Intellectual pursuit: a step closer to finding God in Books 6-7.
By the end of Book 7, Augustine has yet to become a Christian. Nonetheless, with a more open mind, he begins to read the Old Testament–“the old writings of the Law and the Prophets” (6.6). This act helped to lead him to be more open to Christianity: “I now gave my preference to the Catholic faith” (6.7). Yet he still wrestles with big issues such as evil (7.7 & 7.11). He seeks answers by reading Neoplatonism (“books of the Platonists”) as described in 7.13-16. Then he reads the New Testament, especially the letters of St. Paul, and sees something new (7.27, last chapter of Book 7). In short, he’s still a way from conversion but also a step closer than he had been before. For this response, give two changes in his intellectual pursuit and explain how each one leads him a step closer to God and conversion.
