The Works of Saint Augustine: A Translation for the 21st Century

Saint Augustine (of Hippo)

Jan 1990 · New City Press

About this ebook

Each letter is preceded by its own introduction in which the translator offers valuable information about the persons, content, and background pertinent to the letter.

The letters of Saint Augustine are an invaluable source of information in the areas of church history, liturgy, spirituality, theology, civil history, etc.

The correspondence of Augustine includes 308 letters: 252 that he wrote himself, 49 that others sent him, and 7 letters that others sent to a third party (29 additional letters were added by Professor Divjak in 1981). Some can actually be classified as books as Augustine notes in his Revisions. Each letter is preceded by its own introduction in which the translator offers valuable information about the persons, content, and background pertinent to the letter.

Perhaps the most revealing aspect of the letters is not so much the great variety of themes and persons, but the personality of Augustine himself that emerges.

The reader comes to know a very human and affectionate Augustine, especially in his writings to Nebridius and other friends. We see Augustine the reconciler, the man of justice and mercy, the healer. While he is steadfast in his many ideas and opinions, he also shows flexibility and a penchant for listening. Certainly, from these letters the reader will learn much about history and church history of that era and will gain insights into church teaching, law, and liturgy. Without a doubt one will encounter and be fascinated by the multifaceted Augustine.

Volume 3 contains Letters 156 to 210.

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.