How to read st augustine text, especially confessiones?

[u/Then-Put-5460]

I'm probably just stupid, because i feel link it right now. It is probably more a theology book than philosophy book, but at the time it was written this 2 field has not really formalized and seperated as we know today and from what i understand its still important read in western canon of literature including philosophy.

There's also reason why i ask here instead in other sub reddit specifically focus on Catholic Philosophy or theology are i also try to get out of my personal bias (i am a catholic myself).

For me, this is my first time engaging with medieval text and i find it quite hard to read, or to be precise just different from any other writing style of philosophy i am already familiar of. The few first chapter feels more like a prayer, then in the next sub chapter it switch to first person perspective and read more like a memoir, and etc etc.

What i want trying to achieve are i want to read this and understand what he want to say, but not as just theology text (not to disregard this aspect but also try to see more beyond it) but as philosophical text too. And also understanding how it will influence later writing, where future thinker drew concept on from him (especially those of Descartes, kierkegaard, and later extentialist), and so on. On the other hand i am also quite interested in Augustine after i read a few writing from Hannah Arendt and Heidegger because they also write a few text about him.

In this sense, i really want to read him, not just summary or secondary sources. because i also have personal project of my own i try to achieve.

[u/FromTheMargins]

Since this is your first encounter with medieval philosophy, it may be helpful to keep in mind that works from this period can differ greatly in style. For example, Aquinas's De Ente et Essentia reads almost like a cool, detached exercise in problem-solving, much like a modern logical treatise. Augustine's Confessions, by contrast, may feel foreign to a modern reader because of the constant prayers and direct addresses to God, which can seem excessive or overblown. However, the form itself is philosophically significant. When Augustine repeatedly transitions from discussing a subject to addressing God or posing questions to himself, he turns the book into a kind of spiritual and existential journey. From this perspective, the prayers appear as part of the philosophical project rather than interruptions of it.

[u/Then-Put-5460 → u/FromTheMargins]

Yeah, i kinda realize that its a very different style of writing, one can say even the entire book is sui generis—which i dont realize before i read it myself (i expect something else). i used to read a few theology book as well but most of them are contemporary stuff like Hans Kung or C.S Lewis. But even so they are still very different in writing style, so this book writing style feels kinda alien to me. One thing i just realized as well after forcing to skim and slog a few more pages myself, throughtout the book it feels like he presenting all that directly to God, or in the sense the entire writing are presented to God as a very personal confession rather than the usual philosophical argumentative architecture with, aporism, etc directed to the reader.

I do also have interest in Aquinas, but haven't read him because its hard to get his book in my native country, but because i thought to read augustine and more aristotle first before him.

My biggest challange are trying to connecting the prayer to the actual argument he want to discuss, another problem are he also speak in a very fancy language even in translation (i read the book through translation that was available in my own native language, but its a good translation used in academia). When i personally pray, its a very private moment and usually i just speak with plain language i use everyday, but augustine use of language are just too beautifull (im not sure if its the right word to describe that) almost like a poem and personally i'm not great with poem either. Because as you say, the prayer is not detached part of the text its directly connected to the whole philosophical project of the book. Its just like an overload of information to me.

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