The Confessions of St. Augustine
Bishop of Hippo

Book 11. Time and Eternity

THE DESIGN OF HIS CONFESSIONS BEING DECLARED, HE SEEKS FROM GOD THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES, AND BEGINS TO EXPOUND THE WORDS OF GENESIS I. I, CONCERNING THE CREATION OF THE WORLD. THE QUESTIONS OF RASH DISPUTERS BEING REFUTED, "WHAT DID GOD BEFORE HE CREATED THE WORLD ?" THAT HE MIGHT THE BETTER OVERCOME HIS OPPONENTS, HE ADDS A COPIOUS DISQUISITION CONCERNING TIME.

Chapter 1. THE REASON FOR WRITING THIS BOOK

Chapter 2. HE BEGS OF GOD THAT THROUGH THE HOLY SCRIPTURES HE MAY BE LED TO TRUTH.

Chapter 3. HE BEGINS FROM THE CREATION OF THE WORLD — NOT UNDERSTANDING THE HEBREW TEXT.

Chapter 4. HEAVEN AND EARTH CRY OUT THAT THEY HAVE BEEN CREATED BY GOD.

Chapter 5. GOD CREATED THE WORLD NOT FROM ANY CERTAIN MATTER, BUT IN HIS OWN WORD.

Chapter 6. HE DID NOT, HOWEVER, CREATE IT BY A SOUNDING AND PASSING WORD.

Chapter 7. BY HIS CO- ETERNAL WORD HE SPEAKS, AND ALL THINGS ARE DONE.

Chapter 8. THAT WORD ITSELF IS THE BEGINNING OF ALL THINGS, IN THE WHICH WE ARE INSTRUCTED AS TO EVANGELICAL TRUTH.

Chapter 9. WISDOM AND THE BEGINNING.

Chapter 10. THE RASHNESS OF THOSE WHO INQUIRE WHAT GOD DID BEFORE HE CREATED HEAVEN AND EARTH.

Chapter 11. THEY WHO ASK THIS HAVE NOT AS YET KNOWN THE ETERNITY OF GOD, WHICH IS EXEMPT FROM THE RELATION OF TIME.

Chapter 12. WHAT GOD DID BEFORE THE CREATION OF THE WORLD.

Chapter 13. BEFORE THE TIMES CREATED BY GOD, TIMES WERE NOT.

Chapter 14. NEITHER TIME PAST NOR FUTURE, BUT THE PRESENT ONLY, REALLY IS.

Chapter 15. THERE IS ONLY A MOMENT OF PRESENT TIME.

Chapter 16. TIME CAN ONLY BE PERCEIVED OR MEASURED WHILE IT IS PASSING.

Chapter 17. NEVERTHELESS THERE IS TIME PAST AND FUTURE.

Chapter 18. PAST AND FUTURE TIMES CANNOT BE THOUGHT OF BUT AS PRESENT.

Chapter 19. WE ARE IGNORANT IN WHAT MANNER GOD TEACHES FUTURE THINGS.

Chapter 20. IN WHAT MANNER TIME MAY PROPERLY BE DESIGNATED.

Chapter 21. HOW TIME MAY BE MEASURED.

Chapter 22. HE PRAYS GOD THAT HE WOULD EXPLAIN THIS MOST ENTANGLED ENIGMA.

Chapter 23. THAT TIME iS A CERTAIN EXTENSION.

Chapter 24. THAT TIME IS NOT A MOTION OF A BODY WHICH WE MEASURE BY TIME.

Chapter 25. HE CALLS ON GOD TO ENLIGHTEN HIS MIND.

Chapter 26. WE MEASURE LONGER EVENTS BY SHORTER IN TIME.

Chapter 27. TIMES ARE MEASURED IN PROPORTION AS THEY PASS BY.

Chapter 28. TIME IN THE HUMAN MIND, WHICH EXPECTS, CONSIDERS, AND REMEMBERS.

Chapter 29. THAT HUMAN LIFE IS A DISTRACTION BUT THAT THROUGH THE MERCY OF GOD HE WAS INTENT ON THE PRIZE OF HIS HEAVENLY CALLING.

Chapter 30. AGAIN HE REFUTES THE EMPTY QUESTION, "WHAT DID GOD BEFORE THE CREATION OF THE WORLD?"

Chapter 31. HOW THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD DIFFERS FROM THAT OF MAN.

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