In his own day the dominant personality of the Western Church, Augustine of Hippo today stands as perhaps the greatest thinker of Christian antiquity, and his Confessions is one of the great works of Western literature. In this intensely personal narrative, Augustine relates his rare ascent from a humble Algerian farm to the edge of the corridors of power at the imperial court in Milan, his struggle against the domination of his sexual nature, his renunciation of secular ambition and marriage, and the recovery of the faith his mother Monica had taught him during his childhood.
Now, Henry Chadwick, an eminent scholar of early Christianity, has given us the first new English translation in thirty years of this classic spiritual journey. Chadwick renders the details of Augustine's conversion in clear, modern English. We witness the future saint's fascination with astrology and with the Manichees, and then follow him through scepticism and disillusion with pagan myths until he finally reaches Christian faith. There are brilliant philosophical musings about Platonism and the nature of God, and touching portraits of Augustine's beloved mother, of St. Ambrose of Milan, and of other early Christians like Victorinus, who gave up a distinguished career as a rhetorician to adopt the orthodox faith. Augustine's concerns are often strikingly contemporary, yet his work contains many references and allusions that are easily understood only with background information about the ancient social and intellectual setting. To make The Confessions accessible to contemporary readers, Chadwick provides the most complete and informative notes of any recent translation, and includes an introduction to establish the context.
The religious and philosophical value of The Confessions is unquestionable--now modern readers will have easier access to St. Augustine's deeply personal meditations. Chadwick's lucid translation and helpful introduction clear the way for a new experience of this classic.

Customer Reviews:

Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0

A sinner's guide to Christianity:

The first major and most important work of a person's story on coming face to face with Christ. This is a timeless classic that every Christian and non-Christian alike can relate to, though it's a dangerous read, since it might influence the non-Christian to delve deeper. Augustine hits the nail on the head for everyone's struggles with becoming a better person and Christian when he writes, "Give me chastity and give me continence, but do not give it yet."

Tolle, lege:

I've long since lost the religious fervor that led me to read Augustine's Confessions for the first time some 40 years ago. But I've never tired of re-reading it, which I do every five years or so. For in addition to being an exquisitely written prayer, it's also a penetrating analysis of the human psyche. In reading the Confessions, one is invited to reflect on what it means to be a human being who longs for transcendence in a world that too often seems exclusively mundane. Reading the Confessions, one... more info

Void of Philosophical Reasoning:

Had the displeasure of reading this as one of the five required texts for a course on early medieval philosophy.
Here's a summary for chapters 1-10:
God is great. My empty life of sin sucked, because nothing is good without God, but now I found God and he's fantastic.
Every 3 lines is an appraisal of God. The rest of the lines are obfuscated means of conveying simple ideas. An entire chapter is devoted to Augustine's story of stealing pears with company whose admiration he was trying to win.... more info

Augie and his MONSTER SIZE mommie complex:

All you one and 2 star commentators will like what I have to say on this alleged *saint*.
Look its one thing to havea mother complex, most men do, a few succumb til death, Augie was one of these who never got over his complex.
Monica, his mother was the typical type that drowns the son , a power monger.
She was the one who advised her son to dump his *wife* of 17 years (was a forced marriage as the girl was a concubine he got pregnant when he 17 yrs old!!!) Augie was 34 and seekinga high... more info

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