The Confessions (The Works of Saint Augustine

One of the most valued books in Christian literature, St. Augustine of Hippo's Confessions are an intensely revealing picture of the saint's difficult search for the truth. In his own day the dominant personality of the Western Church, St 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. We witness the future saint's interest with astrology and with the Manichees, and then follow him through cynicism 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 remarkably contemporary, yet his work contains many references and allusions that are easily understood only with background information about the ancient social and intellectual setting. The religious and philosophical value of The Confessions is unquestionable--now modern readers will have easier access to St. Augustine's deeply personal meditations. This lucid translation and helpful introduction clear the way for a new experience of this classic.