Black Sin: Confessions of a Melancholic
Acta Nova Humanistica A Journal of Humanities Published by New Bulgarian University December 30, 2024 Frances L. Restuccia
The author argues that Christianity originated not from a need for a protective father, as Freud claimed, but from an oceanic feeling of eternity that Augustine's Confessions describes. This experience generated the concept of original sin to justify a return to ecstatic union. Drawing on Kristeva's theory of melancholia, the author suggests Christianity springs from a wish for maternal fulfillment and a clinging to plenitude. Michel Foucault's analysis of Augustine's works underscores an obsession with sex, suggesting the forbidden fruit may be understood sexually. The Christian ideally fuses with mother-Church to experience oceanic completeness before sexual differentiation, enabling victory over the father's law. Augustine's personal deviation toward mystical milk nonetheless instigated two millennia of Christianity, allowing Imaginary maternal protection through oceanic jouissance celebrated in Madonna del Latte paintings.