Augustine's use of preverbs : 'con-' in some passages of the Confessions

This paper deals with the use of verbal prefixes as a stylistic device in Augustine's Confessions. It mainly focuses on the preverbs con- and in-, which occur in passages concerning human and divine friendship, in order to point out the contextual values - either concrete/spatial or abstract/functional - they are endowed with in different contexts. The impression we get from this survey is that the plasticity of preverbs may serve the purpose of intensifying the meaning.