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14 - Soul, Self, and Interiority

from Part II - Main Themes and Topics

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 February 2020

By
Phillip Cary
Edited by
Tarmo Toom
Tarmo Toom
Affiliation:
Georgetown University, Washington DC
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Summary

Augustine directs his readers’ attention to the soul as an inner world, an interior space of the self that is not literally a place, but rather a dimension of being in which truths may be found, including God as the eternal truth that has always been present both within and above the soul as its creator. Yet, the self comes late to God within itself, because as sinners we keep turning our attention outward, trying to find happiness in external things.

Keywords

Augustineinterioritysoulself
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Companion to Augustine's 'Confessions' , pp. 227 - 242
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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References

Further Reading

Bourke, V. Augustine’s Love of Wisdom: An Introspective Philosophy. West Lafayette, IN: Purdue University Press, 1992.Google Scholar
Cary, P. Augustine’s Invention of the Inner Self: The Legacy of a Christian Platonist. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000.Google Scholar
Cary, P. Inner Grace: Augustine in the Traditions of Plato and Paul. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cary, P. Outward Signs: The Powerlessness of External Things in Augustine’s Thought. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008.Google Scholar
Kenney, J. P. The Mysticism of Saint Augustine: Rereading the Confessions. New York: Routledge, 2005.Google Scholar
Menn, S. Descartes and Augustine. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1998.Google Scholar
O’Connell, R. J. St. Augustine’s Confessions: The Odyssey of Soul. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1969.Google Scholar
O’Meara, J. J. Young Augustine: The Growth of St. Augustine’s Mind up to His Conversion. London: Longman, 1980.Google Scholar
Plotinus, . The Enneads, trans. McKenna, Stephen. New York: Penguin, 1991.Google Scholar
Pseudo-Dionysius, . “Mystical Theology.” In Pseudo-Dionysius: The Complete Works, trans. Luibheid, C.. Classics of Western Spirituality. New York: Paulist, 1987.Google Scholar

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  • Soul, Self, and Interiority
  • Edited by Tarmo Toom, Georgetown University, Washington DC
  • Book: The Cambridge Companion to Augustine's 'Confessions'
  • Online publication: 22 February 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108672405.017
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  • Soul, Self, and Interiority
  • Edited by Tarmo Toom, Georgetown University, Washington DC
  • Book: The Cambridge Companion to Augustine's 'Confessions'
  • Online publication: 22 February 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108672405.017
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Soul, Self, and Interiority
  • Edited by Tarmo Toom, Georgetown University, Washington DC
  • Book: The Cambridge Companion to Augustine's 'Confessions'
  • Online publication: 22 February 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108672405.017
Available formats
×