Augustine of Hippo - A Biography

 General Description:

This classic biography was first published thirty years ago and has since established itself as the standard account of Saint Augustine's life and teaching. The remarkable discovery recently of a considerable number of letters and sermons by Augustine has thrown fresh light on the first and last decades of his experience as a bishop. These circumstantial texts have led Peter Brown to reconsider some of his judgments on Augustine, both as the author of the Confessions and as the elderly bishop preaching and writing in the last years of Roman rule in north Africa. Brown's reflections on the significance of these exciting new documents are contained in two chapters of a substantial Epilogue to his biography (the text of which is unaltered). He also reviews the changes in scholarship about Augustine since the 1960s. A personal as well as a scholarly fascination infuse the book-length epilogue and notes that Brown has added to his acclaimed portrait of the bishop of Hippo.

"I salute Brown's achievement in bringing Augustine out of the tomb of theological doctrine, and setting his mind and emotions working before our eyes."—Richard Southern, New Statesman

"Justly applauded for its intelligence, and for the skill with which it relates the life and thought of a man dead for more than 1,500 years to the life we live now."—Frank Kermode, The Observer

"He has attained to the true stature of his subject."—Owen Chadwick, Catholic Herald

"A great work, likely to be esteemed a classic, and very remarkable as coming from so young a scholar. It is an intellectual biography, a portrait in depth of the man, and a brilliant study of the period."—J. M. Cameron, New York Review of Books

"A model biography. Mr. Brown is an impeccable scholar but also a vivid biographer and a delightful writer; he brings Augustine and his whole age persuasively to life."—Hugh Trevor-Roper, Sunday Times

"A great biography of the greatest father of the church, and an introduction to the intellectual world of late antiquity. A deeply engrossing work of scholarship, recently reissued."—Washington Post Book World

A Tiber River reviewer hasn't written a review for this book yet.
Sign up as a Tiber River reviewer and see your review here!
(Apart from fame, you can also can get free stuff and gift certificates.)

St. Augustine of Hippo

Feast Day: Roman Rite Calendar - 08/28 Tridentine Calendar - 08/28 Patron Of: Brewers, Eyes, Printers, Theologians Also Known As     Aurelius Augustinus     Doctor of Grace Memorial     28 August Profile     His father was a pagan who converted on his death bed; his mother was Saint Monica, a devout Christian. Trained in Christianity, he lost his faith in youth and led a wild life. Lived with a Carthaginian woman from the age of 15 through 30. Fathered a son whom he named Adeotadus, which means the gift of God. Taught rhetoric at Carthage and Milan. After investigating and experimenting with several philosophies, he became a Manichaean for several years; it taught of a great struggle between good and evil, and featured a lax moral code. A summation of his thinking at the time comes from his Confessions: "God, give me chastity and continence - but not just now."     Augustine finally broke with the Manichaeans and was converted by the prayers of his mother and the help of Saint Ambrose of Milan, who baptized him. On the death of his mother he returned to Africa, sold his property, gave the proceeds to the poor, and founded a monastery. Monk. Priest. Preacher. Bishop of Hippo in 396. Founded religious communities. Fought Manichaeism, Donatism, Pelagianism and other heresies. Oversaw his church and his see during the fall of the Roman Empire to the Vandals. Doctor of the Church. His later thinking can also be summed up in a line from his writings:         Our hearts were made for You, O Lord, and they are restless until they rest in you. Born     13 November 354 at Tagaste, Numidia, North Africa (Souk-Ahras, Algeria) as Aurelius Augustinus Died     28 August 430 at Hippo Canonized     Pre-Congregation Patronage     brewers     Bridgeport, Connecticut, diocese of     Cagayan de Oro, Philippines     Ida, Philippines, diocese of     Isleta Indian Pueblo     Kalamazoo Michigan, diocese of     printers     Saint Augustine, Florida, city of     Saint Augustine, Florida, diocese of     sore eyes     Superior, Wisconsin, diocese of     theologians     Tucson, Arizona, diocese of     Valletta, Malta All information used with permission of the Patron Saint Index.

 Browse For Similar Items In

• Catholic Books > Catholic Saints > Writings
• Catholic Books > Catholic Saints > Lives of the Saints
• Catholic Books > History Books
• Catholic Books > Biographies and Autobiographies >
• Catholic Books > Catholic Saints
• Catholic Books > Church Fathers

Related Articles

1. How My Family Met Blessed Miguel Pro 11/22/2011

2. How to Choose a Confirmation Saint 03/15/2011

3. St. Philip Neri - A Most Admirable Life 05/25/2010

4. 41 Famous Quotes from Cardinal Newman 05/17/2010

5. Damien of Molokai - Priest of Heroic Kindness 11/02/2009

6. Msgr. Ronald Knox - Priest of Heroic Modesty 10/05/2009

7. Fr. Peter Whelan - Priest of Heroic Generosity 08/31/2009

8. Augustine Tolton - Priest of Heroic Patience 07/30/2009

9. Prayer to St. Mary Magdalene by St. Anselm 07/20/2009

10. Don Carlo Gnocchi - Priest of Heroic Kindness 06/18/2009