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Product Description
Product Description
Throughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves - and each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war and revolution. They have enlightened, outraged, provoked and comforted. They have enriched lives - and destroyed them. Now Penguin brings you the works of the great thinkers, pioneers, radicals and visionaries whose ideas shook civilization, and helped make us who we are.
One of the greatest explorations of sin, epiphany and redemption ever written, the Confessions of Saint Augustine continue to shape our ideas with their passionate declaration of the life-changing power of faith.
About the Author
St Augustine of Hippo was born at Thagaste in North Africa, in AD 354. The son of a pagan father and a Christian mother, he was brought up as a Christian. In 375 he was converted to the Manichean religion, but after agonising inward conflict, he renounced all his unorthodox beliefs and was baptised in 387. He then returned to Africa and formed his own community, but in 391 he was ordained priest against his wishes, and five years later he was chosen bishop of Hippo.
For 34 years St Augustine lived in community with his cathedral clergy. He died in 430 as invading Vandals were besieging Hippo.
R.S. Pine-Coffin, a Roman Catholic, was born in 1917. He was educated at Ampleforth and Peterhouse, Cambridge. He died in 1992.
Concordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
It is a very nice looking edition and thanks to the abridgement can be read in a very short amount of time, but I would suggest going for a different (non-abridged) version. Many of these are available on amazon at a similar price (just type confessions augustine into the search box).
As to the book itself, it's an interesting slice of history, and in my opinion a clear example of religious zealotry in a Christian form. Don't take that the wrong way; it is the writings of a man completely occupied with his religion above everything else.
Makes an interesting read, particularly in the context of the entire Penguin Great Ideas series.
'If there is a basic idea behind this book it is that faith, absolute faith in God can be a life changing event. By putting our faith in God for salvation we can feel true love, we need never feel alone again and we need never fear death, we know on absolute faith that a good life awaits us after our bodily death. The idea is that placing faith in God can cure us of our sins, our addictions, our frail weaknesses that we all succumb to as human beings. Giving ourselves over to God absolutely allows us to achieve a higher level of spirituality, peace and calm than could be achieved through willpower alone.
Augustine also provides certain proofs and logical arguments as to the existence of God which is not necessarily employed to sway the reader, more to support his own belief system and increase his own faith in God. The underlying ideal of Gods existence is expressed as faith as there are no scientific proofs of Gods existence, just as there is no scientific proofs of the existence of certain emotions, although neuroscience is admittedly digging in to this topic, we must remember the time period of St Augustine.
The only problem I had with this book is as I am not religious it felt rather hard going fighting my natural reactions to what was written and this mans belief system, that is not Augustines fault, rather my own in built prejudices to the whole concept of religion, which made this book rather hard going for me as my internal critic kept butting in with rejections, however I feel it is an important book that shares important ideas of a deeply religious nature.
Certainly a book that any christian should read to support their faith and any atheist/agnostic should read to see the logic behind a belief in God as well as the overriding ability of faith to heal people of their sins.
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