Abstract

This elegant volume is first of all an anthology of carefully selected Augustinian texts, all freshly translated by the author and grouped thematically under six headings: conversion, person, nature, will, faith, and sight. Each set of readings is followed by a personal essay in which an attempt is made to probe their significance. Together with the two introductory chapters and the conclusion, these essays constitute a short monograph whose aim is to capture the inner dynamism of Augustine’s thought rather than to trace its overall development or uncover its sources. Its method is to involve us in the process by which Augustine sought to clarify the meaning of his own existence and therewith the meaning of human existence as a whole. As such, it calls more for participation than for "expertise" or "detachment".