The restless heart and searching mind of this influential early church father can offer spiritual and intellectual companionship for your spiritual journey.
Augustine of Hippo (354-430), theologian, priest, and bishop, is one of the most important figures in the development of Western Christianity. He is known as much for his long interior struggle that ended with conversion and baptism at age thirty-two as for his influential teachings on human will, original sin and the theology of just war. Cherished as a model for the pursuit of a life of spiritual grace and criticized for his theory of predestination, Augustine is recognized as a living expression of the passion to understand and communicate the deeper meanings of human experience.
With fresh translations drawn from Augustine's voluminous writings and probing facing-page commentary, Augustinian scholar Joseph T. Kelley, PhD, provides insight into the mind and heart of this foundational Christian figure. Kelley illustrates how Augustine's keen intellect, rhetorical skill and passionate faith reshaped the theological language and dogmatic debates of early Christianity. He explores the stormy religious arguments and political upheavals of the fifth century, Augustine's controversial teachings on predestination, sexuality and marriage, and the deep undercurrents of Augustine's spiritual quest that still inspire Christians today.
Explores Augustine's controversial teachings on predestination, sexuality and marriage, and the deep undercurrents of Augustine's spiritual quest that still inspire Christians today.
"Rescues the eloquence and relevance of Saint Augustine for contemporary readers. This is a book for students, scholars-and any earnest seeker in search of a great companion."
-James Carroll, author, Practicing Catholic and Constantine's Sword
"An important contribution?. Combines both the technical expertise of an Augustine scholar and the communication skills that make his work appealing to [non-scholarly] readers. One can only hope that this book is the first of many on Saint Augustine to flow from Dr. Kelley's pen."
-Donald X. Burt, OSA, professor emeritus, Villanova University
"Becoming acquainted with Christianity necessarily entails encountering Saint Augustine. Joseph Kelley's illuminating anthology is a compelling introduction to the ancient church's most profound thinker."
-Professor Jane E. Merdinger, Augustinian Heritage Institute; author, Rome and the African Church in the Time of Augustine
