The Nature Of Friendship In Saint Augustine Confessions...

How is friendship portrayed in Saint Augustine Confessions and Njal’s Saga? To answer this question, we must refer to the nature of friendship in both texts. The depiction of friendship in both texts seem to show recognizable differences. Saint Augustine’s Confessions and Njal’s Saga both have distinct ways in portraying the nature of friendship such that in Saint Augustine’s Confessions, friendships is viewed in a negative light, compelling one to stray away from good, specifically God, whereas in Njal’s Saga, friendship is viewed as a positive tool, seeking to build one another up and improving each other’s lives. In Saint Augustine’s Confessions, Augustine’s perspective on friendship is that it is a mean to stray or turn away from good,†¦show more content†¦Basically, according to Augustine, friendships is not pure if God isnt a part of it. Alypius was a friend of Augustine’s who â€Å"had been seized by an incredible obsession for gladiatorial spectacles† (Confessions, 6:12). Alypius and Augustine were friends that were from the same town. Alypius considered him â€Å"good and cultured while Augustine was â€Å"attached to him because of solid virtue of his character† (Confessions, 6:11). However the friendship between Alypius and Augustine isn’t true friendship because God doesn’t have a part in it. At that time Alypius and Augustine aren’t Christians, they both got involved in Manichee superstition (Confessions, 6:12).Their friendship led them astray because of their belief in manichaeism. Alypius had an addiction to gladiat or games whereas Augustine’s addiction was his sexual desires. â€Å" I was not a lover of marriage but a slave to lust, I procured another woman not of course as a wife† (Confessions, 6:25). Both their sins and their disbelief in Christianity led them away from good making their friendship inadequate. The friendship of Alypius and Augustine is debatable. Someone may argue that the friendship between Augustine and Alypius was true because both men converted to Christianity. Although God wasn’t a part of their friendship at first, their conversion ultimately led them to God. â€Å"When the time came for me to give in my name for baptism, we left the country and