Nietzsche Reading Augustine: A Study of Book XIII of the Confessions

Abstract

The present study focuses on "The Act of Thanksgiving," a profound Augustinian meditation addressed to the repentant and remorseful soul that has come to recognize its sins and seeks both their redemption and the transcendence of its present condition toward spiritual perfection. It portrays the dynamic process of repentance and the tragedy of human existence through the form of the Confessions (Confessiones), understood as a sincere acknowledgment of one's transgressions before God.

Augustine places "The Act of Thanksgiving" at the conclusion of the Confessions, assigning it the thirteenth and final book. From a structural perspective, this position is highly significant, as it represents the culmination of the entire work. It is only natural that, after completing a spiritual and intellectual journey, the believer should turn to God in gratitude for the grace that made such fulfillment possible. This final book follows Book XII, entitled "An Interpretation of Passages from the Book of Genesis," thereby completing Augustine's theological and philosophical reflection on creation, self-knowledge, and the soul's return to God.