Customer Reviews

Augustine Rediscovered - By: Kurt Messick, 22 Nov 2003
Augustine's 'Confessions' is among the most important books ever written. One of the first autobiographical worksin the modern sense, it also represents the first time a psychological & theological enterprise were combined. It also helps to bridge the gap between the Classical world & the Medieval world, exhibiting strong elements identifying with each of those major historical periods.

Most undergraduatesin the liberal arts encounter the book at some point; all seminarians do (or should!). Many adults find (or rediscover) the book later, after school. For manyin these categories, there are concepts, narrative strands & historical data new & unusual for them. Notes, commentaries & guides are called for - this book by Paffenroth & Kennedy is a good onein many respects.

This book does not represent the thinking & analysis of one (or two) primary authors. Instead, Paffenroth & Kennedy have drawn together an outstanding team of Augustinian scholars to each focus upon one book (or chapter) of the thirteen that comprise the 'Confessions'. They do not look for one overarching theme (or even several) & then try to force the text into that narrow confine; rather, they let each book speak for itself, each one through the interpretative & scholarly lens of a different observer. Each essay can stand on its own - they are not interdependent, but they do all address the same topic, & thus relatein that basic way.

In many respects, this variation-viewing of 'Confessions' suits Augustine's personality well - he was a passionate person, but his focus wavered for much of his life until finally settling upon Christianity & the neoplatonic synthesis with this faith. Even while remaining a passionate Christian & rejecting the sort of dualism presentin the Manichee teachings, he varied between various positions within these systems. The authors are conservative & liberal, young & old, Catholic & Protestant. Augustine's varied thought reaches through many denominational & scholarly paradigms.

These are not Cliff's Notes - they do not represent simple synopses of the booksin the 'Confessions'. The authors assume the reader of this text will be reading (or will have read) the actual text of the 'Confessions'. These essays are relatively short (the longest is 18 pages) but insightful & engaging. There are extensive endnotes for those whose interest is more scholarly (35 pages of endnotes, to be exact - almost twice the number of pages of the longest chapter), but the texts of the essays can be read without these notes perfectly well for the more casual reader.

The book includes at the end suggestions for further reading, a list which includes some classic standards (Brown, Chadwick) & other pieces that were new to me. There are indexes for scripture & for subjects, & a brief biographical paragraph on each of the contributing authors.

This is a book that will be of interest to novice readers of Augustine as well as scholars, to students, clergy & laypersons, & anyone else who might have an historical, literary, philosophical, theological or other interestin Augustine - something for everyone, perhaps?