Augustine And Monnica

Augustine And Monnica

Augustine and Monnica
Augustine’s Confessions are considered by many to be his most personal work.   Defying the conventional autobiography, Augustine allows most of the historical details of his life fade into the background because it is clear that he believes “the evolution of the heart is the real stuff of autobiography.”   Augustine wrote The Confessions at a turning point in his life.   After his conversion in 391 he struggled to adapt to his new life as a priest and bishop in face of his rebellious past and his new role as a spiritual authority.   Peter Brown notes that “He (Augustine) must base his future on a different view of himself: and how could he gain this view, except by reinterpreting just that part of his past, that had culminated in the conversion, on which he had until recently placed such high hopes?”   The Confessions allowed Augustine to burrow deep into his past and search for healing, understanding, and continuity by confronting those issues still haunting him.   There are many ghosts the reader encounters along the way in Augustine’s past that haunt the pasts of many: alcohol, sexual immorality, and arrogance just to name a few.   But there is no ghost or character in his past more fascinating than the character of Augustine’s mother, Monnica.  
Monnica’s character is woven in and out of The Confessions with amazing clarity and timing.   There is no doubt an author of Augustine’s caliber did not allow her to be involved by accident, or because he was overwhelmed by a subconscious power.   Brown reminds us that The Confessions “is an autobiography in which the author has imposed a drastic, fully-conscious choice of what is significant.”   Monnica is clearly present in the Confessions for a reason, but what reason?   What is Augustine doing with Monnica?   This paper does not seek to make a claim for an interpretation of Monnica as Christ or as the Church, but simply posits that Augustine places Monnica in a separate...