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Writing the Confessions

The next stained glass in the series depicts St. Augustine writing one of his books.  At the bottom of the scroll, we see the date 397, which is when Augustine began writing Confessions. Notice the various books around him. One of the books is Cicero's Hortensius; this book was the initial inspiration for Augustine's spiritual journey (3.4.7). We also see a book of Plato by his feet, which is symbolic of Augustine's debt to Plato through his reading of some "books by the Platonists" (7.9.13).  We can also make out a book on the shelf by Ambrose, who played an influential role in leading Augustine to Christianity. Notice the image of the burning heart pierced by arrows above Augustine's head. You'll find this same image on the Villanova University seal; it is also based on Confessions. After reading Hortensius, Augustine writes in Confessions that his "heart burned with longing for the immortality that wisdom seemed to promise" (3.4.7).  Thus began Augustine's life long journey for wisdom, which he ultimately found in Christianity.  After his conversion experience he wrote, "with the arrows of your charity you had pierced our hearts, and we bore your words within us like a sword penetrating us to the core" (9.2.3). Putting these two references together gives us the symbol of the burning heart, pierced by arrows.

The text that Augustine is writing says: "Such as is the Father in heaven, so is the Son; such as is Mother on earth, so is the Son."  It isn't from Confessions. According to Rev. Thomas Martin, O.S.A., this text is not from any known Augustinian writing, although historically it was frequently attributed to him.  

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Images are from the stained glass windows of St. Thomas of Villanova Church, produced by Aurora Imaging Company.  Quotations from St. Augustine's Confessions, translated by Maria Boulding, O.S.B., (Hyde Park, New York: New City Press) 1997.  Author: John Immerwahr.  July 7, 2008.