History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

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Why waste your time with someone else's cliff notes
Great Intro to St. Augustine
A must read
Hey, part of it is missing!!!
Unique look into a brilliant mind

The Confessions of St. Augustine
Augustine
Manufacturer: Revell
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0800787242
Release Date: 2005-03-01

Book Description

Confessions is one of the most moving diaries ever recorded of a man's journey to the fountain of God's grace. Writing as a sinner, not a saint, Augustine shares his innermost thoughts and conversion experiences and wrestles with the spiritual questions that have stirred the hearts of the thoughtful since time began. Starting with his childhood in Numidia, through his youth and early adulthood in Carthage, Rome, and Milan, readers will see Augustine as a human being, a fellow traveler on the road to salvation. Though staggering around potholes and roadblocks, all Chrisitians will find strength in Augustine's message: When the road gets rough, look to God! Previously released in 1977, this book invites readers to join Augustine in his quest that led him to be one of the most influential Christian thinkers in the history of the church.

Customer Reviews:

Why waste your time with someone else's cliff notes.......2007-06-04

For whatever reason, the editor here has seen fit to leave out sections of Augustine's Confessions. What is most annoying is that this book is not clearly marked "abridged". Honest dealing requires this book to be clearly identified for what it is - an abridged, incomplete version of Confessions.

Great Intro to St. Augustine.......2007-05-28

For those of you who thought that St. Augustine was going to be so deeply intellectual that it couldn't possibly apply to you, you should try this small book. It's not difficult reading, but the ideas aren't little ones. I was amazed at the parallels in culture to our 'modern' age, and at how little has changed in nearly 2000 years. He writes pretty bluntly about his youthful vices, which made me examine my own. I bought ten copies for friends and for graduation gifts this year.

A must read.......2007-03-29

When I studied religion at university, my lecturer told us that if we were to read any book, it had to be confessions. It really is a great book and well structured. It is very dense as the best religious texts are, so it will take a long time to properly read and absorb. A must have for your collection.

Hey, part of it is missing!!!.......2006-08-04

The Augustine part is fine and the translator did a wonderful job, but why were the parts edited out? Saint Augustine was just like us in his struggles to not only come to Christianity but also to live the Christian life after his conversion. He writes about his screw-ups, failures, and triumphs in such a humble, heart rendering manner I wish I had articulated it that way first. All Christians should have this book in their library to be read and re-read often. PAX, bb

Unique look into a brilliant mind.......2006-03-18

The Confessions offer a deep look into St. Augustine's mind as he battles through questions about time and memory. It is, quite personally, an account of a once atheist who, through tragedy and an insatiable desire for truth, becomes spiritually connected to God. Augustine presents age old questions about existence and purpose, and provides his own unique and intelligent viewpoint. Augustine's confessions are uplifting to read through, and his gentle and eloquent praises to God are remarkably written. I gave this book five stars, in light of its uniqueness and the personal betterment I felt when I read it.

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City of God
Some things are better read about than read
Important Doctrine
An Illuminating Classic
Augustine Created "The West"

The City of God (Modern Library)
St. Augustine
Manufacturer: Modern Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0679600876
Release Date: 1994-02-01

Amazon.com

Augustine's City of God, a monumental work of religious lore, philosophy, and history, was written as a kind of literary tombstone for Roman culture. After the sack of Rome, Augustine wrote this book to anatomize the corruption of Romans' pursuit of earthly pleasures: "grasping for praise, open-handed with their money; honest in the pursuit of wealth, they wanted to hoard glory." Augustine contrasts his condemnation of Rome with an exaltation of Christian culture. The glory that Rome failed to attain will only be realized by citizens of the City of God, the Heavenly Jerusalem foreseen in Revelation. Because City of God was written for men of classical learning--custodians of the culture Augustine sought to condemn--it is thick with Ciceronian circumlocutions, and makes many stark contrasts between "Your Virgil" and "Our Scriptures." Even if Augustine's prose strikes modern ears as a bit bombastic, and if his polarized Christian/pagan world is more binary than the one we live in today, his arguments against utopianism and his defense of the richness of Christian culture remain useful and strong. City of God is, as its final words proclaim itself to be, "a giant of a book." --Michael Joseph Gross

Book Description

One of the great cornerstones in the history of Christian philosophy, The City of God provides an insightful interpretation of the development of modern Western society and the origin of most Western thought. Contrasting earthly and heavenly cities--representing the omnipresent struggle between good and evil--Augustine explores human history in its relation to all eternity. In Thomas Merton's words, "The City of God is the autobiography of the Church written by the most Catholic of her great saints."

This Modern Library Paperback Classics edition is a complete and unabridged version of the Marcus Dods translation.

From the Trade Paperback edition.

Download Description

One of the great cornerstones in the history of Christian thought, "The City of God is vital to an understanding of modern Western society and how it came into being. Begun in A.D. 413 by Saint Augustine, the great theologian who was bishop of Hippo, the book's initial purpose was to refute the charge that Christianity was to blame for the fall of Rome (which had occurred just three years earlier). Indeed, Augustine produced a wealth of evidence to prove that paganism bore within itself the seeds of its own destruction. However, over the next thirteen years that it took to complete the work, the brilliant ecclesiastic proceeded to his larger theme: a cosmic interpretation of history in terms of the struggle between good and evil. By means of his contrast of the earthly and heavenly cities--the one pagan, self-centered, and contemptuous of God and the other devout, God-centered, and in search of grace--Augustine explored and interpreted human history in relation to eternity. After you finish "The City of God it becomes clear why some have suggested that most of Western thought could be read as 'a series of footnotes to Augustine.' This edition of "The City of God, in the Marcus Dods translation, is complete and unabridged. The introduction is by Thomas Merton, Trappist monk and author of "The Seven Storey Mountain and The Waters of Siloe.

Customer Reviews:

City of God.......2007-08-31

This is an apologetic text in defence of the Chritian faith. In it, Augustine persuasively informed his audience (readers) concerning the history of creation from the fall of humanity to their redemption provided they recognized him as God of their lives. This is possible as they abandon all forms of idolatries as typied in what led to the fall of Rome. His philosophy of the two cities are in contrast to each other, viz, the city of God versus the city of Satan. The former is governed by God, and the later by the Devil that governs the minds of many un-regenerated. Thus, Augustine concluded in his 22 but now in 1 volume to join him "in rendering thanks to God" through this great work! Pastor Moses Oladele Taiwo, Ph.D. Professor of New Testament, New Life Theological Seminary, Charlotte, NC 28203.

Some things are better read about than read.......2007-08-16

I read this for a book group I was in, and was rather peeved at being forced to blow so much time on what is essentially useful only to the Classical historian or Scholasticism buff. Realistically, Augustine is just a particularly eloquent proponent of a religious argument we all get in Sunday School at age 10: The things of this world are transitory and passing, but the things of the next world are eternal and more valuable. You can almost hear the monotonous cadence. If what you want is to add to your already-considerable knowledge of the particulars of late Roman civilization, then this is the book for you. If you're in seminary and reading Aquinas, and you're thinking, "I'd certainly like to know more about his major intellectual influences," then this is the book for you. But if what you want is an increased familiarity with the major ideas of Western civilization, then do yourself a favor and go pick up a pair of textbooks: one on ancient history, the other on classical philosophy. Augustine of Hippo will get a few pages in each one, and that's honestly all he's worth. Plowing through the entirety of The City of God for simple philosophical or theological curiosity would be like reading the complete works of Louis Agassiz just to see what scientific racism was like. Both efforts would be fruitful, in one sense, but in another sense you'd have spent an awful lot of time learning about antiquated theories.

Important Doctrine.......2007-06-07

This is one of the more important doctrines in the history of Christianity. Much of the structure of the Catholic church is based on the ideas of St. Augustine. However, one need not be a Catholic to believe or be influenced by his writings as they as universal to all Christians.

The first sections of the book draw into question the abandonment of the worship of pagan gods for the one true God as the reason for the fall of the Rome. Some of the more eloquent arguments against this idea follow. If Christianity is to blame for the fall of Rome, what caused all of the previous wars? Why would the gods not prevent these wars?

The remainder of the book is a somewhat condensed history of Christianity as told in the Bible. Some of this is dry reading as even St. Augustine is willing to admit that he carries on too long occasionally. If one has difficulty reading philosophers such as Plato, the author argues against them to support his argument. So reading these sections may be problematic to some. The discussion of the last judgment is among those that caught my attention, stating that the separation it caused from God is like dying a second death.

Some of the discussion in the book one may find disagreeable. For example, St. Augustine states that intercourse should be limited to procreative purposes. Believing there to be shame in the act, he can see no other purpose.

As another reviewer stated, this is a heavy read for which one may need some background in the customs and life of the Romans. Familiarlity with some of St. Augustine's other works was also an asset to me in reading this book. It is an enlightening journey in faith.

An Illuminating Classic.......2007-04-13

First of all, I am writing this review for the 1958 abridged edition by Image Books (City of God), but I know that this review will be posted on the product pages for the other editions, most of which are unabridged. So, I want to make one quick comment that is specific to the abridged version: I think this was a great copy to read. The editor cut out some of the digressions, which made the book about 300 pages shorter than the normal length (over 800 pages). I was reading this for a research project, so I was thankful for an edition that got rid of some of the less central points so that I could quickly get through the work and still get exposed to Augustine's main points.

That being said, whether you read the abridged or the unabridged version, this book is an absolute classic. Most people don't know this about Augustine, but he lived in Northern Africa (today's Tunisia) while that area was part of the Roman Empire. He started writing "City of God" shortly after the city of Rome had be sacked by the Goths in 410 A.D., and this book is a response to the claims being made by the pagan population of the time that Rome had been sacked because as the official religion of the Empire had been Christianity people had stopped worshiping the pagan gods. Thus, they claimed, the pagan gods allowed Rome to be sacked; they withdrew their blessing from Rome, as it were.

Of course, Augustine thinks this notion is ridiculous and he spent the next 14 years of his life writing "City of God" to refute the pagan view. This work is a great exposition of classical Christianity. The influence of the book was (and is) beyond measure; it remained an important work in terms of influence at least until the end of the Middle Ages. One of the things I really liked about the book is that the translation was really good; you really get an insight into Augustine's character. Furthermore, since Augustine wrote about previous philosophers (Plato, Varro, etc.), you get a great idea of how this work fits into that context.

A thick read, a read that makes you think, but a very enjoyable one nonetheless. I would recommend this book to anyone curious for some exposure to classical Christianity at its best.

Augustine Created "The West".......2007-04-10

Augustine's name is not tossed around as much as that of Plato or Caesar or many other famous men and women of antiquity, but there is no doubt that he is one of the most important thinkers in all of Western history, and he in fact created the theory of "The West" that has over time become our identity.
Augustine, classically educated, a religious experimenter, Rome's top university professor and greatest scholar, and the premier thinker of the contemporary church, reacted to the fall of Rome by creating a whole new approach to what it is citizens are to look to for their citizenship and community. He postulates a new world order centred on the Christian revelation, but including all that is good from Roman and Greek civilization.
Since Rome fell, the kind of fantasy world of Roman myth and lore kept in the popular imagination by Virgil's Aeneid and related art and literature could no longer hold water. It was time for a stronger focal point for patriotism and self-definition. That would be a Christian one, including Rome and Greece, to be sure, but the major element would be Christ. The Bible would gently nudge aside Virgil, and perhaps Augustine, aware of his own extraordinary literary prowess, saw his own monumental works edging aside the other great Latin writers such as Cicero and Sallust.
This would all be quite some bit of bombastic or farsighted folly were it not to prove true. Augustine's work was indeed adopted as the 'mind' of Christendom, his City of God being read to emperors and kings, and leading the thoughts of the leaders of Christian Europe for over a thousand years.
His 'grand unifying theory' of Western civilization, uniting the organization of Rome with the thought of Greece and the revelation of the Bible, has been accepted as the de facto definition of what it means to be Western until only the very last few decades of our time.
Augustine, apparently aware of his talents, must have been aware that his epic work outshone anything written before, and is itself a testament to the civilization that he advocates: a fully coherent combination of Greek philosophy, Roman civilization and Biblical wisdom. This seamless blend of literary prowess from Rome's greatest scholar and highest ranking professor generates for the reader a powerful education in philosophy, history and theology, tied together with awesome rhetoric, that is uniquely powerful, erudite, insightful and useful all at once.
From a historical and literary perspective, this may have been the very most important book ever written by reputedly human hands.
As it is written for the leaders of society and not for the average citizen, be ready to be intrigued, challenged to thought, and impressed with every line.
By no means must the reader have any kind of religious belief to benefit from this book, nor must the reader agree with all that Augustine postulates, nor can the reader, due to the great distance of time seperating him from us and improvements in scientific knowledge since his time. The importance, greatness and power of the writing itself commend it to us.

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A most painfully beautiful book
A good philosophy book...
Misleading
Buy it!
Another side of Augustine ...

Vita Brevis : A Letter to St Augustine
Jostein Gaarder
Manufacturer: Phoenix (an Imprint of The Orion Publishing Group Ltd )
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0753804611

Book Description

'Years have passed and much has changed since we two had our arms around each other. Thus what I write will perhaps be equally a letter to the whole Christian church, for today you are a man of great influence.'

In a second-hand bookshop in Buenos Aires, Jostein Gaarder makes an exciting find: a transcript of a letter to St Augustine, author of the famous Confessions, from Floria Aemilia, the woman he renounced for chastity.

Vita Brevis is both a classic love story, beautifully told, and a fascinating insight into St Augustine's life and that of his discarded concubine. It is up to the reader to determine its authenticity...

Customer Reviews:

A most painfully beautiful book.......2006-03-17

It really doesn't matter whether the letters that Gaarder claimed to find were authentic. There is so much grace in the prose and this "love" story is the most poignant I have ever read. The philosophy reaches deep inside my heart. As the Confessions can tell, "love" (no matter what this word means in our contemporary lexicon) stands in the constant struggle between losing and regaining yourself. "Life is so short we do not have time to pronounce any damning judgment on love. We must first live, Aurel, then we can philosophize" (131). This sentence symbolizes the conflict between the Greek and Christian world views. It is Floria's answer, with stunning lucidity and sanity.

A good philosophy book..........2005-07-16

First of all, as another user has said, this book was written by Gaarder, not by Floria. At the beginning, Gaarder says that he found an old document from the XVI century in a bookstore in Argentina. He bought the document because he thought it was a letter written by Floria, a woman who was St. Augustine's lover when they were both young. Just ignore what Gaarder says about how he found the document, because that's something he made up from his mind.

Now onto the book. Gaarder uses Floria to refute a lot of Augustine's ideas about virtue, sins, chastity, celibate and the relationship between God and men. Gaarder's philosophy is the opposite of Augustine's: Whenever Augustine says to ignore the beauty of the world because it may lead you to sin, Gaarder will tell you to enjoy it because it's God's creation.

The purpose of Gaarder is to show us the true nature of Augustine's ideas, more close to those of the asceticism than to Christianity (he is even ashamed for enjoying food, for Christ sake!). To deny the human nature is to deny the works of God, it was never His purpose to build a beautiful world just to demand us to ignore it.

You may be in disagreement with Gaarder's ideas, but at the end this is a great book and the best of it is that you will be anxious to know more about St. Augustine's life and works. I recommend you to look forward for The Confessions of St. Augustine, so you can have the whole picture and learn about a man that shaped modern morality like few people have been able to do. You won't regret it.

Misleading.......2004-09-17

This book wants to be an answer to Augustin's famous "Confession". This book is fiction and it is strange that some reviewers think the letters to be real.

Gaarder lets the woman, with whom Augustin lived together for a long time, speak in letters answering to the Confessions of Augustin. The problem is that Gaarder's view of this woman is a woman of the 20th century, a woman who has no understanding for Augustin's religious belief or sexual morals. It seems Gaarder read this book, quickly judged it after the standards of our time and left it with that. Would he for a moment consider if there may be some true meaning in such a classic as the confessions of Augustin, a book, which has been a classic for more than 1500 years?

He even misrepresents cleary what Augustin said. Augustin syas how even in children you can observe envy. That you can see a baby who screams angrily at another baby, just because that other baby gets fed. Even though there clearly is enough for both. That's what Augustin wrote. Gaarder accuses him of saying that a baby is sinful just because it wants to be fed in the first place, and that is clearly not what Augustin said, as anyone can read in Augustin's confessions.

Buy it!.......2003-11-15

Unlike some of the other reviewers, it seemed clear to me that the "introduction," "postscript" and footnotes that others assumed where "true" are part of the text and are also fiction. Gaarder did not find these letters; his story of finding them is part of the story (here he is honoring Jorge Luis Borges). It is a short, but deeply intriguing story. The book does raise serious concerns about elements of Augustine's theology (especially the doctrine of creation; is creation good?). At the same time, it tells a painfully truthful story of lost love.

Another side of Augustine ..........2002-08-03

This is a compilation of letters from Floria Aemilia to Augustine, and it reveals quite another side of him. Anyone who has read his Confessiones cannot help but think what a boring life he lead .. however, after having read these letters, you realize that that was just one side of his life. These letters are moving and very interesting. True love letters from another time - yet they feel timeless. Surely such a love story could have taken place today, although the obstacles would have been different.

The foreward about how these letters came into Jostein Gaarder's possession is also very interesting - a dream for booklovers coming true!

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Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you

Take and read

The Confessions of Saint Augustine
St. Augustine of Hippo
Manufacturer: BookSurge Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Aquinas's Shorter Summa: Saint Thomas's Own Concise Version of His Summa Theologica

Augustine of Hippo: A Biography, Revised Edition with a New Epilogue

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ASIN: 1591094003
Release Date: 2002-08-28

Product Description

By his own account, St. Augustine of Hippo (A.D.354-430) lived a life of sin until his conversion to Christianity at the age of 32. Twelve years later he gave a personal account of his search for truth in The Confessions of Saint Augustine.

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Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you .......2007-07-19

Augustine's writing have withstood the test of time and it is clear to see when reading. The confessions begin with Augustine giving praise to God. It proceeds then into early childhood of Augustine and how his parents made him go to school to study Latin. As he continued to grow in his studies he also began to grow an addiction to sexuality. He brags to his friends of the sexual encounters that he has been through. In this same chapter he also speaks of how he and his concubines stole pears. He explains how this is something that he would have never done on his own, but with his friends he enjoyed it for the shear sake of stealing.

Augustine's studies increased as he continued to search for wisdom. These searches led him into the direction of the Manichaeism and to becoming a teacher of rhetoric. Shortly after this, one of his friends was baptized right before his death. Augustine teased his friend in regard to his conversion. However this also left Augustine with many questions regarding Manichaeism. He became very excited because he had the opportunity to meet the Manichee bishop Faustus. He had many questions for him, but after meeting with him, he found that Faustus did not have any answers to give him than what he had already known. This left Augustine to turn from Manichaeism and shortly after that he began to lean more towards Christianity.

Augustine's mother Monica had arranged for him to get married to a Christian girl. During this time he had been reading profusely and finally came to a conclusion about Jesus. He was in a moment of despair and heard a young girl's voice singing, "take up and read, take up and read." Upon hearing this he grabbed his Bible and began to read a passage in the book of Romans and after reading it he gave his life to Christ. He continued to give lengthy illustrations of memory and temptation. The remaining chapters of his book went into great detail about creation, the deity of Christ and the Trinity.

There are many pearls of wisdom to be gleamed after reading Augustine's work. Augustine does a fantastic job of tackling many questions in regards to Genesis. Also, the confessions would be great for a defense regarding the Trinity. This is great to appeal to since the confessions were written around 397. This could help show someone that the teachings of the Trinity were not just something that was conjured up, but have a historical standing. I highly recommend that you "take up and read."

Take and read.......2005-09-19

Augustine's 'Confessions' is among the most important books ever written. One of the first autobiographical works in the modern sense, it also represents the first time a psychological and theological enterprise were combined. It also helps to bridge the gap between the Classical world and the Medieval world, exhibiting strong elements identifying with each of those major historical periods.

Most undergraduates in the liberal arts encounter the book at some point; all seminarians do (or should!). Many adults find (or rediscover) the book later, after school. For many in these categories, there are concepts, narrative strands and historical data new and unusual for them. However, Augustine's 'Confessions' is still generally more accessible in many ways that truly classical pieces; it has interior description as well as external reporting that we are familiar with in modern writing.

The 'Confessions' shows Augustine's personality well - he was a passionate person, but his focus wavered for much of his life until finally settling upon Christianity and the Neoplatonic synthesis with this faith. Even while remaining a passionate Christian and rejecting the sort of dualism present in the Manichee teachings, he varied between various positions within these systems. Augustine's varied thought reaches through many denominational and scholarly paradigms.

The 'Confessions' are divided into thirteen chapters, termed 'Books' - the first ten of the books are autobiographical, with Augustine describing both events in his life as well as his philosophical and religious wanderings during the course of his life. The text is somewhat difficult to take at times, as this is writing with a purpose, as indeed most autobiographies are. The purpose here at times seems to be to paint Augustine in the worst possible light (the worse his condition, the better his conversion/salvation ends up being); at other times, one gets a sense (as one might get when reading the Pauline epistles) that there is some significant degree of ego at work here (Paul boasts of being among the better students, and so does Augustine, etc.).

Augustine also uses his Confessions as a tract against the Manichean system - once a faithful adherent, Augustine later rejects the Manichean beliefs as heretical; however, one cannot get past the idea that Augustine retained certain of their intellectual aspects in his own constructions even while denouncing them in his official life story.

The whole of the conversion turns on two primary books - Book Seven, his conversion to the Neoplatonic view of the world, including the metaphysics and the ethics that come along with this system; and Book 8, which describes his conversion to Christianity proper. This is where perhaps the most famous directive, 'Tolle! Lege!' ('Take and read!') comes from - Augustine heard a voice, and he picked up the nearest book, which happened to be a portion of the Pauline epistles, arguing against the undisciplined lifestyle Augustine lived. Scholars continue to debate whether Augustine's conversion to Christianity was more profound or more important than his conversion to Neoplatonism; in any event, Christianity interpreted through a Platonic framework became the norm for centuries, and remains a strong current within the Christian world view; Protestant reformers as they went back to the 'original bible' in distinction from the Catholic interpretations of the day also went back to the 'original Augustine' for much of their theology.

The final three books are Augustine's dealing with the creation of the world via narrative stories in Genesis 1 exegetically and hermeneutically. This is very different from what is done in modern biblical scholarship, but is significant in many respects, not the least of which as it gives a model of the way Augustine dealt with biblical texts; given Augustine's towering presence over the development of Western Christianity in both Catholic and Protestant strands, understanding his methods and interpretative framework can lead to significant insights into the ideas of medieval and later church figures.

This translation by Henry Chadwick is one of the standard editions of the book available. Chadwick, a noted scholar of early Christianity, provides a good introduction that gives synopses of the books as well as background and contextual information. This is a book that will be of interest to novice readers of Augustine as well as scholars, to students, clergy and laypersons, and anyone else who might have an historical, literary, philosophical, theological or other interest in Augustine - something for everyone, perhaps?

Answer To Pelagians Iv (Works of Saint Augustine)

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Answer To Pelagians Iv (Works of Saint Augustine)
St. Augustine , Roland J. Teske , and jo Rotelle
Manufacturer: New City Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1565481364

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Angela of Foligno has risen from relative obscurity to a prominent rank among the most significant representatives of the Franciscan and Christian mystical tradition. The scorching yet feminine way in which she narrates her dramatic love affair with the passionate ldquo;suffering Godmanrdquo; strikes a chord in contemporary readers. The intensity of her account has no match in Christian mystical literature.Selections from Memorial the first part of her book recount the progression in her spiritual journey. Passages from Instructions the second part reveal her role as mother and ldquo;teacher of theologians.rdquo;

Living an Uncommon Life: Essential Lessons from 21 Extraordinary People

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a great summer read
A Pleasent Surprise and an Inspiration
This is what everyone should be reading
An inherently engaging, unusually candid, and occasionally inspiring, and highly recommended read!

Living an Uncommon Life: Essential Lessons from 21 Extraordinary People
John St. Augustine
Manufacturer: Hampton Roads Publishing Company
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Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1571745262

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In Living an Uncommon Life, nationally syndicated talk radio host John St. Augustine distills a decade of interviews with more than 5,000 guests into a road map for living an extraordinary life. St. Augustine saw a pattern in the lives of the exceptional personalities that have appeared on his show - each of them refused to let negative circumstances dictate their life and instead found the inner strength to achieve great things. St. Augustine insists we all share these remarkable strengths and traits and offers 21 principles for unlocking your personal best. Each principle is reinforced with a powerful story from the lives of people whose paths have crossed with St. Augustine including Oprah Winfrey, John Denver, Walter Payton and best-selling authors Cheryl Richardson and Wayne Dyer, among others. John St. Augustine hosts Power!Talk Radio and his motivational, one-minute "Powerthoughts" radio spots are heard daily on stations across the countr

Customer Reviews:

a great summer read.......2007-06-21

insightful and entertaining, this book got me thinking about the paths taken by so many people in my life, as well as my own.

A Pleasent Surprise and an Inspiration.......2007-02-21

Never heard of this guy but saw the book in the store and after reading over it bought it and am happy I did.It is written in readable chapters with a focus on what the Author learned from the individual. I dont know of the guys radio show but it is centered around interesting people he met and is an easy, fun and inspirational read. If you like reading about interesting people and how they overcame their challenges then this is worth the read. Nice style and nice read.

This is what everyone should be reading.......2006-12-16

I didn't know what to expect from the book or the author.

I saw the subtitle about lessons from 21 extraordinary people and feared it might be some exercise in genuflecting to celebrity. That is a most subversive notion in this day and age of conformity where aspiring to wealth seems the highest goal.

John St. Augustine's name didn't mean much to me either. I'm an east coast guy and though he was a succesful radio talk show host that was mostly in the middle of the country - plus, I'm not much of a talk show guy. I find the radio stuff so jarring and controversial that it leaves me uncomfortable. Would that his show had been on everywhere.

Then I cracked the spine. What a book. It is bold - it respects its readers and doesn't try and sell them on three ways to achieve success or 2.5 ways to live a get thin and achieve a lasting tan - because it challenges readers not to go to the comfortable wings (left or right) but to dig down deeply in their own lives. The book challenges our humanity and confronts us with the reality of our mortality and does with passion and enthusiasm and gusto because John St.Augustine looks at life and shouts, "YES!" It can be a bit intimidating because it is so radical.

At various points I found myself reading and thinking to myself that I could live the kind of rich, full life he writes about here -punctuated with stories of famous (and anonymous) people he has known - and wanting to live that kind of life but realizing that to do so I had to follow his most serious lesson...that living takes work and determination but that it is so worth that work.

I could go on and on in writing but frankly I am more interested in now going back through some of the chapters - like the one in which he talks about learning the power of living in the moment through the late Chicago Bears star Walter Payton - to learn what I have already forgotten.

I've never written an Amazon review before and perhaps I haven't done the best job - my enthusiasm may be getting in the way of my writing - but don't hold that again this uncommon book. It is remarkable and must, must, must be read.

An inherently engaging, unusually candid, and occasionally inspiring, and highly recommended read!.......2006-11-05

At the lowest point in his life the John St. Augustine began a walk across the country, embark on some thousand miles from northern Michigan to Chicago and back, which allowed him to reinvent himself and embark on a new career in radio. Best known for his 'power thoughts' vignettes, "Living an Uncommon Life" covers more than his experiences and awakening: it includes patterns form other exceptional personalities he's met along the way, and reveals how these personalities uncovered strength from adversity. "Living an Uncommon Life" is an inherently engaging, unusually candid, and occasionally inspiring, and highly recommended read!

The Confessions (Works of Saint Augustine, a Translation for the 21st Century: Part 1- Books)

Average customer rating:

the best translation I've found
must read
A powerful read
overrated
For All Who Seek

The Confessions (Works of Saint Augustine, a Translation for the 21st Century: Part 1- Books)
St. Augustine
Manufacturer: New City Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1565480848

Amazon.com

Augustine's Confessions is arguably the first, and unequivocally the most influential, religious autobiography in the Christian tradition. Augustine (who was a hard-core hedonist before his sudden conversion) writes about faith with the reckless abandon of a lover; his descriptions of friendship are so beautiful they'll bring tears to your eyes; and his tributes to his mother, Monica, cast eternally fresh light on the unofficial authority of women in the early Church. --Michael Joseph Gross

Book Description

Bestselling and new translation of Augustine's alltime classic

Customer Reviews:

the best translation I've found.......2007-02-08

This Christian classic has touched me deeply. I read it the first time right after college, but recently picked it up again (thirty years later). I didn't remember a thing from the first reading.... I've been a Christian for many years, but find that this book is so fresh, with insights that are truly amazing. For this new read, I bought two different translations so that I could read both and compare when the meaning seemed obscure. I highly recommend the translation by Maria Boulding. It does a great job of staying true to his meaning, while expressing things in a way that speaks to the modern mind.

must read.......2006-02-20

This book has opened up a whole new avenue on interest for me.I have read this book several times and it has a potent affect on me. There is a dvd series (by The Teaching Co) 24 lectures on this series that I also recommend. After reading this book a whole world of other books opens before you,but you come to the understanding that you will not live long enough to read them all....unless

A powerful read.......2006-02-13

This is a profound book in so many ways; here are just a few. Augustine writes with a combination of confidence and humility that is not seen today. His confidence stems from faith in the God he clearly knows so well and his humility from a deep understanding of the sinfulness that dwells at the very core of his being. Worship is the purpose and attitude of the book; one can't help but be moved to do so after reading it. This book has also stimulated me to much thought in the areas of entertainment, evangelism, conversion, and scripture. Although this book is a great classic that has influenced Christianity and beyond for many centuries and people feel like they "should" read it, I recommend reading it for the pure delight of listening to a man who lays himself bankrupt before the Almighty and sincerely asks, "Give what you command, and command what you will."

overrated.......2005-09-24

This is easily the most overrated religious book ever. I believe it is Chapter 6 where Augustine talks about how he used to steal pears just to steal them even though he wasn't hungry is the best thought in the book about how natural evil is to us and how bad we really are.

There I just told you the best part of the book. Chapters 10 and 11 are absolutely horrific. Can anyone really say they understood those chapters?

Augustine has a major problem with sex in general and is a really bad advice giver on that subject.

For All Who Seek.......2004-01-28

Let me begin by saying that this book should be read by anyone seeking to live a better life, whether you are Christian or not, St. Augustine's representation of himself and his personal struggles are so human that they are easily accesible to people's of all faiths. That being said, don't expect to come to this book and not be challenged. This book is also the best introduction to St. Augustine and his theology so if you wish to read any of his other works, start with this one.

In my opinion, this book is really two books in one, and should be treated as such. The first book is composed of the first nine chapters and forms the autobiographical portion of the Confessioons, and the tenth through thirteenth chapters make up a concise overview of St. Augustine's basic theological views.

The first part is by far the easier to read, and depend on you are searching for by reading this book, this may be all you really need to read. St. Augustine sets out candidly for his readers the story of his life; the faith of his mother that initially so disgusted him and eventually aided in his conversion, his lusts and youthful errors, and his final dramatic conversion in the garden. Some claim that many of St. Augustine's gruelling criticisms of himself are exagerations ment as examples to his parishioners (he was the Bishop of Hippo) but irregardless the cincerity and spiritual earnestness of St. Augustine's writing shines through every page. It is amazing to think that someone who lived over 1500 years ago is so much the same as men today.

The second part is the most intellectual of the two and this is the one that contains most of the theology of the work, and while I will say that this section may not be for everyone (but after reading his autobiography I hope you will feel compelled to read this) this section should NOT be read without first reading the more spiritual autobiography. St. Augustine here provides an outline for such celebrated principles as the everlasting now, and such difficult questions as was God compelled to create the world. While he does not mention much of one of his other very famous an important theological principles here (i.e. predestination) this is still the best introduction his entire cannon of theology that is available.

I'd like to say a few words on the Vintage Spiritual Classic s edition. This is a handsome well-priced paperback volume that offers a good easily readable modern english translation. I shopped around when looking for an edition of this book, and while there are some editions that offer more notes, this is the only edition that offers refferences to the scriptual passages St. Augustine is referring to. It also contains an invaluable concise introduction and timeline to St. Augustine's life and the environment in which he lived.

Book Description

Among the earlier writings of Augustine, the first work treats the nature of the human soul, its dignity and grandeur. The second discusses the fundamental question of how man acquires knowledge. Each is in the form of a dialogue.

The Confessions (Everyman's Library (Alfred a. Knopf, Inc.).)

Average customer rating:

Very deep and laborious reading, but well worth it

The Confessions (Everyman's Library (Alfred a. Knopf, Inc.).)
St. Augustine , Robin Lane Fox , and Philip Burton
Manufacturer: Everyman's Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0375411739
Release Date: 2001-05-01

Book Description

(Book Jacket Status: Not Jacketed)

Augustine's fourth-century spiritual autobiography not only is a major document in the history of Christianity, a classic of Roman Africa, and the unchallenged model through the ages for the autobiographical record of the journey to self-knowledge, it also marks a vital moment in the history of Western culture. As Augustine explains how, when, and why he became the man he is, he probes the great themes that others were to explore after himCfaith, time, truth, identity, and self-understanding--with a richness of detail unmatched in ancient literature. Dense with vivid portrayals of friends, family, colleagues, and enemies, The Confessions chronicles the passage from a life of sensuality and superstition to a genuine spiritual awakening--in a powerful narrative of one man's inner education that continues to shape the way we think and act today.

Customer Reviews:

Very deep and laborious reading, but well worth it.......2004-01-07

St. Augustine was the first, and is arguably the most influential, of the major Christian apologists. In a time when Christianity was gaining momentum in the Roman Empire but was still mostly confined to the poor and uneducated, Augustine's theological treatises and apology made Christianity more valid, and in many cases more acceptable, to the learned in Rome. This autobiography, detailing Augustine's early life with a special emphasis on what made him convert to Christianity, made a tremendous contribution to the work of the sect.

Augustine deals with several topics in this book. He explores why we sin, how it affects God, and how He tries to win us back. He discusses learning and the effect of worldly wisdom and human interpretation of divine will, and attempts to reconcile earthly learning to spiritual growth. In the last three books he discusses time and creation with God. This is definitely heavy reading, but while Augustine's argument is very detailed and is sometimes difficult to comprehend, it is not poorly organized. For the most part the narrative is smooth, though the last three books do lag a little bit compared with the rest of the work.

Augustine's work has endured for more than a millennium and a half. Christianity has evolved, and has branched into many different and often opposing factions, but Augustine's work and his message still carry the great weight that they did over 1500 years ago.

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