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Fascinating read about a fascinating man.
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Penguin Lives
Saint Augustine
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Look out for a new book from Garry Wills, What The Qur'an Meant , coming fall 2017.
Pulitzer Prize winner Garry Wills brings the same fresh scholarship, lively prose, and critical appreciation that characterize his well-known books on religion and American history to this outstanding biography of one of the most influential Christian philosophers. Saint Augustine follows its subject from his youth in fourth-century Africa to his conversion and subsequent development as a theologian. It challenges the widely held misconceptions about Augustine’s sexual excesses and shows how, in embracing classical philosophy, Augustine managed to enlist “pagan authors” in the defense of Christianity. The result is a biography that makes a spiritual ancestor feel like our contemporary.
Pulitzer Prize winner Garry Wills brings the same fresh scholarship, lively prose, and critical appreciation that characterize his well-known books on religion and American history to this outstanding biography of one of the most influential Christian philosophers. Saint Augustine follows its subject from his youth in fourth-century Africa to his conversion and subsequent development as a theologian. It challenges the widely held misconceptions about Augustine’s sexual excesses and shows how, in embracing classical philosophy, Augustine managed to enlist “pagan authors” in the defense of Christianity. The result is a biography that makes a spiritual ancestor feel like our contemporary.
176 pages, Paperback
First published June 1,1999
This edition
- Format
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176 pages, Paperback
- Published
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August 30, 2005 by Penguin Publishing Group
- ISBN
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9780143035985
- ASIN
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0143035983
- Language
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English
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Rating(3.9 / 5.0, 59 votes)
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Somehow when I saw this short bio, I was expecting something accessible and for readers not already steeped in catholic history. I came into this knowing nothing of St. Augustine or the early church and while it has its moments of interesting theology and historical information, this book is written for people who already know Catholic history or who are already interested in and knowledgeable of catholic saints.
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A very good overview of the key parts of St. Augustine's life. I'd recommend reading Augustine's "Confessions" before or alongside. Short and quick to read.
It is important to note that Wills disagrees with the majority of scholars on some things, but overall his opinions and thoughts are reasonable and interesting to consider.
It is important to note that Wills disagrees with the majority of scholars on some things, but overall his opinions and thoughts are reasonable and interesting to consider.
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Short, pithy, well-reasoned analysis of Augustine - read as a prelude to Confessions to get context.
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I'm glad I read this book because I gained insight into the world of late antiquity. Augustine's personality and the events of his life come alive. He became a real person instead of a ghostly figure in a Russian icon. I gained less understanding about why Augustine was so important and why Augustine was attracted to Christianity out of all the competing ideologies he experimented with (Paganism and Manicheanism).
I needed something like "Augustine came up with X and this influenced all Christian thought as evidenced by A,B, and C." If I had to come up with the X after reading this book, I guess it would be his insights about the will or the concept of the church as a "City of God". I would not be able to give you the A, B, and C. It may be right in there, but I missed it. I suspect that Wills assumes some pre-existing knowledge on the part of the reader. I didn't always find it easy to read the philosophical explanations. When he discussed a theory of time and brought in Karl Popper and Bertrand Russell, wow, I was lost (and I consider myself a time-travel expert).
Gary Wills has this way of lurching from one subject to another. Traditional demarcations of subjects such as chapters or transitional paragraphs are missing.
I needed something like "Augustine came up with X and this influenced all Christian thought as evidenced by A,B, and C." If I had to come up with the X after reading this book, I guess it would be his insights about the will or the concept of the church as a "City of God". I would not be able to give you the A, B, and C. It may be right in there, but I missed it. I suspect that Wills assumes some pre-existing knowledge on the part of the reader. I didn't always find it easy to read the philosophical explanations. When he discussed a theory of time and brought in Karl Popper and Bertrand Russell, wow, I was lost (and I consider myself a time-travel expert).
Gary Wills has this way of lurching from one subject to another. Traditional demarcations of subjects such as chapters or transitional paragraphs are missing.
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Excellent overview of both Augustine's life and some of his most important books, including Confessions (which Wills calls Testimony) and City of God. I learned interesting things throughout.
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This is a gem of a little book. I believe I first read it for a church history class taught by Michael Haykin, though it was so long ago, I can't quite remember. Garry Wills is a brilliant writer and it made reading this book a sheer delight. Wills, a translator of Augustine's "Confessions," (what he calls in this book "The Testimony"), certainly knows his subject. He shows a confident mastery of both first and secondary sources. The beauty of the book is that it doesn't get bogged down in technical details and reads almost like a novel. Wills is also a master of Latin, which would lead him to make some interesting interpretive decisions on key Augustinian texts -- most notably the way he reads Augustine's foray into university, Carthage's "hissing cauldron of lust." I also appreciate the way he filled in details like the likely ongoing relationship Augustine had with his concubine (whom Wills names Una), in light of Augustine's continued silence about her after she was forced away from him.
The book does assume some prior knowledge of Augustine's life, so it might be difficult for first-time readers. But I thoroughly enjoyed this.
The book does assume some prior knowledge of Augustine's life, so it might be difficult for first-time readers. But I thoroughly enjoyed this.
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Finished this interesting biography on holiday recently and enjoyed it very much.
It was my first dip into the life of Augustine, though had read some of his Confessions earlier.
Roman Catholic prize-winning writer Garry Wills takes a sympathetic, historical and non-hagiographic approach to his subject, one of the most influential figures in the western Christian tradition.
Was interested to learn many details of Augustine's life that were new to me: getting a young woman pregnant at the age of fifteen, co-habiting with her till he was in his thirties, joining a Trinity-denying sect at 19, etc.
Appreciated the writer's ability to paint both the historical and theological context to Augustine's life. Had not focused till now, for instance, on the fact that Augustine was contemporary with Jerome, Ambrose and Pelagius, nor on the fact that he virtually never left Hippo and the surrounding region after his installation as bishop in 395 AD. Also learned more about the Donatists (with whom I have had a vague interest for years) than in anything I had previously read. Augustine's debates and disputes with them are a running theme through the book.
Augustine's power as a writer, scholar and preacher are well-illustrated throughout, and the 145-page book is full of quotable sections both from the subject himself as well as his friends and enemies:
"Augustine thinks in questions" (Karl Jaspers)
"Augustine felt two duties incumbent on him - to expound the whole circle of knowledge in Christian terms, and to refute other schools within Christianity or outside it." (Wills)
Wills' summaries of Augustine's writings are useful as a launch pad into (hopefully) reading them fully in due course. His concise style makes Augustine's profound reflections accessible to the non-specialist , but without being so brief that they appear superficial. Augustine's reflections on the nature of time (there is no such thing as the present) and his formation of the Doctrine of the Trinity in terms of the human soul are both high points in his original writing and in the author's intelligent summary.
Wills takes a rather more sympathetic view of Augustine's approach to the use of coercion in religion than I am comfortable with, though he does so against the backdrop of a contemporary scene that was far harsher than the portrayal of Augustine we are presented with: he opposed the death penalty, torture, and frequently called for clemency in the administration of justice.
A fine introduction to a giant in church history, well-written, and definitely recommended.
It was my first dip into the life of Augustine, though had read some of his Confessions earlier.
Roman Catholic prize-winning writer Garry Wills takes a sympathetic, historical and non-hagiographic approach to his subject, one of the most influential figures in the western Christian tradition.
Was interested to learn many details of Augustine's life that were new to me: getting a young woman pregnant at the age of fifteen, co-habiting with her till he was in his thirties, joining a Trinity-denying sect at 19, etc.
Appreciated the writer's ability to paint both the historical and theological context to Augustine's life. Had not focused till now, for instance, on the fact that Augustine was contemporary with Jerome, Ambrose and Pelagius, nor on the fact that he virtually never left Hippo and the surrounding region after his installation as bishop in 395 AD. Also learned more about the Donatists (with whom I have had a vague interest for years) than in anything I had previously read. Augustine's debates and disputes with them are a running theme through the book.
Augustine's power as a writer, scholar and preacher are well-illustrated throughout, and the 145-page book is full of quotable sections both from the subject himself as well as his friends and enemies:
"Augustine thinks in questions" (Karl Jaspers)
"Augustine felt two duties incumbent on him - to expound the whole circle of knowledge in Christian terms, and to refute other schools within Christianity or outside it." (Wills)
Wills' summaries of Augustine's writings are useful as a launch pad into (hopefully) reading them fully in due course. His concise style makes Augustine's profound reflections accessible to the non-specialist , but without being so brief that they appear superficial. Augustine's reflections on the nature of time (there is no such thing as the present) and his formation of the Doctrine of the Trinity in terms of the human soul are both high points in his original writing and in the author's intelligent summary.
Wills takes a rather more sympathetic view of Augustine's approach to the use of coercion in religion than I am comfortable with, though he does so against the backdrop of a contemporary scene that was far harsher than the portrayal of Augustine we are presented with: he opposed the death penalty, torture, and frequently called for clemency in the administration of justice.
A fine introduction to a giant in church history, well-written, and definitely recommended.
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