Customer Reviews

The Confessions of Saint Augustine (Library Edition)

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I first came across St. Augustine's "Confessions" when I was a freshman in college. It was a monumental experience in terms of both the content of his writing and the freshness and relevance of his writing style. After re-reading them again recently, I am still struck with how contemporary the book feels. Aside from many of its 4th century particularities, the concerns that St. Augustine had and the way he frankly and honestly dealt with them could be lifted from almost any contemporary tell-all autobiography. The biggest exception is the fact that "Confessions" is a quintessentially and irreducibly a religious text, and in an age when religious considerations are largely pushed towards the margins of their life stories, it is refreshing and uplifting to see what would a life look like for someone who took them very seriously and committed himself to reorganizing one's whole life around the idea of serving God wholly and uncompromisingly. "Confessions" is a very accessible text, and for the most part it does not deal with theological and philosophical issues. The exception is the latter part of the book, which are almost exclusively dedicated to those topics. You may want to skip those at the first reading, but I would encourage you to read them nevertheless. Maybe the very inspiring and uplifting story of St. Augustine's conversion to Christianity can lead you into deeper considerations about your faith or the meaning of life in general. I cannot think of a better introduction to those topics than "Confessions," nor of a better guide than St. Augustine.

I won't recount all the excellent reasons for reading this remarkable book. It's not a part of the Western Canon for nothing! It's a seminal work (autobiography) in a seminal field (Patristics)worth reading regardless of religious orientation, including none. What makes THIS particular version so exciting is that it is eminently readable and still quite stylized. Chadwick's eloquent translation caputes not only Augustine's ideas and thoughts, but equally important, his rhetorical skills. This alone justifies the purchase of this work. The philosophical nuances that, ironically, have entered twentieth-century thought again are very clearly articulated in Chadwick's translation. Other translations are likely to obfusicate what Chadwick elucidates. Read this great work by a great translator. I am confident you'll return to it again and again (even if you disagree with the Doctor).

The Confessions of St. Augustine is one of the most important literary and spiritual classics in Western civilization. It is a profound and brilliant spiritual autobiography in which Augustine paints a picture of himself, "warts and all." Augustine's honesty about himself is matched by the beauty of his expression, but what is most moving about The Confessions is Augustine's engagement with God. Throughout, you see a soul which God is drawing to Himself, as well as a soul that gradually responds to the grace of God in its life. "The Confessions" is a rare book written by a towering intellect that is matched with a searching and probing heart. The psychological aspects of the book seeming startling contemporary - and not like a book from the 5th century! "The Confessions" is a book that may be read as devotional literature, autobiography, theology, and literature.

As Augustine discovered, "our heart is unquiet until it rests in you."

Actually, The Confessions are addressed to God, and this gives them a sense of immediacy and intimacy, as if God has been watching over Augustine his entire life. One of the most compelling aspects of The Confessions is that we are able to see the gradual conversion of St. Augustine's heart. His isn't an instantaneous conversion, as conversions are often portrayed, but a series of steps on the path to God. Along the way we are privileged to experience with Augustine some of the turning points in his spiritual pilgrimage. One of these is the famous story in which Augustine hears a voice say, "Pick it up and read," provoking him to read Romans 13:13-14, after which light flooded his heart and his face was peaceful.

It has been said that The Confessions are "the West's first autobiography," and the influence of The Confessions on Western literature is incalculable. It is a book that continues to speak to us, more than 1500 years after its original writing and a book that is worth wrestling with. Augustine's meditations on memory, the senses, time, eternity, and heaven and earth (which make up Books X-XII) are also worth reading and contain not only some profound theology but a theology intermingled with prayers and praise to God.

There are three classes of support for Christian belief: the metaphysical, the historical, and the experiential. The metaphysical argues from logic and the existence and nature of reality, the historical from the past - both human and pre-human, and the experiential from personal, and private, experience.

While I don't want to diminish the metaphysical or historical components of Christian belief and apologetics, I think that the most important source of living belief is the experiential, but it is also by far the hardest to communicate, since it is by nature, private and personal. While my experiences may convince me of the truth of the Christian faith, how can they convince you? They are part of my experience, not yours. It might seem to be an impossibility, yet this is the challenge that Augustine took on in "Confessions", and it is by the degree of difficulty that the extent of his success and the greatness of the work can be measured.

"Confessions" is a work of great beauty. Written in the form of a confessional prayer, Augustine bares himself utterly, and in so doing, makes the reader want to lower his defenses as well, making it possible to experience another's life more deeply than he might have thought possible, and in so doing, to translate his experience of Christianity across the divide that separates us from each other.

Because of the nature of "Confessions", I think that analysis of it is to be avoided. Analysis is distancing - it encourages the reader not to dive it in, but to stand back. You cannot experience "Confessions" and critique it at the same time, and all of the value is in the experience.

When I bought this audiobook I was expecting something more dramatical and poetical than what Bernard Mayes read. I understand they used an old-fashioned English but quite elegant translation, but the problem is Mr. Mayes reading of it. It is really difficult to follow his way. Also the sound system used for the recording is terrible and make the impression of being low budget. This is not my first Blackstone Audiobook and that is what surprise me!!! I always thought of Blackstone Audiobook as a good-standing alternative to Naxos but now I think they need to keep a more strict eye in their production.

but know that the translation is a bit clunky. It written in a "King James" style or Old English style. For example, Book I starts: "Great art Thou, O Lord, and greatly to be praised; great is Thy power, and Thy wisdom infinite. And Thee would man praise; man, but a particle of Thy creation;..." If you can past that, then all is well and this is a great buy. If you cannot get past that, then it is $.89 thrown out the window.

the Confessions was advertised as 'optimised for Kindle' but there was no Table of Contents.
What was optimised about it? The Confessions of Saint Augustine (Optimized for Kindle)

Bernard Mayes mutilates the reading of this wonderful book. He sounds like Gollum from the Lord of the Rings. His reading is just horrible. Some word pronouncements are barely audible, the sounding of the letter s, makes it sound like he has some teeth missing. I am continually having to adjust my sound dial as he is up and down with the sound of his voice. I have no idea why blacstone audio went with this guy.

This book may not seem very ground-breaking to modern readers who have grown up within a western culture influenced by these ideas, however it is one of the foundational works of western thought. Whether or not you agree with Augustine's conclusions and ideals, no argument can be made about early western thought without confronting the influence and presence of this work. If read on an allegorical as well as a surface level, his original combination of christian symbolism and classical philosophy is clearly that of a genius. This melding of ideas began with earlier scholars, but was completely realized in this work. By all means give this work a chance, and be patient through what seems like difficult prose to the modern reader.

This review addresses not the work itself, but this particular edition of it.

First, the translation uses older English words to which I am unaccustomed. E.g. Thee, Thy, knoweth, hast, Thou art, etc. Speaking for myself, I wanted to dive into the material right away and having to mentally translate the material into modern English is an obstacle.

Secondly, this edition does not display the chapter headings as in other (paper) editions. I hoped to use this edition for meditation, but because the material is presented in large and undifferentiated chunks, (and needs to be mentally translated as noted above), I see that this edition will not suit my purpose.

For those readers accustomed to older English language and interested in the work as a whole, this edition will probably work fine.