"The enemy had a grip on my will and from there made a chain for me and bound me."
— St. Augustine (354-430)
Author
Work Title
Date
397-401
Metaphor
"The enemy had a grip on my will and from there made a chain for me and bound me."
Metaphor in Context
I was held fast not by the iron of another but by my iron will. The enemy had a grip on my will and from there made a chain for me and bound me. From a distorted will comes lust, and servitude to lust becomes habit. When there is no resistance to habit, necessity follows. By these links, as it were, connected to one another (hence my term chain), a harsh servitude held me under constraint.
(VIII.5)
(VIII.5)
Categories
Provenance
Reading
Date of Entry
04/19/2004
