Augustine's Confessions is arguably the first, and unequivocally the most influential, religious autobiography in the Christian tradition. Augustine (who was a hard-core hedonist before his sudden conversion) writes about faith with the reckless abandon of a lover; his descriptions of friendship are so beautiful they'll bring tears to your eyes; and his tributes to his mother, Monica, cast eternally fresh light on the unofficial authority of women in the early Church. --Michael Joseph Gross


From Library Journal
The latest volume in the series "Augustine for the Twenty-First Century," which will offer the first complete translation of all of Augustine's works into English, adds yet another vision of the Confessions to the many already available. The fourth-century bishop of Hippo in North Africa wrote this extended prayer, the first true autobiography, to confess his sins and God's goodness. It has been a standard of spiritual literature ever since. Boulding (Marked for Life, Abingdon, 1996), a Benedictine nun of Stanbrook Abbey, England, offers us a fine, smooth translation that is a pleasure to read. Hers is also the first English translation to use inclusive language. There is a complete index, which greatly enhances the usefulness of this particular volume. For all readers.?Augustine J. Curley, Newark Abbey, N.J.Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
There is certainly no shortage of English translations of Augustine's Confessions; but given its undeniable place as a classic of Christian literature, there is perhaps room for one more. Boulding's translation brings Augustine's extended prayer to life with a sensitivity to his passion and poetry that should make the text more accessible to contemporary English readers. Boulding includes an introduction and a chronology that place Augustine in context and guide readers through the sometimes perplexing structure of the book. There is no doubt that Augustine continues to reach contemporary readers across the 16 centuries that separate them from his writing and its context. This new translation should contribute to the clarity with which that reach is extended. Steve Schroeder


Review
"In plain words--if you can accept them as plain--Christianity is the life and death and resurrection of Christ going on day after day in the souls of individual men and in the heart of society. It is this Christ-life, this incorporation into the Body of Christ, this union with His death and resurrection as a matter of conscious experience, that  St. Augustine wrote of in his Confessions."
--Thomas Merton


Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Latin


Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Latin


Download Description
This is the classic autobiography work of a great saint including his theocentric testimonial of his conversion experience and his growing understanding of God. It is a moving depiction of the life and experiences of a believer from a different age. A must have for those who wish to move into a deeper relationship with God!


From the Publisher
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FROM OUR EDITORS

By his own account, St. Augustine of Hippo (A.D.354-430) lived a life of sin until his conversion to Christianity at the age of 32. Twelve years later he gave a personal account of his search for truth in the Confessions. Augustine's life is especiallyappealing because it is the story of a great sinner who became a great saint, and greatness is all the more admirable if it is achieved against such odds. He paints such a black picture of his past that the reader might easily lose sight of the goodqualities which he most certinaly possessed. Augustine's decision to accept the Christian faith is the central point of the book. To do so he must examine his life and faith through the following progression: first, a confession of his own sin and error; second, a recognition of God's goodness and truth; thirdly, thanks and praise to God for His mercy. Augustine is led from confession of sin to confession of faith, and finally to confession of God's glory.

ANNOTATION

After hearing the sermons of Ambrose, Augustine began a great internal struggle which led to his conversion in 387. The Confessions describes his conversion, shedding light on the questions that troubled him. 7 cassettes.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Augustine's Confessions is one of the most influential and most innovative works of Latin literature. Written in the author's early forties in the last years of the fourth century A.D. and during his first years as a bishop, they reflect on his life and on the activity of remembering and interpreting a life. Books I-IV are concerned with infancy and learning to talk, schooldays, sexual desire and adolescent rebellion, intense friendships and intellectual exploration. Augustine evolves and analyses his past with all the resources of the reading which shaped his mind: Virgil and Cicero, Neoplatonism and the Bible. This volume, which aims to be usable by students who are new to Augustine, alerts readers to the verbal echoes and allusions of Augustine's brilliant and varied Latin, and explains his theological and philosophical questioning of what God is and what it is to be human. The edition is intended for use by students and scholars of Latin literature, theology and Church history.

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal