아우구스티누스는 『고백록』 11-13권을 왜 썼는가

Books 11-13 in Augustine’s Confessions from an educational point of view

Given that Augustine’s conversion implies a qualitative growth in his life, this paper aims to interpret the last three books (11-13) in his Confessions from an educational point of view. With this view, I argue, these books can be regarded as summaries of his educational theory as follows. After showing that his conversion results from an exploration of the inner self in book 10, Augustine suggests prayer as a significant way to higher understanding in book 11. To avoid this understanding only in a private sense, he insists that all knowledge we acquire should be rooted in universal truths in book 12. Despite those above, However, Augustine urges us to notice ourselves as limited beings, which nevertheless has the trinity in us as the potential to grow in book 13. This view allows us to consider the books 11-13 as a development history of inner growth.