Augustine's Confessions: Conversion and Consciousness argues two original positions concerning the structure and meaning of the Confessions by Augustine. The structure is found to be a tool used by Augustine in his earlier pre-Confessions writings in which he uses the Allegory of the Cave in book VII of the Republic by Plato to both describe human consciousness and as a structural framework for his own life story. As with Plato's allegory, Augustine then uses Books X-XIII to do, what the author calls, "Scriptural Philosophical" analysis of the allegorical prayer previously given. The author shows that the Confessions is really an allegorical quasi-prayer that shows Augustine's state of mind or disposition through space/timeand at the same time uses different personas, schools of thought and metaphysical constructs to show the inadequacy of Plato's consciousness model of the cave to truly describe human ratiocination within consciousness in its totalitySynchronic-Synthetic-Triplex (SST) or body, mind, God-Will substance. Instead, Augustine demonstrates the superiority of the Christian conversion to that of the Platonic as described both by Platonic books and the books of the Platonists. The Christian conversion is based on the incarnate Wisdom of Christ Jesus within the Cave/World.

Robert Hunter Craig is an ordained Baptist minister and holds a PhD in philosophy and religion from the University of South Florida.

Foreword by Nicholas Wolterstorff

Preface

Introduction

Chapter One: Sitz Im Leben: The Setting in Life of theConfessiones

Chapter Two: Socratism: Human Ratiocination and Happiness

Chapter Three:Pura Mente: Augustines Early Philosophy of Medicinal Scripture

Chapter Four: Autopsychographical Augustine: Allegory of the Cave Structure in Books I - IX

Chapter Five: Analytic Augustine: Synchronic-Synthetic-Triplex and Superior Conversion as Meaning in Books X - XIII

Chapter Six:Confession-al Influence on Philosophy of Mind and Metaphysics

Conclusion The Cave and God Consciousness Understanding

Appendix: Structure and Meaning Analysis of theConfessiones

References

Index

About the Author