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by: St. Augustine
List Price: $12.95Amazon.com's Price: $10.36 You Save: $2.59 (20%)Prices subject to change. Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 270.2092
EAN: 9780375700217
ISBN: 0375700218
Label: Vintage
Manufacturer: Vintage
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 400
Publication Date: December 29, 1998
Publisher: Vintage
Release Date: December 29, 1998
Sales Rank: 205467
Studio: Vintage
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Product Description:
'God is our home but many of us have strayed from our native land.
The venerable authors of these Spiritual Classics are expert guides--
may we follow their directions home.' --Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Writing in the last years of the fourth century a.d., Saint Augustine of Hippo created what is at once the first true autobiography in Western literature and among the most sophisticated yet accessible theological arguments in the history of Christianity. With extraordinary candor and psychological acumen, Augustine recounts his passage from a life of sensuality, Manichaean superstition, and empty careerism to a genuine spiritual awakening, and he articulates views on marriage, morality, and faith that have shaped our discourse ever since. The Confessions allows us to appreciate both the startling modernity of Augustine's insights and the imperishable poetry of his voice. With a new Preface by MacArthur Fellow Patricia Hampl,
author of Virgin Time and A Romantic Education.
In the annals of spirituality, certain books stand out both for their historical importance and for their continued relevance. The Vintage Spiritual Classics series offers the greatest of these works in authoritative new editions, with specially commissioned essays by noted contemporary commentators. Filled with eloquence and fresh insight, encouragement and solace, Vintage Spiritual Classics are incomparable resources for all readers who seek a more substantive understanding of mankind's relation to the divine.
Amazon.com:
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
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Breathtaking translation
This is a fresh and wonderful translation of this Christian classic. Sr Boulding is herself a fine poet capable of touching turns of phrase such as, [Book I,5]
"Who will grant me to find peace in you? Who will grant me this grace, that you would come into my heart and inebriate it, enabling me to forget the evils that beset me and embrace me my only good?"
Albert Outler (no mean wroughter of words himself) translates this passage in this way,
"Who shall ... Read More
Rating: - the best translation I've found
This Christian classic has touched me deeply. I read it the first time right after college, but recently picked it up again (thirty years later). I didn't remember a thing from the first reading.... I've been a Christian for many years, but find that this book is so fresh, with insights that are truly amazing. For this new read, I bought two different translations so that I could read both and compare when the meaning seemed obscure. I highly recommend the translation by Maria Boulding. It does ... Read More
Rating: - must read
This book has opened up a whole new avenue on interest for me.I have read this book several times and it has a potent affect on me. There is a dvd series (by The Teaching Co) 24 lectures on this series that I also recommend. After reading this book a whole world of other books opens before you,but you come to the understanding that you will not live long enough to read them all....unless
Rating: - A powerful read
This is a profound book in so many ways; here are just a few. Augustine writes with a combination of confidence and humility that is not seen today. His confidence stems from faith in the God he clearly knows so well and his humility from a deep understanding of the sinfulness that dwells at the very core of his being. Worship is the purpose and attitude of the book; one can't help but be moved to do so after reading it. This book has also stimulated me to much thought in the areas of entertainment, ... Read More
Rating:  - overrated
This is easily the most overrated religious book ever. I believe it is Chapter 6 where Augustine talks about how he used to steal pears just to steal them even though he wasn't hungry is the best thought in the book about how natural evil is to us and how bad we really are.
There I just told you the best part of the book. Chapters 10 and 11 are absolutely horrific. Can anyone really say they understood those chapters?
Augustine has a major problem with sex in general and ... Read More
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