"With Heart and Voice and Pen"

What's in the image?

Located in the lobby of the St. Augustine Center for the Liberal Arts, this painting depicts Augustine as a teacher of rhetoric. Although he later became a powerful figure in Christianity, Augustine struggled spiritually for much of his life. Prior to his conversion, he and his close friend enjoyed mocking Christianity. The friend became sick, and, while unconscious, he was baptized. When the friend recovered, Augustine went to his bedside, expecting his friend to demonstrate his customary irreverence. Instead, he rebuked Augustine harshly and died shortly thereafter. The painting shows Augustine shortly after his friend’s passing, a very traumatic time for the young man. The scroll on Augustine’s desk reads, in Latin, “I had become a great enigma to myself” (4.9.4). An excerpt from Confessions, the quote symbolizes the uncertainty Augustine experiences after the loss. The inclusion of a seashell, a common Augustinian symbol, references a period after Augustine wrote Confessions. We talk about the significance of the seashell later when we discuss the windows in the St. Thomas of Villanova Church. A picture of Augustine as a bishop decorates the opposite wall of the lobby.

What's in Confessions?

Augustine’s tenure as a teacher of rhetoric predates his conversion. Before Augustine welcomes the grace of God, he employs and teaches rhetoric as a means of being deceitful. Reflecting on his experience, he says that he instructed “students who loved worthless things and sought falsehood, in which pursuits he bore them company” (4.2.2). After embracing God, he criticizes his objectives as a teacher and speaker. He recognizes the importance of the substance of words rather than solely focusing on the style of their presentation. When Augustine completes his spiritual journey, he chooses to “withdraw the service of his tongue” so that young men who seek to manipulate others can “no longer buy from [his] mouth the weapons of their frenzy” (9.2.2). Instead, he utilizes his rhetoric to praise God, whom he now serves “with heart and voice and pen” (9.13.37). Augustine’s ability to distinguish what is being said rather than how it is being said allows him to apply his talents in service to the Lord. His encounter with St. Ambrose, which we discuss later, was also an important part of this journey.

What's in it for us?

Like Augustine, college students, distracted by the style of written works, fail to comprehend and appreciate the author’s message. While literary elements often contain or enhance meaning, observations such as “I liked/didn’t like it” or “I found it confusing” preclude interesting and insightful discussion. Successful students learn to decipher the content and determine major themes, just as Augustine discovered how to understand the Bible. Students also develop as writers. While some initially shroud the lack of a thesis with multisyllabic words, they learn to first consider the purpose of their essays. Similarly, Augustine uses his spoken and written word to serve God. In summary, students, like Augustine, improve as readers and writers by regarding style and articulation as the means for conveying ideas.