This is one of the great books. No one can claim to be educated who has not read it. If you are bored by it, then you are boring. An incredibly moving insight into the life and mind of a late Latin man, who happened to be a brilliant philosopher and theologian. ( )

I find it hard to care about Augustine's confession to his God. The autobiographical portions of this book are, frankly, incredibly boring. The religious portions are also so wordy that there's no reason that I want to read them.

The only saving grace is that Augustine can turn a phrase so beautiful that you actually have to stop reading and look over it again.

Ultimately, I think it may be a problem with the translation. ( )

The son of a pagan father, who insisted on his education, and a Christian mother, who continued to pray for his salvation, Saint Augustine spent his early years torn between the conflicting religions and philosophical world views of his time. His Confessions, written when he was in his forties, recount how, slowly and painfully, he came to turn away from the licentious lifestyle and vagaries of his youth, to become a staunch advocate of Christianity and one of its most influential thinkers, writers and advocates. A remarkably honest and revealing spiritual autobiography, the Confessions also address fundamental issues of Christian doctrine, and many of the prayers and meditations it includes are still an integral part of the practice of Christianity today. ( )

As "Confissões" de Santo Agostinho ganharam, ao longo dos séculos, a condição inegável de uma das obras basilares para a compreensão do pensamento ocidental. Mais que isto, trata-se de um livro belíssimo, rico em lições de vida, permeado pela sinceridade de um homem que reconhece seus erros passados e usa tal reflexão para pensar na condição humana. A edição da Loyola, com comentários de Johannes Brachtendorf, além de belíssima, é muito rica e esclarecedora. ( )

Written in the 4th century by an early intellectual christian who is famous (to me anyway) for his prayer - "Lord grant me chastity, but not yet"!. The book is in the form of an autobiography, interspersed with lots and lots of beseeching of the lord. The biography is interesting, and all the beseeching has a strong echo in the formulaic rants of the TV preachers. The book ends with some ponderings - on memory, and on the creation. Augustine believes god made the world, but he has some interesting questions about exactly how this was done. I couldn't help wondering, if Augustine was alive now, when there are much better explanations, whether he wouldn't be in the Richard Dawkins' camp. Read February 2009 ( )