Confessions of Augustine: Lecture 5 – Finding Hope in Despair

In book four of Confessions, while “seduced” by the Manichees, Augustine goes back home and rekindles an old friendship, only to abruptly experience a profound loss. By exploring his grief in vivid terms, Augustine not only describes the symptoms but also the cause of his (and our) misery. Yet it is through this bleak diagnosis that we learn to look for the true medicine, so that our souls might be healed and our friendships restored.