Augustines Intellectual Conversion PDF Download

Despite its iconic status in Western culture, Augustine's conversion in the Milanese garden in 386 (described in Confessions 8.12.29) remains a thoroughly perplexing event. The main difficulty is that it is not clear just how Augustine distinguished between Neoplatonism and Christianity at the time. The gravity of this difficulty can be measured by the fact that Alfaric could argue (in 1918) that Augustine was converted to Neoplatonism rather than to Christianity in 386, and that he only later became a Christian. This shocking claim elicited a fierce response, most notably from Courcelle, who argued (in 1950) that Neoplatonism and Christianity would not have been mutually exclusive options for Augustine in 386. Henceforth it became (and remains) something of a cliche that the problem posed by Alfaric is wrongheaded: Augustine, we are assured, was converted to Neoplatonism and to Christianity in 386. In my view, this is a false assurance. I believe that the problem posed by Alfaric is a real one. My aim in this dissertation is to revitalize this problem by presenting a significant new interpretation of Confessions 7.9.13-7.21.27. In these paragraphs, Augustine recounts his movement from Platonic 'presumption' to Christian 'confession.' This movement constitutes Augustine's 'intellectual conversion' to Christianity, culminating in his recognition of the Incarnate Christ, the Word made flesh. It is widely assumed that the developments described in these paragraphs occurred within the space of a few months in the summer of 386. However, I argue that the period of time in question is actually about ten years (386- ca. 395). If I am correct about this, a thorough reconsideration of the significance of Augustine's conversion is in order. Augustine may have been a sincere convert in 386, but how exactly did he understand Christianity at this time? If he did not recognize the Incarnation in 386, and if the Incarnation is what distinguishes Christianity from Neoplatonism according to the narrator of the Confessions, then to what, exactly, was Augustine converted in 386? How is the new convert to be distinguished from the pagan Neoplatonists, who also failed to recognize the Incarnation?