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Augustine Confessions Analysis

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Nestled among the poignant narratives and lofty philosophical discussions in Augustine's Confessions lies a treasure of theological truths and propositions. Indeed, in Augustine's monumental and crowning work, he fuses both personal anecdotes and rational paradigms to formulate masterful theological doctrines, which have vastly influenced the Christian church for well over a millennium. Thus, for Augustine, a solid philosophical framework forms the basis of theology, which individual experience thence enhances and augments. Augustine's discussion of the Holy Spirit throughout the Confessions clearly demonstrates this intricate interplay. Any analysis of the Holy Spirit in Augustine's works cannot be complete without first embarking on …show more content…
This concept forms an overarching theme of Augustine's theology of the Holy Spirit within the Confessions, as he interprets the creation narrative allegorically. Though this allegorical method of hermeneutics might seem careless and even heretical to a student in the strict Western tradition, one must understand Augustine's high view of Scripture. According to Levering, Augustine held the belief and expectation that God chooses to "teach us about his triunity" through Scripture. Therefore, based on this assumption and doctrine of Scripture, Augustine searched the Scriptures diligently to discover signs revealing the nature of the …show more content…
These monikers have become commonplace in mainline Christianity today, but Augustine established the framework for them centuries ago in the Confessions. In Augustine's mind, the greatest gift of all is love, and this is how he justifies using both names for the Holy Spirit. Indeed, in the Confessions, Augustine only refers to the Spirit as love, and, the result of the outworking of this gift is the transformation of people's hearts. In addition, as Levering notes, the Spirit imparts these gifts variously among men in order to demonstrate his presence. Because he "opened up the floodgates of his gifts," the Spirit allows the believer to understand all good

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