La grazia divina come fulcro tematico e narrativo delle Confessiones di Agostino

Abstract

The writing of Ad Simplicianum represents a turning point in the Augustinian conception of the relationship between freedom and grace: from this moment on, Augustine clearly take a position in giving absolute priority to the divine initiative. Starting from this premise, the thesis tries to define grace as the unifying center of the Confessiones, proposing a solution that aims to reconstitute the unity of the work, seemingly fragmentary and uneven. While the first chapter reconstructs a brief history of the doctrines on grace from Paul up to the debate between Augustine and Pelagius, last three ones propose a textual analysis of the most significant passages of Augustine’s work, also referring to other works of the author and to the contribution of secondary literature. Therefore, the second chapter focuses on the narration of the first part of Augustine’s life, analysing questions related to the structure of the work and the condition of mankind between Fall and the saving intervention of grace. The other biographical part of the work that tells the account of conversion is the subject of the third chapter, while the fourth focuses on the exegetical part of the work, identifying its continuity with the biographical part in the act of confession that underlies both. [edited by Author]