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A review by schmoterp
The Confessions of St. Augustine by Saint Augustine
4.0
St. Augustine is one of those saints that most Catholics have heard a lot about. I imagine that St. Augustine may be well known even among Protestant or even non-religious persons. Still, I did not expect that a book written around 400 AD would feel so relevant. The experience reminded me that the truths sought by religion are universal and timeless.
As a Catholic, or more precisely, as a Catholic who is also an engineer, I've wanted to break down some of the theology of the Bible and rationalize it. But how does one rationalize the irrational? This is exactly what St. Augustine does. "For I wished to be assured of things I saw not, as I was that seven and three are ten." That level of faith is astounding to me. Moreover, this is the faith that St. Augustine sought and he persevered in his goal until the die he died.
There is little doubt to why St. Augustine is often quoted; his observations, his confessions, are very quotable. But he is quotable because he speaks from the heart which is also from a deep-seated passion towards an understanding of Christ and the Divine.
In 2018, I had decided to add religious books to my list of lists. This was the first book I picked. It was slow going at first. I struggled to get through the language. After over a year hiatus, I broke down and ordered the audiobook. This was a good move. It was far more digestible as an audiobook. The original was in Latin so multiple translations exist and the audiobook was different from my Kindle version. This annoyed me at first, but I quickly found it to be better. For a couple of the books, I followed the audiobook along with the Kindle and it added to the overall understanding.
I would recommend this to anyone who is seeking understanding in Christ. St. Augustine demonstrates that even at a time when Christ was relatively recent (the New Testament wasn't even formally assembled at the time of St. Augustine!), there were real doubts. The entirety of the text isn't completely relevant, but St. Augustine's approach, I believe, is entirely relevant.
As a Catholic, or more precisely, as a Catholic who is also an engineer, I've wanted to break down some of the theology of the Bible and rationalize it. But how does one rationalize the irrational? This is exactly what St. Augustine does. "For I wished to be assured of things I saw not, as I was that seven and three are ten." That level of faith is astounding to me. Moreover, this is the faith that St. Augustine sought and he persevered in his goal until the die he died.
There is little doubt to why St. Augustine is often quoted; his observations, his confessions, are very quotable. But he is quotable because he speaks from the heart which is also from a deep-seated passion towards an understanding of Christ and the Divine.
In 2018, I had decided to add religious books to my list of lists. This was the first book I picked. It was slow going at first. I struggled to get through the language. After over a year hiatus, I broke down and ordered the audiobook. This was a good move. It was far more digestible as an audiobook. The original was in Latin so multiple translations exist and the audiobook was different from my Kindle version. This annoyed me at first, but I quickly found it to be better. For a couple of the books, I followed the audiobook along with the Kindle and it added to the overall understanding.
I would recommend this to anyone who is seeking understanding in Christ. St. Augustine demonstrates that even at a time when Christ was relatively recent (the New Testament wasn't even formally assembled at the time of St. Augustine!), there were real doubts. The entirety of the text isn't completely relevant, but St. Augustine's approach, I believe, is entirely relevant.