Augustine

The present volume consists of a collection of minor writings of St. Augustine often classified under the general title of 'Works of Moral and Practical Theology.' While St. Augustine is well known for his great masterpieces such as the Confessions and City of God, too little is known about him as a writer of short treatises intended for the general spiritual welfare of the people. These little essays still have an unending appeal for people of all times who are concerned about the salvation of their immortal souls. The treatises included are: The Christian Life (De vita christiana), Lying (De medacio), Against Lying (Contra mendacium), Continence (De continentia), Patience (De patientia), The Excellence of Widowhood (De bono viduitatis), The Work of Monks (De opere monachorum), The Usefulness of Fasting (De utilitate ieiunii), and the Eight Questions of Dulcitius (De octo Dulcitii quaestionibus). Other works of moral and practical theology are not included, notably the De catechizandis rudibus, and the De doctrina christiana, but arrangements have been made to present these in other volumes. Indeed, these two cannot very well be called 'minor' works. The essay, The Christian Life, is Pelagian in tone and is definitely not St. Augustine's, but it is included here because it comes from the same general period as the other essays and treats of a similar subject. Moreover, it has special interest in that it probably was written by a close follower of Pelagius, one of St. Augustine's celebrated opponents. Each treatise in this volume has its own introduction, giving pertinent information for an intelligent understanding of the essay and other matters of general interest.

The translated works in this volume have been dated variously either to the beginning or to the final decade of Augustine's career as Bishop of Hippo. De agone Christiano, a treatise on the challenges of the Christian life in simple Latin for unschooled believers, was composed in the late 390s, as was more than half of the De doctrina Christiana. The latter work, which was finally completed near the end of Augustine's life, includes his views on the canon of Scripture, the proper approach to biblical exegesis, and how to preach effectively, as well as his famous distinction between "use" and "enjoyment." Later works included in this volume are the Enchiridion de fide, spe, et caritate, which is a compendium of Augustine's doctrines, and the anti-Pelagian work De correptione et gratia. The latter asserts the necessity of divine grace while affirming the benefit of firm human guidance, including rebuke, in monastic formation.

The five works of Augustine translated in this volume (De immortalitate animae, De quantitate animae, De musica, De utilitate credendi, and De fide rerum quae non videntur) are focused on the nature of the soul, its ability to find knowledge, and its relationships with the body, with the cosmos, and with God. All written within the first dozen years after Augustine's conversion, they display themes that are consistent with each other and that, when viewed in combination, add up to a belief in an incorporeal, immeasurable, and immortal soul in every human being that is in harmony with the universe and has access to the knowledge of unseen realities.

An appropriate motto for Augustine's great work On the Trinity is 'faith in search of understanding'. In this treatise Augustine offers a part-theological, part-philosophical account of how God might be understood in analogy to the human mind. On the Trinity can be fairly described as the first modern philosophy of mind: it is the first work in philosophy to recognize the 'problem of other minds', and the first to offer the 'argument from analogy' as a response to that problem. Other subjects that it discusses include the nature of the mind and the nature of the body, the doctrine of 'illumination', and thinking as inner speech. This volume presents the philosophical section of the work, and in a historical and philosophical introduction Gareth Matthews places Augustine's arguments in context and assesses their influence on later thinkers.

This volume brings together writings from early and late stages of Augustine's involvement in the Pelagian controversy. On Nature and Grace and On the Proceedings of Pelagius both date from A.D. 415-16 and constitute two of Augustine's most extensive treatments of the actual words of Pelagius. On the Predestination of the Saints and On the Gift of Perseverance were probably written in A.D. 428, near the end of Augustine's life. Augustine's opponents in his writings, he admits, are not really Pelagains at all. They were monks of Provence, led by John Cassian, who were disturbed by the more extreme consequences of the theology of grace and predestination that Augustine had worked out in his controversy with the Pelagians. Since the sixteenth century, they have been labeled "semi-Pelagians."Taken together, these writings provide an occasion to examine the continuity and development of Augustine's theology of grace. They also afford much insight into the fifth-century status of many theological questions that are alive today, such as the extent of the damage done to human nature by sin, the theology of original sin, the effects of baptism, and the true meaning and scope of God's salvific will.These treatises include some of Augustine's most significant statements on grace. Intended for scholars and students of theology and philosophy, this edition includes three treatises translated for the first time from modern critical texts. William Collinge's trenchant introductions offer detailed accounts of the historical and critical work done over the hundred years since the last publication.

During the years between Augustine's ordination to the priesthood (391) and his consecration as the Bishop of Hippo (395 or 396), he took an intense interest in biblical exegesis. One of the fruits of his penetrating investigations is his two-volume Commentary on the Lord's Sermon on the Mount, of which a lucid English translation is presented in this volume. Also included are Augustine's subsequent, self-critical remarks (Retractationes 1.19) on this commentary, as well as seventeen selected sermons on topics relevant to the commentary.

No other part of the Hebrew Scriptures, aside from the Psalter and sections of the prophet Isaiah, captured the interest and aroused the attention of the early Church as did the opening chapters of the Book of Genesis. Augustine of Hippo, the early Latin Church's profoundest scholar, devoted three treatises to these chapters. The first two — On Genesis: A Refutation of the Manichees and his Unfinished Literal Commentary on Genesis — are early works. The third and longest — The Literal Meaning of Genesis — was produced at the height of Augustine's maturity and has been ranked with his Confessions, The Trinity, and The City of God. The range, depth and genius of Augustine's thought, which begin to appear in the two earlier writings, are on full display in the third. This volume brings these three works together for the first time in English and provides a valuable and comprehensive introduction to each one.

This collection brings together thirty-five letters and sermons of Augustine, Bishop of Hippo from 396 to 430 AD, that deal with political matters. The letters and sermons are both practical and principled and treat many essential themes in Augustine's thought, including the responsibilities of citizenship, the relationship between the church and secular authority, religious coercion, and war and peace. These texts complement Augustine's classic The City of God against the Pagans (also available in the Cambridge Texts series), and give students direct insight into the political and social world of late antiquity with which Augustine was immediately involved. The slave trade, tax collection, clerical harassment and murder are amongst the topics with which he deals. The volume contains clear, accurate modern translations, together with a concise introduction and informative notes designed to aid the student encountering Augustine's life and thought for the first time.

This collection brings together thirty-five letters and sermons of Augustine, Bishop of Hippo from 396 to 430 AD, that deal with political matters. The letters and sermons are both practical and principled and treat many essential themes in Augustine's thought, including the responsibilities of citizenship, the relationship between the church and secular authority, religious coercion, and war and peace. These texts complement Augustine's classic The City of God against the Pagans (also available in the Cambridge Texts series), and give students direct insight into the political and social world of late antiquity with which Augustine was immediately involved. The slave trade, tax collection, clerical harassment and murder are amongst the topics with which he deals. The volume contains clear, accurate modern translations, together with a concise introduction and informative notes designed to aid the student encountering Augustine's life and thought for the first time.

In Christian Latinity, the tractate is a specific type of sermon, delivered as part of a liturgy, which combines scriptural exegesis, preaching, spiritual commentary, and theological reflection. This volume contains the first ten of the 124 tractates on the Gospel of John delivered by St. Augustine, the world-renowned fourth-century bishop of Hippo Regius in North Africa. As sermons they exemplify the theory of preaching he outlined in his De doctrina Christiana (On Christian Instruction) --to preach in a simple and direct style accessible to all without compromising the theological knowledge and spiritual experience of the message.Because John's Gospel particularly emphasized the divinity of Jesus, the identity of the historical Jesus with the Messianic Christ, the Trinitarian Word, these sermons necessarily involve much Trinitarian and Christological theology. They explain and defend the orthodox position established at the councils of Nicea (A.D. 325) and Constantinople (A.D. 381). Their major theme is that Jesus Christ is the center of the Christian life, the Son of God and the Son of Man.Beyond contemplation of John's Gospel, the Tractates reveal much about the heresies to which Augustine's congregation was exposed: Manichaeism, with its dualistic logic; Donatism, a schismatic, puritanical, and sacramental movement which involved the intervention of the state in the affairs of the Church; and Pelagianism, with its doctrines of original sin, grace, free will, and predestination.Augustine delivered these sermons in Ciceronian oratorical style, having as his purpose to teach, to please, and to persuade. Through his allegorical exegesis, his audience was led to an understanding of the meaning of Scripture that would so affect their souls as to help them grow spiritually and bring them to eternal salvation.

One of the great cornerstones in the history of Christian philosophy, The City of God provides an insightful interpretation of the development of modern Western society and the origin of most Western thought. Contrasting earthly and heavenly cities--representing the omnipresent struggle between good and evil--Augustine explores human history in its relation to all eternity. In Thomas Merton's words, "The City of God is the autobiography of the Church written by the most Catholic of her great saints."This Modern Library Paperback Classics edition is a complete and unabridged version of the Marcus Dods translation. "The human mind can understand truth only by thinking, as is clear from Augustine."--Saint Thomas Aquinas

The major portion of St. Augustine's literary output listed, accounted for, and criticized by the author himself--such is the work here published in English translation for the first time. As the aged Augustine reread his extensive production, he sought to identify and to report to his widely scattered readership anything in his writings that had offended him or might offend others. In achieving this purpose, Augustine brought out a book scarcely to be matched in world literature.Happily, it was toward the end of his life that the busy Bishop of Hippo set to this review; thus, but few of his "books" fail here to receive his searching self-criticism. His letters and sermons are in general not dealt with; they were to be covered in further parts of the Retractations that Augustine did not live to achieve.The extensive notes that the translator furnishes supply the background to Augustine's own discussion of each one of his 93 books, and both analyze and synthesize the bishop's large and wide-ranging production.

"God is our home but many of us have strayed from our native land. The venerable authors of these Spiritual Classics are expert guides-- may we follow their directions home." --Archbishop Desmond Tutu Writing in the last years of the fourth century a.d., Saint Augustine of Hippo created what is at once the first true autobiography in Western literature and among the most sophisticated yet accessible theological arguments in the history of Christianity. With extraordinary candor and psychological acumen, Augustine recounts his passage from a life of sensuality, Manichaean superstition, and empty careerism to a genuine spiritual awakening, and he articulates views on marriage, morality, and faith that have shaped our discourse ever since. The Confessions allows us to appreciate both the startling modernity of Augustine's insights and the imperishable poetry of his voice. With a new Preface by MacArthur Fellow Patricia Hampl, author of Virgin Time and A Romantic Education. In the annals of spirituality, certain books stand out both for their historical importance and for their continued relevance. The Vintage Spiritual Classics series offers the greatest of these works in authoritative new editions, with specially commissioned essays by noted contemporary commentators. Filled with eloquence and fresh insight, encouragement and solace, Vintage Spiritual Classics are incomparable resources for all readers who seek a more substantive understanding of mankind's relation to the divine.

This is the first new rendition for a generation of The City of God, the first major intellectual achievement of Latin Christianity and one of the classic texts of Western civilisation. Robert Dyson has produced a complete, accurate, authoritative, and fluent translation of De civitate dei, edited together with full biographical notes, a concise introduction, bibliography, and chronology of Augustine’s life. The result is one of the most important single contributions to the Cambridge Texts series yet published, of interest to students of ecclesiastical history, the history of political thought, theology, philosophy, and late antiquity.

Both an anthology of Augustine's writings and a commentary on them, this work features substantial selections from On the Trinity , Confessions , The City of God , and On Freedom of the Will , as well as selections from lesser known works--all brilliantly knit together and illuminated by philosopher Robert Meagher.

Both an anthology of Augustine's writings and a commentary on them, this work features substantial selections from On the Trinity , Confessions , The City of God , and On Freedom of the Will , as well as selections from lesser known works--all brilliantly knit together and illuminated by philosopher Robert Meagher.

The Bibliotheca Teubneriana, established in 1849, has evolved into the world's most venerable and extensive series of editions of Greek and Latin literature, ranging from classical to Neo-Latin texts. Some 4-5 new editions are published every year. A team of renowned scholars in the field of Classical Philology acts as advisory board: Gian Biagio Conte (Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa)Marcus Deufert (Universitat Leipzig)James Diggle (University of Cambridge)Donald J. Mastronarde (University of California, Berkeley)Franco Montanari (Universita di Genova)Heinz-Gunther Nesselrath (Georg-August-Universitat Goettingen)Dirk Obbink (University of Oxford)Oliver Primavesi (Ludwig-Maximilians Universitat Munchen)Michael D. Reeve (University of Cambridge)Richard J. Tarrant (Harvard University) Formerly out-of-print editions are offered as print-on-demand reprints. Furthermore, all new books in the Bibliotheca Teubneriana series are published as eBooks. The older volumes of the series are being successively digitized and made available as eBooks.If you are interested in ordering an out-of-print edition, which hasn't been yet made available as print-on-demand reprint, please contact us: [email protected] editions of Latin texts published in the Bibliotheca Teubneriana are collected in the online database BTL Online.

The Bibliotheca Teubneriana, established in 1849, has evolved into the world's most venerable and extensive series of editions of Greek and Latin literature, ranging from classical to Neo-Latin texts. Some 4-5 new editions are published every year. A team of renowned scholars in the field of Classical Philology acts as advisory board: Gian Biagio Conte (Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa)Marcus Deufert (Universitat Leipzig)James Diggle (University of Cambridge)Donald J. Mastronarde (University of California, Berkeley)Franco Montanari (Universita di Genova)Heinz-Gunther Nesselrath (Georg-August-Universitat Goettingen)Dirk Obbink (University of Oxford)Oliver Primavesi (Ludwig-Maximilians Universitat Munchen)Michael D. Reeve (University of Cambridge)Richard J. Tarrant (Harvard University) Formerly out-of-print editions are offered as print-on-demand reprints. Furthermore, all new books in the Bibliotheca Teubneriana series are published as eBooks. The older volumes of the series are being successively digitized and made available as eBooks.If you are interested in ordering an out-of-print edition, which hasn't been yet made available as print-on-demand reprint, please contact us: [email protected] editions of Latin texts published in the Bibliotheca Teubneriana are collected in the online database BTL Online.

The Bibliotheca Teubneriana, established in 1849, has evolved into the world's most venerable and extensive series of editions of Greek and Latin literature, ranging from classical to Neo-Latin texts. Some 4-5 new editions are published every year. A team of renowned scholars in the field of Classical Philology acts as advisory board: Gian Biagio Conte (Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa)Marcus Deufert (Universitat Leipzig)James Diggle (University of Cambridge)Donald J. Mastronarde (University of California, Berkeley)Franco Montanari (Universita di Genova)Heinz-Gunther Nesselrath (Georg-August-Universitat Goettingen)Dirk Obbink (University of Oxford)Oliver Primavesi (Ludwig-Maximilians Universitat Munchen)Michael D. Reeve (University of Cambridge)Richard J. Tarrant (Harvard University) Formerly out-of-print editions are offered as print-on-demand reprints. Furthermore, all new books in the Bibliotheca Teubneriana series are published as eBooks. The older volumes of the series are being successively digitized and made available as eBooks.If you are interested in ordering an out-of-print edition, which hasn't been yet made available as print-on-demand reprint, please contact us: [email protected] editions of Latin texts published in the Bibliotheca Teubneriana are collected in the online database BTL Online.