The Genesis of New Identity (Confessions, Bk 12-13)

All good things must come to an end, but what if our end surprises us by revealing it is only once more the beginning?

Clearly, Augustine has offered us a sweeping take on identity, attempting in his Confessions to meld together profound vignettes from his life of theological significance, with weighty treatises on memory and time. It is not an exaggeration to say that Augustine’s legacy in this single work has shaped the entire trajectory of Western thought. One would be hard put to find a book more consequential.

So how does Augustine choose to end his Confessions?

At first glance, I found the close of the Confessions to be confusing, even distressing. Augustine seems to veer off suddenly into the realm of biblical interpretation. What is more, it is a strange kind of biblical interpretation. Augustine sees in the opening verses of Genesis, this complex constellation of signs and symbols that seem to him to capture the meaning of the whole bible.

What is he doing and why does it matter for our questions of identity?

It turns out that Augustine has been speaking words about Scripture this whole time. Indeed, if you go back and listen closely, Augustine has framed his whole Confession as a prayer attuned to the Word of God. Of course, it was always going to be about the words God had spoken to him, as much as about any words Augustine could conjure about his own life.

Yet in the close, Augustine will offer his closing masterstroke: In the beginning, God spoke and invited us to rest with God. In the beginning, we were there at the scenes of creation, because God, who is outside of time, was already working towards our rest in Him.

There is much more that could be said about identity, but I think Augustine is wise to return us here, to the place of rest, at the beginning with our God. That is the invitation of Jesus after all. It is the good news of the Gospel. That we restless hearts might finally find our rest in Him.

Listen in to our final episode in this inbetween series, '“The Genesis of New Identity”