"I went on talking like this and weeping in the intense bitterness of my broken heart. Suddenly I heard a voice from a from nearby--perhaps a voice of some boy or girl, I do not know--singing over and over agian, 'Pick it up and read, pick it up and read.' ... No sooner had I reached the end of the verse than the light of certainty flooded my heart and all dark shades of doubt fled away." (pg 156, Book 8, section 29)
The story of Augustine's conversion is an incredible event. He hears voices, reads a passage, and is suddenly convinced. It is reminiscent of Paul's conversion from the new testament, with voices telling him what to do, and a sudden moment of clarity. This moment is certainly the climax in the storyline of Augustine's faith journey. It is surprising that two of the biggest superstars of the church at their various times had such sensational conversions. It prompts one to wonder if this amazing vision and conversion actually happened to Augustine, or if this is sensationalized in order to keep reader's interest and gain credibility. It would be quite a let down to this story of his long journey to hear that he just keeps working on it, and it is a slow but rewarding process. As Augustine is an important figure in the church, it would seem more fitting for him to have an incredible and dramatic conversion story. However, a slow and difficult conversion would seem to resonate more with readers of the day, who may not have been able to devote their entire life to this process, but would like to find God anyways. I think that part of Augustine's narcissism that is shown throughout the book that he must have a fantastic conversion story, because he is not a normal person and does not deserve a normal conversion. Do you think that this conversion story was real, or greatly enhanced for readers' interest and Augustine's image?
I think it's likely that the baptism story is fake. I agree with what you said, that with Augustine being such an important figure in the church that he should also have a significant baptism story. We were talking about auto-fiction last class and how sometimes in order for the right message to be displayed to the reader, you need to stretch the truth a little bit. With the conversion being such a milestone in Augustine's life, it needed to be explained to us in an equally important way.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the possibility that the conversion story Augustine recounts in his writing is fake. No doubt the idea that divine sources personally contacted Augustine would be a source of authority on religious matters. Augustine rise through the ranks of the church was unusually quick as he rose to the level of Bishop. I believe that he most likely used the authority that such a grand conversion story gave him as a means to boost his rise through the hierarchy of the church.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Just by seeing Augustine's personality which is depicted through the different books, I believe he enhanced his baptism story. While his conversion story may have had some of the elements that he describes, there is no way that it was that dramatic.
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