Not the least of the many astonishing things to be said about Augustine is the fact that it should have taken him nine years before he finally broke free of the Manichean chains that bound him. No less astonishing, of course, is the fact that it took less than a minute after hearing the singsong voice of the little child telling him to “Take it and read, take it and read” to turn his life completely around for the sake of Christ and His Church. That so much wonderment should flow from both ends of a life is the stuff of high drama. In fact, so replete are The Confessions with intense, riveting drama that it may take an accountant to keep track of all the examples. The reader, meanwhile, is given a bird’s-eye view to witness the whole story as it unfolds frame by thrilling frame.
There can be little doubt that of the nine books set down to describe Augustine’s life, Book VIII is everyone’s favorite. It is the centerpiece of the story, the necessary hinge on which all the action turns. ….
