In this essay, I would like to relate Augustine’s and Egeria’s idea of memory with the use of scripture to the question of individuality. For Augustine, reflection of will and understanding Scriptures are essential in shaping one’s individuality; as for Egeria, it is the act of reading and writing to connect Scripture to the physical world. By defining individuality as the unique journey of the individual, Scriptures provide a central point of conversion to direct one’s memory toward his or her newly converted identity. The motivation to learn Scriptures establishes and reorganizes the contents of the memory of one’s self-identity, and this awareness also becomes a guide that sets a basis for divine interaction and teaches the ways of Christianity.
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Egeria writes this entire travel journal down as she wishes not to forget any part of her journey taken and the relationship with God that she has gained. She believed that one’s memory could not suffice to thoroughly remember all that she learned from this journey. When Egeria says “when Your Affection reads the holy books of Moses, she will perceive more diligently what happened there” (336), she highlights how full comprehension of Scripture can affect one as an individual. Egeria like Augustine has great will/ determination to learn and understand herself and her beliefs as a newly- converted Christian. She gains a sense of worth and intelligence as she is “could never thank enough” (337) the holy men who helped her through her journey; this is similar to how Ambrose helped Augustine discover himself through the figurative interpretations of Scripture. Also similar to Augustine, Egeria writes of her memories on her pilgrimage to help others understand what knowledge she gained in the process as she felt closer to God at these scarred places. Though Egeria primarily focuses on specific sites previously mentioned in the Holy Scripture and tries to comprehend the proper readings of appropriate texts reads linked Scripture at each site, which differs from Augustine’s focus on sin and temptation, she still realizes that …show more content…
Scripture is key for Egeria’s individuality as it aids her preparation to get to place (333) and ties scripture to place like Mount Sinai, the same mountain where Moses received the Ten Commandments from God (336). Scripture also guides her journey as every place is related to the Bible allowing for her to discover her beliefs as a Christian to share with others. Egeria’s wishes understand the meaning of taking pilgrimage and the significance of God’s divinity not what outcomes will affect her at the end of this journey. Through the physical feats of walking up the large mountains, like Sinai and Nebo, and reading the sacred texts referring to those locations, Egeria emphasizes holiness in the pilgrimage as she conveys her beliefs, similar to Augustine’s, that figurative interpretations of the texts at the specified locations will guide one to God and his divinity. This ritual of reading and understanding Scripture allows her to understand the significance of taking the journey rather than the destination, which is necessary for her to focus on educating her present self instead of the divinity she could have in the future, which reiterates Augustine’s lesson on transitioning away from physical attractions to faith and gaining knowledge in God’s
Egeria writes this entire travel journal down as she wishes not to forget any part of her journey taken and the relationship with God that she has gained. She believed that one’s memory could not suffice to thoroughly remember all that she learned from this journey. When Egeria says “when Your Affection reads the holy books of Moses, she will perceive more diligently what happened there” (336), she highlights how full comprehension of Scripture can affect one as an individual. Egeria like Augustine has great will/ determination to learn and understand herself and her beliefs as a newly- converted Christian. She gains a sense of worth and intelligence as she is “could never thank enough” (337) the holy men who helped her through her journey; this is similar to how Ambrose helped Augustine discover himself through the figurative interpretations of Scripture. Also similar to Augustine, Egeria writes of her memories on her pilgrimage to help others understand what knowledge she gained in the process as she felt closer to God at these scarred places. Though Egeria primarily focuses on specific sites previously mentioned in the Holy Scripture and tries to comprehend the proper readings of appropriate texts reads linked Scripture at each site, which differs from Augustine’s focus on sin and temptation, she still realizes that …show more content…
Scripture is key for Egeria’s individuality as it aids her preparation to get to place (333) and ties scripture to place like Mount Sinai, the same mountain where Moses received the Ten Commandments from God (336). Scripture also guides her journey as every place is related to the Bible allowing for her to discover her beliefs as a Christian to share with others. Egeria’s wishes understand the meaning of taking pilgrimage and the significance of God’s divinity not what outcomes will affect her at the end of this journey. Through the physical feats of walking up the large mountains, like Sinai and Nebo, and reading the sacred texts referring to those locations, Egeria emphasizes holiness in the pilgrimage as she conveys her beliefs, similar to Augustine’s, that figurative interpretations of the texts at the specified locations will guide one to God and his divinity. This ritual of reading and understanding Scripture allows her to understand the significance of taking the journey rather than the destination, which is necessary for her to focus on educating her present self instead of the divinity she could have in the future, which reiterates Augustine’s lesson on transitioning away from physical attractions to faith and gaining knowledge in God’s