Few figures from antiquity are as well known to us as Augustine of Hippo. Thanks to his Confessions, we know a great deal about Augustine's life prior to his conversion to Christianity. Yet, without this little biography written by his intimate friend Possidius, bishop of Calama, we would know comparatively little about Augustine's life after his baptism. In straight-forward, unadorned prose, Possidius shows Augustine as a powerful intellect, voluminous writer, and compelling orator, willing and able to defend the Church against all comers be they pagans, Donatists, Arians or Manichaeans. But he also presents an Augustine who humbly endured the everyday trials and difficulties of life as a bishop in Roman Africa. He shows a man who ate sparingly, worked tirelessly, despised gossip, shunned the temptations of the flesh, and exercised prudence and frugality in the financial stewardship of his see. Possidius also supplies one of the only first-hand descriptions of the great tragedy of Augustine's life-the Vandalic conquest of Roman Africa. He poignantly describes Augustine's final illness as he lay locked inside Hippo Regius with the barbarian host literally at the city gates. More than simply the biography of a great saint, The Life of Saint Augustine provides a tantalizing glimpse into life in late Roman Africa-a prosperous society on the verge of destruction. This edition of Weiskotten's translation has been completely re-typeset for the modern reader. The text has been amended to include several corrections from an errata sheet that accompanied the original publication. It includes an expanded bibliography, updated citations, and a revised map. (Note: this edition does not include Weiskotten's revised Latin text.)
This volume offers a comprehensive portrait--or rather, self-portrait, since its words are mostly Augustine's own--drawn from the breadth of his writings and from the long course of his career
The City of God, Volume II Bishop of Hippo Saint Augustine - "The glorious city of God is my theme in this work; which you; my dearest son Marcellinus; suggested; and which is due to you by my promise. I have undertaken its defence against those who prefer their own gods to the Founder of this city;a city surpassingly glorious; whether we view it as it still lives by faith in this fleeting course of time; and sojourns as a stranger in the midst of the ungodly; or as it shall dwell in the fixed stability of its eternal seat; which it now with patience waits for; expecting until "righteousness shall return unto judgment;" and it obtain; by virtue of its excellence; final victory and perfect peace. A great work this; and an arduous; but God is my helper." -an excerpt
The City of God, Volume I Bishop of Hippo Saint Augustine - "The glorious city of God is my theme in this work; which you; my dearest son Marcellinus; suggested; and which is due to you by my promise. I have undertaken its defence against those who prefer their own gods to the Founder of this city;a city surpassingly glorious; whether we view it as it still lives by faith in this fleeting course of time; and sojourns as a stranger in the midst of the ungodly; or as it shall dwell in the fixed stability of its eternal seat; which it now with patience waits for; expecting until "righteousness shall return unto judgment;" and it obtain; by virtue of its excellence; final victory and perfect peace. A great work this; and an arduous; but God is my helper." -an excerpt
The selections gathered in this volume are social and business letters written during the period of St. Augustine's monastic retirement, and reflect his multifaceted obligations and concerns as bishop, counselor, preacher, and judge. Of timeless interest, his ideas have had a lasting impact on theology, philosophy, and Western religion.
The restless heart and searching mind of this influential early church father can offer spiritual and intellectual companionship for your spiritual journey. Augustine of Hippo (354 430), theologian, priest, and bishop, is one of the most important figures in the development of Western Christianity. He is known as much for his long interior struggle that ended with conversion and baptism at age thirty-two as for his influential teachings on human will, original sin and the theology of just war. Cherished as a model for the pursuit of a life of spiritual grace and criticized for his theory of predestination, Augustine is recognized as a living expression of the passion to understand and communicate the deeper meanings of human experience. With fresh translations drawn from Augustine's voluminous writings and probing facing-page commentary, Augustinian scholar Joseph T. Kelley, PhD, provides insight into the mind and heart of this foundational Christian figure. Kelley illustrates how Augustine s keen intellect, rhetorical skill and passionate faith reshaped the theological language and dogmatic debates of early Christianity. He explores the stormy religious arguments and political upheavals of the fifth century, Augustine s controversial teachings on predestination, sexuality and marriage, and the deep undercurrents of Augustine s spiritual quest that still inspire Christians today.
Six major treatises presented in this volume include Miscellany of Questions in Response to Simplician I, The Punishment and Forgiveness of Sins and the Baptism of Little Ones, The Spirit and the Letter, Nature and Grace, The Predestination of the Saints, and The Gift of Perseverance.
Confessions (Latin: Confessiones) is the name of an autobiographical work, consisting of 13 books, by Saint Augustine of Hippo, written in Latin between AD 397 and 400. The work outlines Saint Augustine's sinful youth and his conversion to Christianity. Modern English translations of it are sometimes published under the title The Confessions of Saint Augustine in order to distinguish the book from other books with similar titles. Its original title was Confessions in Thirteen Books, and it was composed to be read out loud with each book being a complete unit.Confessions is generally considered one of Augustine's most important texts. It is widely seen as the first Western autobiography ever written, and was an influential model for Christian writers throughout the Middle Ages. Professor Henry Chadwick wrote that Confessions will "always rank among the great masterpieces of western literature
B'There are certain rules for interpreting the scriptures which, as I am well aware, can usefully be passed on to those with an appetite for such study...' On Christian Teaching is one of Augustine's most important works on the classical tradition. Written to enable Christian students to be their own interpreters of the Bible, it provides an outline of Christian theology, a detailed discussion of ethical problems, and a fascinating early contributionto sign theory. Augustine also makes a systematic attempt to determine what elements of classical education are permissible for a Christian, and in the last book suggests ways in which Ciceronian rhetorical principles may help in communicating the faith. This long-needed, completely new andup-to-date translation gives a close but stylish representation of Augustine's thought and expression. References to the classical background are carefully explained and Roger Green's introduction describes the aims and circumstances of the work, and outlines its influence on major figures in theMiddle Ages and the Renaissance.
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