The seven works of Augustine that are contained in this volume all deal with the problem of faith in God. They were written over the course of three decades, beginning with True Religion (390) and extending to the Enchiridion on Faith, Hope, and Charity (c. 421). Hence this selection of writings provides an impressive insight into the intellectual and spiritual development of one of the greatest of all Western minds, as it grappled with a question that has never ceased to preoccupy and stimulate Western thought: Is it reasonable to believe in God, and what form might such belief take? Each of...

I first became interested in De dialectica in 1966, while I was doing re- search on Augustine's knowledge of logic. At the time I made a transla- tion of the Maurist text and included it as an appendix to my doctoral dissertation (Yale, 1967). In 1971 I thoroughly revised the translation on the basis of the critical text of Wilhelm Crecelius (1857) and I have re- cently revised it again to conform to Professor Jan Pinborg's new edition. The only previously published translation of the whole of De dialectica . is N. H. Barreau's French translation in the Oeuvres completes de Saint Augustin...

Augustine's long exposition of the doctrine of theTrinity was written after the Council of Constantinople (381) had settled the matter of the consubstantiality of the three Persons of the Trinity. Augustine began this work around the year 400 and completed it in 416. Taking the image of God in the human being (Genesis 1:26-27) as his starting-point, Augustine reasons that since God is triune, the image must be so, too. There ensues a laborious quest for three aspects of every individual human being that serve as a mirror of the Trinity. En route to the successful outcome of his quest,...

New edition and revised translation! Written as a favor for a friend, this little work is a wonderful explanation of the Christian faith: a true catechism from which, throughout the history of the church, other catechisms have drawn and learned. Augustine first works his way through the creed, and then the Lords Prayer as recorded by Matthew, ending with the sacraments. This is a colossal work in one small volume.

Garry Wills is an exceptionally gifted translator and one of our best writers on religion today. His bestselling translations of individual chapters of Saint Augustine s Confessions have received widespread and glowing reviews. Now for the first time, Wills s translation of the entire work is being published as a Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition. Removed by time and place but not by spiritual relevance, Augustine s Confessions continues to influence contemporary religion, language, and thought. Reading with fresh, keen eyes, Wills brings his superb gifts of analysis and insight...

Few ancient Christian authors attempted anything like a complete commentary on the Gospel of John, among them Origen, John Chrysostom and Augustine. Of these, Augustine's must count as the greatest. Unlike Origen's, it has come down to us in its entirety, and of the others that remain it is certainly the most theologically profound. John's gospel allows Augustine to range broadly over themes that were his life's work - the Trinity, the person of Christ, the nature of the Church and its sacraments, the fulfillment of the divine plan. The 124 homilies that constitute Augustine's commentary,...

St. Augustine (354-430), greatest of the Church Fathers, continues to exercise a unique and profound influence upon the intellectual history of the West after more than fifteen hundred years. Pioneer in the theology of Grace and in a psychological understanding of the Trinity, his impact upon subsequent theological speculation, Protestant as well as Catholic, has been unrivaled. The timeless and timely character of his teaching is perhaps nowhere more apparent than in the documents of the Second Vatican Council where the African Bishop is cited more frequently than any other Father or Doctor...

Seen as one of the most important figure in the ancient Western church, Augustine had drifted through several philosophical systems before converting to Christianity at the age of thirty-one. Today, St. Augustine stands as a powerful advocate for orthodoxy and of the episcopacy as the sole means for the dispensing of saving grace. Augustine can be seen to serve as a bridge between the ancient and medieval worlds. A review of his life and work shows him as an active mind engaging the practical concerns of the churches he served. "I will now call to mind my past foulness, and the carnal...