There is a great irony in the Confessions not often commented upon: that a Christian convinced that “pride,” that is, undue self-attention at the expense of attention to God, is the worst of sins should tell us such intimate details of his personal life.1 Critics of Augustine suggest that modern western culture’s obsession with selfish introspection—that is, combing the depths of oneself while neglecting others in the world outside—can be traced to Augustine.2 On this account