Expositions of the Psalms 73-98 (Vol. 4)

Saint Augustine (of Hippo)

Jan 2002 · New City Press

About this ebook

Fourth volume of the long-awaited translation of one of Augustine's classics and a great work in Christian literature.

As the psalms are a microcosm of the Old Testament, so the Expositions of the Psalms can be seen as a microcosm of Augustinian thought. In the Book of Psalms are to be found the history of the people of Israel, the theology and spirituality of the Old Covenant, and a treasury of human experience expressed in prayer and poetry. So too does the work of expounding the psalms recapitulate and focus the experiences of Augustine's personal life, his theological reflections and his pastoral concerns as Bishop of Hippo.

"As the psalms reflect the history of the people of Israel, the theology and spirituality of the Old Covenant, and a treasury of human experience expressed in prayer, so too does the work of expounding the psalms summarize the experiences of Augustine's personal life, his theological reflections, and his pastoral concerns as a bishop... Sister Maria Boulding has made a masterful new translation of the Expositons with helpful critical notes." H. Warren Willis
Catholic Library World "Maria Boulding's new translation of Saint Augustine's magnificent Expositions of the Psalms is cause for celebration. Not only are the wraps taken off this least known of Augustine's major works, we are accompanied by a penetrating scholarly text. Every student of early Christian thought and spirituality will be grateful to have at last such open access to this crucial work." Dr. Michael Cameron
Scholar of Early Christianity "Sister Maria Boulding's fine translation fills a long existing vacuum among the translated works of Augustine available to contemporary readers. Her clear and attractive translation presents Augustine's expression of his own spirituality, which necessarily entails his most valuable theological insights." Mary T. Clark, RSCJ
Author of Augustine in the "Outstanding Christian Thinkers Series"

About the author

Saint Augustine was born to a Catholic mother and a pagan father on November 13, 354, at Thagaste, near Algiers. He studied Latin literature and later taught rhetoric in Rome and Milan. He originally joined the Manicheans, a religious sect, but grew unhappy with some of their philosophies. After his conversion to Christianity and his baptism in 387, Augustine developed his own approach to philosophy and theology, accommodating a variety of methods and different perspectives. He believed that the grace of Christ was indispensable to human freedom, and he framed the concepts of original sin and just war. His thoughts greatly influenced the medieval worldview. One of Augustine's major goals was a single, unified church. He was ordained a priest in 391 and appointed Bishop of Hippo, in Roman Africa, in 396. Augustine was one of the most prolific Latin authors in terms of surviving works, and the list of his works consists of more than one hundred separate titles. His writings and arguments with other sects include the Donatists and the Pelagians. On the Trinity, The City of God, and On Nature and Grace are some of his important writings. Confessions, which is considered his masterpiece, is an autobiographical work that recounts his restless youth and details the spiritual experiences that led him to Christianity. Many of Augustine's ideas, such as those concerning sin and predestination, became integral to the doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church. In the Catholic Church he is a saint and pre-eminent Doctor of the Church, and the patron of the Augustinians. He is the patron saint of brewers, printers, and theologians. Augustine died on August 28, 430.