Confessions 8

Study Guide Questions for Book V, i-vii

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Virtues/Vices/Great Ideas: (Find them in the Text)

Providence, Pride, Happiness, Ignorance, Humility, Prudence

Grammar Questions: (The Information of the Text)

1. What “repute” did Faustus have among the Manichees? 

2. According to Augustine, what kinds of true things have the pagan philosophers discovered with “the mind and the intellect” which God gave them?

3. According to Augustine, how does happiness relate to knowledge and ignorance of God?

4. What had Mani claimed concerning his relation to the Holy Spirit?

5. What issue, specifically, did Augustine wish to ask Faustus about in relation to Mani’s teachings?

6. What was Augustine “not allowed” to do at the public assembly where Faustus was speaking?

7. Once Augustine finally got to meet Faustus, what did he find him to be like?

8. What resolve did Augustine “totally” abandon after having met Faustus?

Logic Questions: (Interpreting, Comparing/Contrasting, Reasoning)

1. What did Augustine mean when he said, “animal and physical matter find a voice through those who contemplate them?”

2. Why did Augustine find the “philosophers’ teachings…to be more plausible” than what he heard from the Manichees?

3. What is Augustine trying to say in regard to a person’s false belief about a natural object (like the sun or moon) becoming “an obstacle if he thinks his view of nature belongs to the very form of orthodox doctrine?”

4. Augustine said, “Fine style does not make something true, nor has a man a wise soul because he has a handsome face and well-chosen eloquence.” What might we infer about the tendency of human persons in light of Augustine’s warning here?

5. Why would some people be “suspicious and refuse to accept the truth if it is presented in polished and rich language?”

6. What did Augustine mean by saying of God, “none other than you is teacher of the truth, wherever and from whatever source it is manifest?”

7. Why might Augustine have not been allowed to ask his questions to Faustus “in the public assembly?”

8. What did Augustine mean when he said, “Ignorance of the liberal arts is compatible with holding authentic piety, but not if one is a manichee.”

9. Why did Augustine ultimately decide not to continue to follow the paths of the Manichean religion?

Rhetoric Questions: (The Analysis of Ideas in the Text)

1. Given the fact that human persons are naturally attracted to beauty (remember Augustine’s warning quoted above), both in regard to beauty of sight and of sound, how might this affect the art of Rhetoric (persuasion through writing and speaking)? Should beauty be a factor in the way we present ourselves when we wish to persuade others to our point of view? Are such considerations purely vain and therefore below what the Christian should care about? What considerations should be made in regard to beauty by an orator (or rhetorician) planning to give a public speech? How might different settings and/or audiences affect a rhetor’s preparation in regard to beauty?

2. In our present reading Augustine criticizes the heretic, Mani, based upon the fact that he made claims about the heavenly bodies contrary to demonstrable scientific observations. In fact he said Mani was “daring to teach a matter which he did not understand.” What is the proper relationship between natural philosophy (i.e. science) and religion? To what degree should one be permitted to correct the other? Can (or should) scientific observation inform our interpretation of Scripture? Can (or should) Scripture inform our interpretation of what we see in the natural world? Was Augustine right for rejecting Mani as a false teacher on these grounds? Why or why not?

3. Augustine was deeply disappointed in Faustus’ lack of study in the liberal arts. Should Christians expect their pastors to be “liberally educated?” In other words, should we demand that our pastors have an advanced education which is wider than biblical and theological studies alone (perhaps including broad studies in History, Literature, Philosophy, Mathematics, and Science)? How might a liberal arts education be beneficial to a Christian minister? What drawbacks might there be, if any, in a pastor studying more than just the Bible?

Theological Analysis: (Sola Scriptura)

1. Relate what Augustine says in Book V section ii of Confessions to the biblical story of Jonah the prophet.

2. How does Romans 1:18-23 address the ideas which Augustine brought up concerning the pagan philosopher’s ability to see true things in creation while still failing to understand them as they ought?

3. Relate Proverbs 25:11 to Augustine’s ideas of beauty and rhetoric.