations, exploring timeless questions about human nature, faith, memory, and the divine.

From Augustine’s childhood sins to his dramatic conversion and later theological reflections, you’ll examine how this 4th-century work remains startlingly relevant to modern life. The course covers all 13 books, including Augustine’s famous accounts of stealing pears, his mother Monica’s death, and his groundbreaking thoughts on time and biblical interpretation.

Video Lectures

01: Augustine and the Confessions (32 min)

Introduce the Confessions and its enduring significance in the 21st century.

02: Augustine and the World of Classical Antiquity (30 min)

Explore the political and cultural context of the late Roman Empire.

03: The Corpus of Augustine’s Writings (30 min)

Survey Augustine’s 48-volume literary output beyond the Confessions.

04: Form and Genre (31 min)

Analyze why the Confessions defies simple classification as autobiography.

05: Book I—Sin and Confession (30 min)

Examine Augustine’s reflections on infancy and childhood sinfulness.

06: Book I—Augustine’s Childhood (30 min)

Discover how Augustine portrays his early education as moral miseducation.

07: Book II—Augustine Grows Up (30 min)

Study Augustine’s teenage years and parental influences.

08: Book II—Stealing Pears: So What? (30 min)

Analyze the famous pear theft as symbolic of Adam’s original sin.

09: Book III—The Journey Begins (30 min)

Follow young Augustine to Carthage and his encounter with Cicero’s philosophy.

10: Book IV—The Problem of Friendship (30 min)

Consider Augustine’s meditation on grief and the nature of true friendship.

11: Book V—From Carthage to Rome (30 min)

Trace Augustine’s move to Italy and encounters with Faustus and Ambrose.

12: Book VI—A New Look at Christianity (30 min)

Examine Augustine’s changing views on faith and reason.

13: Book VII—Neo-Platonism and Truth (30 min)

Discover how pagan philosophy led Augustine toward Christian truth.

14: Book VII—Faith and Reason (30 min)

Explore Augustine’s conclusions about evil and creation’s goodness.

15: Book VIII—Converging Conversions (30 min)

Study conversion narratives that shaped Augustine’s spiritual journey.

16: Book VIII—”Pick It Up and Read” (30 min)

Analyze Augustine’s dramatic garden conversion scene.

17: Book IX—The New Man (30 min)

Follow Augustine’s post-conversion life choices and baptisms.

18: Book IX—The Death of Monica (30 min)

Reflect on Augustine’s moving account of his mother’s passing.

19: Book X—Augustine the Bishop (30 min)

Consider Augustine’s present struggles as a Christian leader.

20: Book X—Augustine on Memory (30 min)

Explore Augustine’s groundbreaking philosophy of memory.

21: Book XI—Augustine on Time (30 min)

Delve into Augustine’s famous meditation: “What then is time?”

22: Book XII—Augustine on Biblical Interpretation (30 min)

Examine Augustine’s approach to Genesis and multiple meanings in Scripture.

23: Book XIII—Augustine on Creation (30 min)

Conclude with Augustine’s interpretation of Genesis’ creation account.

24: The Confessions Through the Ages (31 min)

Trace the Confessions‘ influence on thinkers like Dante and Luther.