The Two Visions

A common thread of faith and reason runs through the two different theological visions of St. Augustine in his Confessions. This can be seen by comparing the ascent, the vision, the descent, and language in the two visions. Although other parts of the text will be referred to, the central part of these visions are as follows: Vision 1: "... in an instant of awe, my mind attained to the sight of the God who IS. Then, …

…stronger, he and Monica descend rather than fall from the vision. (Page 197) They know that the vision exists, and that it remains theirs to live it in heaven. (Page 198) The "spiritual harvest" refers to spiritual benefits that they will reap. After close examination, it is obvious that faith and reason play a fundamental role in connecting the two visions of Augustine. In this text, faith and reason are unmistakably related, as has been demonstrated repeatedly.