ΦTHALASSAJournal of Philosophy
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Confessions

Augustine

Christian Platonism · Intermediate

The first sustained Western autobiography and a bridge between ancient philosophy and medieval theology.

Augustine · first circulated c. 397–400 CE

Main ideas

  • Memory, desire, and time examined through autobiography.
  • Platonist metaphysics reworked inside Christian faith.

Important themes

TimeDesireConversion

Reading context

Written around 400 CE, the first Western autobiography, addressed to God rather than to readers. Augustine is examining memory, desire and time as much as recounting a life.

How to approach it

Books 1 to 9 are the narrative, including the pear theft and the conversion in the garden. Book 11 on time is the philosophical high point and can be read on its own.