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A review by dullshimmer
The Confessions of St. Augustine by Saint Augustine
3.0
The Confessions of St. Augustine is an interesting book. It is also interesting in that it feels more like two books than one. The first half is focused on Augustine's past and his path toward faith. This half of the book is very interesting and you see an Augustine who struggles to find his place in the world and a firm grounding for his faith. His mother is rooted in the Catholic faith, but Augustine goes a different direction and winds up in Manichaeism. However, he becomes more convinced that this view is not the truth and eventually finds his way back to the Catholic church. It's an interesting tale, and he's not so much writing about himself as he is writing to God. So unlike what we may expect this is not full of details of every aspect of his life or anything like that.
The second half or so of the book (really probably the last third or so), Augustine transitions into more theology than reflection on his life and faith. This part is much less enjoyable. Wondering about creation and time and looking at the creation narratives in Genesis. This just wound up being somewhat jarring compared to the earlier parts of the book. Not to mention it's all a little speculative and not the easiest to understand. This part definitely detracted from the book as a whole.
The focus of Augustine on his life and coming to faith is an interesting look at both Augustine's journey, but also the culture of the time. If he would have finished before the last few chapters I would probably have rated it higher. However, since the last section isn't nearly as enjoyable as the first part I think it brings the book down a bit.
The second half or so of the book (really probably the last third or so), Augustine transitions into more theology than reflection on his life and faith. This part is much less enjoyable. Wondering about creation and time and looking at the creation narratives in Genesis. This just wound up being somewhat jarring compared to the earlier parts of the book. Not to mention it's all a little speculative and not the easiest to understand. This part definitely detracted from the book as a whole.
The focus of Augustine on his life and coming to faith is an interesting look at both Augustine's journey, but also the culture of the time. If he would have finished before the last few chapters I would probably have rated it higher. However, since the last section isn't nearly as enjoyable as the first part I think it brings the book down a bit.