Changes

[[Image:Augustine of Hippo.jpg|right|thumb|St. Augustine]]

[[Image:Augustine of Hippo.jpg|right|thumb|St. Augustine]]

'''''Confessions''''' is the 13 book autobiography of [[Saint Augustine]].  He was one of the [[Church fathers]], very important in the history of the early Church, born in North Africa to a [[pagan]] father and Christian mother. ''Confessions'' was written in [[Latin]] shortly between 397 and 398 AD, while he was in his forties, and is a remarkable piece of [[Christianity|Christian]] literature for several reasons.

'''''Confessions''''' is the autobiography of [[Saint Augustine]].  He was one of the [[Church fathers]], very important in the history of the early Church, born in North Africa to a [[pagan]] father and Christian mother. ''Confessions'' was written in [[Latin]] shortly between 397 and 398 AD, while he was in his forties, and is a remarkable piece of [[Christianity|Christian]] literature for several reasons.

* It is the first ever [[autobiography]] in [[Western literature]], so Augustine created a whole new model of literature.

* It is the first ever [[autobiography]] in [[Western literature]], so Augustine created a whole new model of literature. It was originally produced as 13 books, each subdivided into chapters. The lengths of the books is rather uneven - Book Two has 10 chapters while the more philosophical Book Ten is contains 43 chapters! Chapters are quite short, a couple of pages, and with modern printing techniques the ''Confessions'' is actually published in one volume, with most translations between 200 and 400 pages. When it was written, the individual books had to be copied out by hand!

* Augustine describes his [[conversion]] to Christianity at the age of 33, after experimenting with a wild youth, [[Manichaeism]] and [[Neoplatonism]]. His rejection of the Neoplatonic Greek philosophy as a complete explanation for the universe - he saw that their complicated and wordy arguments didn't necessarily make them true - and the logical inconsistencies of Manichaeism help explain why Christianity became the dominant belief in post-Classical Europe and (until the rise of [[Islam]]) North Africa and the Middle East. Modern readers may find it easier to empathise with his wild youth than his temporary commitment to these two largely forgotten traditions that were vying with Christianity at the time; [[Resources for leaving atheism and becoming a Christian|for other people leaving atheism and trying to turn to the Lord]], they can take heart from the personal fulfilment he received from his conversion.

* Augustine describes his [[conversion]] to Christianity at the age of 33, after experimenting with a wild youth, [[Manichaeism]] and [[Neoplatonism]]. His rejection of the Neoplatonic Greek philosophy as a complete explanation for the universe - he saw that their complicated and wordy arguments didn't necessarily make them true - and the logical inconsistencies of Manichaeism help explain why Christianity became the dominant belief in post-Classical Europe and (until the rise of [[Islam]]) North Africa and the Middle East. Modern readers may find it easier to empathise with his wild youth than his temporary commitment to these two largely forgotten traditions that were vying with Christianity at the time; [[Resources for leaving atheism and becoming a Christian|for other people leaving atheism and trying to turn to the Lord]], they can take heart from the personal fulfilment he received from his conversion.

* He describes the first-hand influence of another great [[saint]] on him, [[Saint Ambrose]], and how Ambrose's arguments persuaded him that Christianity is the true and logically correct religion.

* He describes the first-hand influence of another great [[saint]] on him, [[Saint Ambrose]], and how Ambrose's arguments persuaded him that Christianity is the true and logically correct religion.