Mysticism and restless in Augustine of Hippona

hermeneutical-phenomenological analysis of Book X of the Confessions

Abstract

Augustine’s Confessions are made up of a set of writings by the Hyponian that mark Western spirituality. The great spiritual masters of the West, developers of the Latin language and augustinian theology, treat the Confessions as an archetype of the human itinerary that are summarized in the complex existential trajectory aimed at the enjoyment of God, that is, the Contemplatio Dei, as commonly expressed in the mystical narratives. Conceived in this way and inspired by Western spirituality, like Augustine’s Confessions, even today, it provides diverse perspectives of analysis and rich material for reflection. For this reason, this objective article brings to the growing scenario of discussion about mysticism in Brazil the plausibility of taking the Confessions hermeneutically as a mystical narrative endowed with a profound existential character that is expressed, above all, in the 10th Book. Taking Book mysticism in Augustine of Hippo. To this end, brief considerations will be made on the concept and characteristics of Christian mysticism that emerge from Augustine, followed by a direct incursion into the author’s work, allowing, as far as possible, for Augustine to interpret himself, so that, phenomenologically, Inquietatio Animi can emerge from the work itself as a presupposition and necessary characteristic of mysticism.