Confessions is the name of a series of books by St. Augustine of Hippo written between 397 and 398 AD. The book tells about his sinful youth and how he converted to Catholicism. It is the first autobiography ever published as well as being a significant theological work and a precursor to the Confessions of Usher.

Themes of the books

1. his infancy and boyhood up to age 15;
2. he falls amongst bad companions committing theft and succumbing to lust;
3. his studies at Carthage, his conversion to Manichaeism and continued indulgence in lust between 16 and 19;
4. losing a friend and studies in Aristotle and the fit and the fair between 20 and 29;
5. moving away from Manichaeism under the influence of St. Ambrose in Milan at 29;
6. under the influence of St. Ambrose work, moves towards Catholicism at the age of 30;
7. moving towards a greater understanding of God at the age of 31;
8. his conversion to Christianity at the age of 32 and receiving instruction by Simplicianus on how to convert others;
9. his baptism at 33, the death of his mother Monica and the death of his friends Nebridius and Vecundus, and his abandonment of his studies of rhetoric;
10. continued reflections on the values of confessions;
11. reflections on Genesis;
12. continued reflections on the book of Genesis; and
13. exploration of the meaning of Genesis and the Trinity

Links

• New Advent explanation of Confessions
• Electronic version of the Confessions of St Augustine