The Ladder of St. Augustine

BELLOTTO, Bernardo. Capriccio with the Colosseum. 1743-44.
Oil on canvas. Galleria Nazionale, Parma.

Today we continue our study of Augustine's life, plumbing the depths of what it means to be human, what it means to sin and to repent, to reflect and to praise. Here we consider Longfellow's thoughts on the man: "Saint Augustine! well hast thou said / That of our vices we can frame / A ladder, if we will but tread / Beneath our feet each deed of shame!" This is a good summary of how Augustine's life transitioned from sinner to saint, for "The heights by great men reached and kept / Were not attained by sudden flight, / But they, while their companions slept, / Were toiling upward in the night." Let us also follow suit.


Agenda:

1. Pater noster
2. Discuss Confessions Essay
3. Key sections of Confessions:
1. Augustine's and the Problem of Evil: A Logical Analysis 
4. Poetry Project: "The Ladder of St. Augustine" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
5. Review HW:
1. Confessions Essay
2. Read Books VIII - IX by Monday (9/10)

Here is a good reading of "The Ladder of St. Augustine":