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This is an outstanding new examination of St. Augustine's political philosophy and of its bearing upon the roots of Western civilization. In this book Miles Hollingworth investigates how Augustine's understanding of discipleship causes him to resist the normal tendencies of Western political thinkers. On the one hand he does not attempt to delineate an ideal state in the classical fashion: to his mind, 'The Garden of Eden' can be an archetype for nothing on earth. And on the other, he does not seek to achieve an ideological perspective on the proper relations between Church and State. In fact his "Pilgrim City" is shown to lie beyond utopianism, realism and the normal terms of political discourse. It stands, instead, as a singular challenge to the aspirations of politics in the West; and so standing it calls for a reassessment of his position in the history of political thought. This book will be of interest to theologians as well as historians of political thought. It will also appeal to anyone with an interest in the history of ideas. ... Read more

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WELCOME TO ALL IN DEALS!MP3 AUDIO BOOK 2 MP3 CDsThis unabridged audio book contained on 2 MP3 CDS can be played on an MP3 player or a compatible MP3 DVD or MP3 compatible CD player. MP3 audio books will not play on regular CD players.We are confident you will love this audio book. Book is in the public domain and read by volunteers. Packaged with care, protected by a CD sleeve. We reserve the right to make any necessary changes at any time. This may include the readers or the original label picture.The City of Godby Saint Augustine of Hippo Translated by Marcus Dods Rome having been stormed and sacked by the Goths under Alaric their king, the worshipers of false gods, or pagans, as we commonly call them, made an attempt to attribute this calamity to the Christian religion, and began to blaspheme the true God with even more than their wonted bitterness and acerbity. It was this which kindled my zeal for the house of God, and prompted me to undertake the defense of the city of God against the charges and misrepresentations of its assailants. This work was in my hands for several years, owing to the interruptions occasioned by many other affairs which had a prior claim on my attention, and which I could not defer. (Excerpt from book ii. 43, as translated by Marcus Dods) Total running time: 40:27:16 Read by Darren L. Slider ... Read more

Customer Reviews (48)

City of God
Item was not received in condition as explained by seller. Cover was different, condition was worn more than expected, etc

Excellent Condition
Used the book for class but it was really good and I received it from Amazon is excellent condition.

It just flows...
I am not sure who to credit to regarding the eloquent flow of ideas in this book.It is just pleasing to read.Whether it's due to Agustine (I can't read Latin) or to the translator making sure the English reflects the original Latin, this book reflects the breadth of the authors experience and knowledge such that it has universal appeal across the ages.Indeed, the new age garbage that's being touted nowadays as being new and enlightened are the "has beens" in Augustine's age and usually came from the gutter and vulgar culture of his age.

City of God
I received my order on time and in perfect condition. I would definately buy from this seller again.

Not For Beginners
St. Augustine of Hippo is one of the most enlightened men to ever live, but be forewarned: the City of God--while doubtlessly a magnum opus that stands among the giants in the history of philosophy--equals the Bible in length and matches Descartes in density. Unless you are already deeply knowledgeable in Christian theology and Platonist philosophy, I would recommend that you take a college course on Augustine rather than trying to tackle this on your free time.

The entirety of this work, sans footnotes and elaborations, can be found online: [...] ... Read more

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How can I pray better?
How do I know God hears my prayers?
How can I 'pray always,' as Jesus commands?
Why must I ask for things God already knows I need?

Such were the questions that perplexed a young North African man, Augustine Aurelius (354-430), whose intense yearning for God led him into a profound and lifelong encounter with Christ in prayer.

There Augustine found answers to these questions and to countless more answers not grounded in his own brilliance, but in prayer itself.

In time, Augustine became a bishop and a Father of the Church, and has long been numbered among her saints. Yet of all the Church's saints, not one expresses the longing for God more beautifully, or explores the nature of prayer more helpfully, than St. Augustine. His words speak to us today as freshly as they did to his contemporaries.

St. Augustine wrote many books, but never one devoted to prayer alone. Indeed, his teachings on prayer are scattered in many places. So from over 200 works, Fr. Cliff Ermatinger has gathered and translated Augustine's teachings on prayer, and now presents them here in a simple question-and-answer format. What emerges is nothing less than a rich new "catechism on prayer" by one of the Church s greatest saints.

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Customer Reviews (3)

Understanding our Prayers.
This book has opened our minds, as we had hoped when we selected it.It gives much guidance and teaches us how to appreciate God's love for us.Thank you Amazon for making this book available to us.

St. Augustine Answers 101 Questions on Prayer
Saint Augustine of Hippo is one of the great philosophers of Western thought, and he is most well-known for his works Confessions, which outlines his journey to accept the Christian faith, and The City of God, which was written in response to the fall of Rome and provides a theological view of history. St. Augustine, of course, produced many more writings in his lifetime, and Fr. Cliff Ermatinger consolidates his writings on the subject of prayer and neatly presents them in a question and answer format. Fr. Ermatinger provides his readers with the benefit of his research into St. Augustine's massive body of writings as he delivers the material in a well documented format for those who wish to reference St. Augustine's original works. Although the book is only 125 pages in length, it is no easy read; however, the book's value is in its ability to offer difficult material in a volume that is easily referenced by question. Fr. Ermatinger provides this caution in the book's introduction, "The depth of many of St. Augustine's responses is such that to read too many of them in one sitting can cause a degree of spiritual indigestion."

The first three questions presented in the book are examples of why this book is so valuable to anyone interested in the subject of prayer: What is prayer, what happens in prayer, and what do I need to begin to pray? I hesitate to summarize the book because there is so much included in each of the questions, but the point is made repeatedly that life is for praying while heaven is for praising asserting just how important prayer really is. It is the essence of man's spiritual life on earth. The book's 101 questions address everything concerning prayer: how to pray, what to pray for, the types of prayer, effective prayer, etc. My favorite part of the book addresses what to ask for in prayer and emphasizes the importance of the Lord's Prayer. For those interested in prayer, this little volume is educational and invaluable.

Sophia Institute Press sent me a complimentary copy of this book for me to review.

Approchable Augstine
_St. Augustine Answers 101 Questions on Prayer_ is a durable softcover that feels sturdy and well-made, and at its price-point I figure that enough to make it a good bargain.

The description blurb on the back cover of the book calls the volume a " 'catechism on prayer.'"The book has a clear question and answer format, and the contents of said questions are found in an equally manageable table of contents.

Surprisingly, this book has much more direct quotation from St. Augustine, and less commentary from Fr. Ermatinger, who does jump in occasionally to re-phrase, clarify, and transition.So if you were worried that you were not going to get much St. Augustine in this volume, or that you were getting a lot of pre-chewed and skewed Augustine, you can rest assured that Fr. Ermatinger is just a guiding hand.

Some readers of this book might claim that Fr. Ermatinger reduces St. Augustine's writings to samples, or sound-bites.The fact is, Fr. Ermatinger, through the compiling of this text has already done a lot of work for the reader, who now does not have to search through volumes upon volumes of St. Augustine's writings. Still, you might think that his book caters to the new generation of lazy readers who do not want to do all the dirty work involved with researching particular topics.Yet, at the end of the day this book's value is in its approach to some very difficult material and how it delivers such material to a 21st century reader in a single volume format.

Nevertheless, St. Augustine Answers 101 Questions on Prayer is a book that will keep giving the reader something to think about even when the final page is turned.The catechism style layout (as described by the publisher) will give this book a long life as a reference text for the prayerful, the prayer curious,the Catholic apologists, and the Western culture advocates alike.
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The "Confessions of St. Augustine" have ever been a favourite Christian study. St. Augustine says of them himself, "The thirteen books of my Confessions praise God, Holy and Good, on occasion of that which has in me been good or evil, and raise up man's understanding and affections to Him: for myself, they did so so while they were being written, and now do, when read. Let others think of them, as to them seems right; yet that they have and do much please many brethren, I know." This version translated, with an introduction and notes, by Dr. E. B. Pusey, an English churchman and Regius Professor of Hebrew at Christ Church, Oxford. ... Read more

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The Rhetoric of St. Augustine of Hippo is the definitive edition of St. Augustine's fourth book of De Doctrina Christiana, the text that deals with rhetoric and its uses in Christian discourse. This edition of DDC contains both the original Latin and Sister Terese Sullivan's brilliant translation. An introduction discusses the historical importance of DDC. Seven seminal essays written during the last seventy-five years provide representative discussions of the important topics of DDC. The volume includes a detailed, synoptic outline of all four books, with a conclusion by Amy K. Hermanson that synthesizes Augustine's rhetorical theory in a religious context. This is the only edition of its kind. It will remain the standard for a long time to come. ... Read more

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St Augustine (354-430) is one of the towering figures of church history, widely regarded as the greatest of the early theologians. This study focuses on three major disputes in which he engaged: against the Manichees who denied the essential goodness of creation; against the Donatists with their exclusive views of the church; and against the British scholar Pelagius who in modern times is being rescued from his reputation as a heretic and is now thought to have said some good things. Gerald Bonner admits to having changed his views of Augustine and these disputes over the years; here we have the mature, considered reflection of a lifetime's work and study in this area. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great for Research Papers
This book is accurate source of material for research papers. For those who simply want to know more about the life and theology, it offers a great overview of it all.

Professor Approved! ... Read more

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Confessions is the name of an autobiographical work, consisting of 13 books, by St. Augustine of Hippo, written between AD 397 and AD 398.

The work outlines Augustine's sinful youth and his conversion to Christianity. It is widely seen as the first Western autobiography ever written, and was an influential model for Christian writers throughout the following 1000 years of the Middle Ages. It is not a complete autobiography, as it was written in his early 40s, and he lived long afterwards, producing another important work (City of God); it does, nonetheless, provide an unbroken record of his development of thought and is the most complete record of any single individual from the 4th and 5th centuries. It is a significant theological work. In the work St. Augustine writes about how much he regrets having led a sinful and immoral life.

He shows intense sorrow for his sexual sins, and writes on the importance of sexual morality. He also mentions that his favorite subject in school was mathematics because it was concrete and more rigorously defined than other subjects. The book is thought to be divisible into chapters which symbolize various aspects of the Trinity and trinitarian belief.

--Wikipedia ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

essential
This book marked a shift in Church dogma. Some say for better, and some say for worse. ... Read more

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The political and social ideas of St Augustine of Hippo are of central importance to the historian of late classical and medieval political thought: Augustine offers a penetrating critique of the moral and political claims of imperial Rome, and he is one of the founders of the Christian political thought of the middle ages. But the student's task is made difficult by the fact that Augustine did not write a single, systematic political treatise. His political remarks are always incidental to his theological and pastoral concerns; they occur in many different contexts; they have to be dissected out from a great variety of works. In this volume, Dr Dyson brings together an extensive selection of primary sources and provides a detailed commentary on them. The result is a full and wide-ranging narrative account of St Augustine's thinking on the human condition, justice, the State, slavery, private property and war. This comprehensive sourcebook will be of value to students of St Augustine at all levels. ... Read more

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St Augustine of Hippo was the earliest thinker to develop a distinctively Christian political and social philosophy. He does so mainly from the perspective of Platonism and Stoicism; but by introducing the biblical and Pauline conceptions of sin, grace and predestination he radically transforms the 'classical' understanding of the political. Humanity is not perfectible through participation in the life of a moral community; indeed, there are no moral communities on earth. Humankind is fallen; we are slaves of self-love and the destructive impulses generated by it. The State is no longer the matrix within which human beings can achieve ethical goods through co-operation with other rational and moral beings. Augustine's response to classical political assumptions and claims therefore transcends 'normal' radicalism. His project is not that of drawing attention to weaknesses and inadequacies in our political arrangements with a view to recommending their abolition or improvement. Nor does he adopt the classical practice of delineating an ideal State. To his mind, all States are imperfect: they are the mechanisms whereby an imperfect world is regulated.They can provide justice and peace of a kind, but even the best earthly versions of justice and peace are not true justice and peace. It is precisely the impossibility of true justice on earth that makes the State necessary. Robert Dyson's new book describes and analyses this 'transformation' in detail and shows Augustine's enormous influence upon the development of political thought down to the thirteenth century. ... Read more

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This text examines the transferral's historical contexts and assesses the tradition's historical authenticity. It also examines photographic reproductions of scenes from two major art works which depict the transferral - the 14th-century marble sculpture of the "Arca di Sant'Agostino" in S. Pietro in Ciel d'Oro, and paintings from an anonymous late 15th-century South German, "Vita Sancti Augustini". ... Read more

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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 of Saint Augustine. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Not the best version.
This translation is not as readable as the book "You Converted Me" a modernized translation by Robert J. Edmonson,CJI felt like I had to translate this myself as I read it.

Not quite as advertised...
Potential buyers of this book should note a few things:

a) The English translation of the book in question on this page is not by Henry Chadwick, or any other modern translator, but rather, it is by the 19th cen. scholar E.B. Pusey. In fact, this version is so old that it is no longer copyrighted and thus it is in the public domain (which can easily be located, for free, online). Therefore, the language is antiquated, King-James-Bible style English. So beware.

b) Amazon, the company that owns the publisher of this book (BookSurge), has apparently put out this cheap edition because the aforementioned public domain translation could be reprinted and used for free. Which is not a bad thing, per se, but buyers should know this ahead of time.

c) The publication is quite bare-bones; no translator or editor information is listed, there is no preface, intro., or other text inside the two covers except for the text of the Confessions itself.

d) But hey...it is cheap! And I'm actually enjoying the struggle of reading its beautiful, but sometimes confusing, old English style.

Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you
Augustine's writings have withstood the test of time and it is clear to see when reading. The confessions begin with Augustine giving praise to God. It proceeds then into early childhood of Augustine and how his parents made him go to school to study Latin. As he continued to grow in his studies he also began to grow an addiction to sexuality. He brags to his friends of the sexual encounters that he has been through. In this same chapter he also speaks of how he and his concubines stole pears. He explains how this is something that he would have never done on his own, but with his friends he enjoyed it for the shear sake of stealing.

Augustine's studies increased as he continued to search for wisdom. These searches led him into the direction of the Manichaeism and to becoming a teacher of rhetoric. Shortly after this, one of his friends was baptized right before his death. Augustine teased his friend in regard to his conversion. However this also left Augustine with many questions regarding Manichaeism. He became very excited because he had the opportunity to meet the Manichee bishop Faustus. He had many questions for him, but after meeting with him, he found that Faustus did not have any answers to give him than what he had already known. This left Augustine to turn from Manichaeism and shortly after that he began to lean more towards Christianity.

Augustine's mother Monica had arranged for him to get married to a Christian girl. During this time he had been reading profusely and finally came to a conclusion about Jesus. He was in a moment of despair and heard a young girl's voice singing, "take up and read, take up and read." Upon hearing this he grabbed his Bible and began to read a passage in the book of Romans and after reading it he gave his life to Christ. He continued to give lengthy illustrations of memory and temptation. The remaining chapters of his book went into great detail about creation, the deity of Christ and the Trinity.

There are many pearls of wisdom to be gleamed from Augustine's work. Augustine does a fantastic job of tackling many questions in regards to Genesis. Also, the confessions would be great for a defense regarding the Trinity. This is great to appeal to since the confessions were written around 397. This could help show someone that the teachings of the Trinity were not just something that was conjured up, but have a historical standing. I highly recommend that you "take up and read."

Take and read
Augustine's 'Confessions' is among the most important books ever written. One of the first autobiographical works in the modern sense, it also represents the first time a psychological and theological enterprise were combined. It also helps to bridge the gap between the Classical world and the Medieval world, exhibiting strong elements identifying with each of those major historical periods.

Most undergraduates in the liberal arts encounter the book at some point; all seminarians do (or should!). Many adults find (or rediscover) the book later, after school. For many in these categories, there are concepts, narrative strands and historical data new and unusual for them. However, Augustine's 'Confessions' is still generally more accessible in many ways that truly classical pieces; it has interior description as well as external reporting that we are familiar with in modern writing.

The 'Confessions' shows Augustine's personality well - he was a passionate person, but his focus wavered for much of his life until finally settling upon Christianity and the Neoplatonic synthesis with this faith. Even while remaining a passionate Christian and rejecting the sort of dualism present in the Manichee teachings, he varied between various positions within these systems. Augustine's varied thought reaches through many denominational and scholarly paradigms.

The 'Confessions' are divided into thirteen chapters, termed 'Books' - the first ten of the books are autobiographical, with Augustine describing both events in his life as well as his philosophical and religious wanderings during the course of his life. The text is somewhat difficult to take at times, as this is writing with a purpose, as indeed most autobiographies are. The purpose here at times seems to be to paint Augustine in the worst possible light (the worse his condition, the better his conversion/salvation ends up being); at other times, one gets a sense (as one might get when reading the Pauline epistles) that there is some significant degree of ego at work here (Paul boasts of being among the better students, and so does Augustine, etc.).

Augustine also uses his Confessions as a tract against the Manichean system - once a faithful adherent, Augustine later rejects the Manichean beliefs as heretical; however, one cannot get past the idea that Augustine retained certain of their intellectual aspects in his own constructions even while denouncing them in his official life story.

The whole of the conversion turns on two primary books - Book Seven, his conversion to the Neoplatonic view of the world, including the metaphysics and the ethics that come along with this system; and Book 8, which describes his conversion to Christianity proper. This is where perhaps the most famous directive, 'Tolle! Lege!' ('Take and read!') comes from - Augustine heard a voice, and he picked up the nearest book, which happened to be a portion of the Pauline epistles, arguing against the undisciplined lifestyle Augustine lived. Scholars continue to debate whether Augustine's conversion to Christianity was more profound or more important than his conversion to Neoplatonism; in any event, Christianity interpreted through a Platonic framework became the norm for centuries, and remains a strong current within the Christian world view; Protestant reformers as they went back to the 'original bible' in distinction from the Catholic interpretations of the day also went back to the 'original Augustine' for much of their theology.

The final three books are Augustine's dealing with the creation of the world via narrative stories in Genesis 1 exegetically and hermeneutically. This is very different from what is done in modern biblical scholarship, but is significant in many respects, not the least of which as it gives a model of the way Augustine dealt with biblical texts; given Augustine's towering presence over the development of Western Christianity in both Catholic and Protestant strands, understanding his methods and interpretative framework can lead to significant insights into the ideas of medieval and later church figures.

This translation by Henry Chadwick is one of the standard editions of the book available. Chadwick, a noted scholar of early Christianity, provides a good introduction that gives synopses of the books as well as background and contextual information. This is a book that will be of interest to novice readers of Augustine as well as scholars, to students, clergy and laypersons, and anyone else who might have an historical, literary, philosophical, theological or other interest in Augustine - something for everyone, perhaps?

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A modern-day missionary whose live will captivate and inspire young Christians. With great full-color illustrations and thorough information, this serie is excellent for ages 10 - 16 and is great for homeschool groups. ... Read more

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This scarce antiquarian book is included in our special Legacy Reprint Series. In the interest of creating a more extensive selection of rare historical book reprints, we have chosen to reproduce this title even though it may possibly have occasional imperfections such as missing and blurred pages, missing text, poor pictures, markings, dark backgrounds and other reproduction issues beyond our control. Because this work is culturally important, we have made it available as a part of our commitment to protecting, preserving and promoting the world's literature. ... Read more

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Confessions by St. Augustine is the most well-known and influential Christian autobiography in existence. Augustine (354-430 A.D.), who was the Bishop of Hippo in North Africa, lived a wild, hedonistic life prior to his legendary conversion. Confessions is Augustine's first-hand account of his life and conversion, reading like a diary, and it also serves as on ongoing prayer. This edition contains the classic, original translation by Edward Bouverie Pusey. Nothing has been marred or modernized; this is the translation that has been studied for well over a century. Philosophers and theologians have long admired Augustine's work for its powerful insight, and countless readers have found inspiration and joy in reading about his life's journey from hedonism to peace. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great Edition of Classic Confessional
St. Augustine lived quite a wild life before his conversion. He tells the story of his life and how he came to his conversion. It is a classic Christian text. ... Read more