Confessions by Augustine — BOOK V: Carthage, Rome, and Milan

1. 1. Augustine realized that the Manichee bishop Faustus, despite his eloquence, was ignorant of the liberal arts and could not answer his scientific questions.
2. 2. Augustine believed that scientific knowledge without knowledge of God is worthless, and that the humble believer is better than the proud astronomer.
3. 3. Augustine criticized Mani for writing foolishly about astronomy and being proven wrong by secular experts, which undermined his claimed divine authority.
4. 4. Augustine lied to his mother Monica to escape Carthage for Rome, but later saw God's providence in using his deception to fulfill her deeper prayer for his conversion.
5. 5. During a severe illness in Rome, Augustine did not seek baptism, which he later regretted, but his mother's ceaseless prayers saved him from spiritual death.
6. 6. Augustine initially attended Ambrose's sermons only to critique his rhetoric, but the content gradually convinced him that Catholic doctrine could be defended.
7. 7. Augustine despaired of finding truth because he could only conceive of God as a physical substance, which led him to accept Manichean dualism.
8. 8. Augustine became a catechumen in the Catholic Church while still doubting, waiting for clear light to guide his path.