The Conversion of St. Augustine

Paper Summary:

This paper is a short discussion of Augustine's conversion of faith, towards the church and away from Gnosticism and skepticism, and how this conversion coincides with the changes in his will and sexual appetite.

From the Paper:

"In The Confessions, St. Augustine goes through three distinct intellectual conversions in his adult life that led to the ultimate goal of conversion of his will toward God. Augustine's method is extremely philosophical in nature. The first stage of his conversion is acceptance of Manicheism; a doctrine he continually criticized throughout the book. The second stage is somewhat of a transitional period in Augustine's life where those philosophies he accepted with the Manichee faith are challenged and rebutted. The third and final stage of Augustine's intellectual conversion and subsequent conversion of the will is his appraisal of neo-platonic philosophy. Although Augustine remains is concerned about how conversion may affect his lifestyle and sexual appetite throughout the book, his intellectual progression ultimately leads to his conversion."

More papers on The Conversion of St. Augustine:

• Book Review # 94651 : "The Confessions of St. Augustine"
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• Essay # 95534 : "St. Augustine of Hippo"

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