Jared Plasberg, Christendom College
When St. Augustine reviews his literary works at the end of his life, he says of the Confessions: in [confessionum mearum libri tredecim] excitant humanum intellectum et affectum.1 He expects his work to rouse thoughts and feelings within the reader. The reader should see, feel, and live differently. Similarly, rhetoric also stirs up new thoughts and feelings, and it has a threefold purpose: docere, delectare, et movere.2 Reading is significant in Augustine’s Confessions because it equips the mind with new knowledge, delights the reader, and moves the heart. Thus, reading is an activity that engages both the mind and heart.
When Augustine read Cicero's Hortensius, his desire for wisdom was ignited. In this work, Cicero defended the dignity of philosophy against other arts and sciences, exhorting the study and practice of philosophy.