The Two Visions Of St. Augustine :: essays research papers

A common thread of faith and close runs done the two different theological visions of St. Augustine in his Confessions. This can be seen by comparing the ascent, the vision, the descent, and language in the two visions. Although other parts of the schoolbook will be referred to, the central part of these visions are as follows deal 1 "... in an instant of awe, my mind attained to the sight of the divinity fudge who IS. Then, at last, I caught sight of your invisible spirit, as it is known by means of your creatures. But I had no strength to fix my gaze upon them. In my weakness I recoiled and fell back..." Vision 2 "And while we verbalise of the Eternal Wisdom, longing for it and straining for it with all the strength of our hearts, for one fugitive instant we reached out and touched it. Then, with a sigh, leaving our spiritual draw bound to it, we returned to the sound of our own speech,..." (Page 197)The two excerpts are written in similar styles. Both cont ain strong Platonist language, such as references to the delineate (the image of climbing to knowledge in the second vision, page 197), the spelunk ("confusion of images," in the outset vision, page 151), and the sun (the transient bore of the first vision, page 152). The language in each vision in like manner refers to the mode of ascent. In the first vision, Augustine makes his ascent by reason, seen through dustup like, "my thoughts," "the power of reason," and "bodily sense." In the second vision, Augustine and his mother, Monica, make the ascent by the power of love. This is seen by words such as, "flame of love," "our hearts," and "strength of our hearts." (Page 197)The method of ascent to each vision is significant when considering the role that faith and reason play in each. Together, the method of ascent, faith, and reason represent Augustines journey to faith. The first ascent is necessarily made by the mind an d reason, necessarily because Augustine has not yet received faith, which would enable him to go farther. (Page 151) Augustine begins his ascent with questions about the nature of his mind. He tries to answer these through the consideration of material things, the soul, and reason itself. (Page 151) Everything that he deliberates is arrived at by a reasonable chain of thought that takes limit in his mind.