O'Donnell alludes to the troubled issue of Christian Latin, . . . The substantial and frequent contributions of the commentary to lexicography, orthography, and syntax make the absence of an index of words commented upon an unfortunate lack. Again, this is to demand of these volumes more than is claimed and intended for the commentary, but it goes to show that the commentary can have a utility far beyond that claimed for it. In the commentary the author's own critical orientation seems in evidence only in his toleration for the Confessions' multiplicity and in his restraint. His voice is heard mainly in the occasional witticism and in quotations from T.S. Eliot and Emily Dickenson.
Appropriate attention is given to structure.
Commentary on each book is prefaced with a brief structural analysis, and time is taken at crucial points, e.g., beginning of Book 7, of Book 10, of Book 11, for discussion of structure. An amount of attention is given to Scripture that seems unprecedented in a work not focused on the study of biblical texts or of exegesis. The multiple roles of Scripture in the Confessions, as object of commentary, as quotation, as integrating allusion, are identified and abundantly illustrated. Biblical texts are not merely identified, but generously quoted, both the texts themselves and Augustine's interpretations of them. Knauer's insights on Augustine's artistry in the use of Scripture are reported and elaborated upon, and whether through brief remark or copious quotation, the reader is guided towards a realization of the fundamentally biblical character of the Confessions.