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Augustine : conversions to confessions / Robin Lane Fox.

By: Material type: TextTextPublisher: New York : Basic Books, [2015]Edition: First US editionDescription: xiv, 657 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : color illustrations ; 25 cmISBN:
  • 9780465022274
  • 0465022278
Subject(s):
Contents:
Confession and conversion -- Worldly ambitions -- Infancy, order and sin -- Family scars -- "So small a boy, so great a sinner..." -- Unfriendly friendship -- "To Carthage I came..." -- Apostle of Christ -- The living gospel -- Becoming Martha -- Selling lies for a living -- Guided encounters -- Eternal Rome -- Milan and Ambrose -- "Torn from my side..." -- Greater friends -- Plato reborn -- Inwards and upwards -- Sex, ambition and philosophy -- Into the garden -- Gentle withdrawal -- Villa life -- "Watering my couch with tears" -- Augustine with Augustine -- Born again -- The last days of Monnica -- Authority and love -- Slaves of God -- True religion -- The reluctant priest -- Sinners and seekers -- Faith and error -- "Not in rioting and drunkenness..." -- Seat of the scornful -- The seven steps -- Paul and Lazarus -- Postal contacts -- Amazing grace -- Food for scandal -- Shared burdens -- Confessing -- The heaven of heavens -- Epilogue.
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Holdings
Item type Current library Collection Call number Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Adult Book Adult Book *Middletown Public Library NON-FICTION 270.2 LAN Available 33581004483645
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Saint Augustine is one of the most influential figures in all of Christianity, yet his path to sainthood was by no means assured. Born in AD 354 to a pagan father and a Christian mother, Augustine spent the first thirty years of his life struggling to understand the nature of God and his world. He learned about Christianity as a child but was never baptized, choosing instead to immerse himself in the study of rhetoric, Manicheanism, and then Neoplatonism,all the while indulging in a life of lust and greed. In Augustine , the acclaimed historian Robin Lane Fox re-creates Augustine's early life with unparalleled insight, showing how Augustine's quest for knowledge and faith finally brought him to Christianity and a life of celibacy. Augustine's Confessions , a vivid description of his journey toward conversion and baptism, still serves as a model of spirituality for Christians around the world. Magisterial and beautifully written, Augustine will be the definitive biography of this colossal figure for decades to come.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 572-610) and index.

Confession and conversion -- Worldly ambitions -- Infancy, order and sin -- Family scars -- "So small a boy, so great a sinner..." -- Unfriendly friendship -- "To Carthage I came..." -- Apostle of Christ -- The living gospel -- Becoming Martha -- Selling lies for a living -- Guided encounters -- Eternal Rome -- Milan and Ambrose -- "Torn from my side..." -- Greater friends -- Plato reborn -- Inwards and upwards -- Sex, ambition and philosophy -- Into the garden -- Gentle withdrawal -- Villa life -- "Watering my couch with tears" -- Augustine with Augustine -- Born again -- The last days of Monnica -- Authority and love -- Slaves of God -- True religion -- The reluctant priest -- Sinners and seekers -- Faith and error -- "Not in rioting and drunkenness..." -- Seat of the scornful -- The seven steps -- Paul and Lazarus -- Postal contacts -- Amazing grace -- Food for scandal -- Shared burdens -- Confessing -- The heaven of heavens -- Epilogue.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

  • Introduction (p. xi)
  • 1 Confession and Conversion (p. 1)
  • 2 Worldly Ambitions (p. 13)
  • Part I
  • 3 Infancy, Order and Sin (p. 35)
  • 4 Family Scars (p. 41)
  • 5 'So Small a Boy, So Great a Sinner...' (p. 51)
  • 6 Unfriendly Friendship (p. 62)
  • 7 'To Carthage I Came...' (p. 70)
  • Part II
  • 8 Apostle of Christ (p. 91)
  • 9 The Living Gospel (p. 101)
  • 10 Becoming Martha (p. 118)
  • 11 Selling Lies for a Living (p. 133)
  • 12 Guided Encounters (p. 148)
  • 13 Eternal Rome (p. 161)
  • Part III
  • 14 Milan and Ambrose (p. 181)
  • 15 'Torn from My Side...' (p. 200)
  • 16 Greater Friends (p. 209)
  • 17 Plato Reborn (p. 225)
  • 18 Inwards'and Upwards (p. 241)
  • 19 Sex, Ambition and Philosophy (p. 258)
  • 20 Into the Garden (p. 272)
  • Part IV
  • 21 Gentle Withdrawal (p. 297)
  • 22 Villa Life (p. 307)
  • 23 'Watering My Couch with Tears' (p. 324)
  • 24 Augustine with Augustine (p. 332)
  • 25 Born Again (p. 342)
  • 26 The Last Days of Monnica (p. 353)
  • 27 Authority and Love (p. 364)
  • 28 Slaves of God (p. 376)
  • 29 True Religion (p. 390)
  • Part V
  • 30 The Reluctant Priest (p. 409)
  • 31 Sinners and Seekers (p. 419)
  • 32 Faith and Error (p. 429)
  • 33 'Not in Rioting and Drunkenness...' (p. 440)
  • 34 Seat of the Scornful (p. 448)
  • Part VI
  • 35 The Seven Steps (p. 457)
  • 36 Paul and Lazarus (p. 468)
  • 37 Postal Contacts (p. 478)
  • 38 Amazing Grace (p. 491)
  • 39 Food for Scandal (p. 501)
  • 40 Shared Burdens (p. 511)
  • 41 Confessing (p. 522)
  • 42 The Heaven of Heavens (p. 540)
  • 43 Epilogue (p. 553)
  • Extended Captions for the Plate Sections (p. 565)
  • Bibliography (p. 572)
  • Notes (p. 611)
  • Index (p. 649)

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

Fox (classics, Oxford Univ.; The Classical World; Alexander the Great) adds another weighty tome to his long list of impressive works on ancient history. This volume follows the life of the North African saint Augustine (354-430), beginning, as the author's previous work Confessions does, with his childhood. His complicated youth follows, in which the young man takes a concubine, fathers a son, and accepts a heretical Manichaean gospel. Augustine is then transformed many times, undergoing several conversions. Fox presents the various contexts and many philosophies that influenced his subjects, including a substantial discussion of Manichaean and Platonic philosophy; all the while comparing Augustine to his contemporaries, especially the rhetorician Libanius. Highly intriguing is the exposition on the role of Platonic philosophy in Augustine's metamorphosis, his allegorical biblical exegesis, and his mystical ascent toward divine union. VERDICT Fox presents a complex, ever-changing, articulate, introspective, and idealistic philosopher sinner, revealing elements from Confessions and the author's many other titles. The volume would be best for readers to have some familiarity with the ancient Mediterranean or early church history. While this mountain of a book requires dedication and discipline, knowledge awaits those who reach the summit.-Jeffrey Meyer, Mt. Pleasant P.L., IA © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

CHOICE Review

Fox (emer., Oxford) is a top-tier classicist whose work on Alexander the Great has earned him scores of awards and widespread acclaim. He is a meticulous scholar who has a knack for writing at a level that academic and general audiences alike can appreciate. It is, therefore, no surprise that his biography on Saint Augustine has generated rave reviews from a host of critics. But with several excellent biographies on Augustine already on the shelves--most notably, Peter Brown's new edition of Augustine of Hippo: A Biography (2000) and Henry Chadwick's more recent Augustine of Hippo: A Life (2009)--one may reasonably ask why readers would reach for Fox's instead of the others. For one thing, Fox draws interesting parallels with other classical figures such as Libanius and Synesius, creating, as Fox puts it, "a triple set of sketches" with Augustine as the central panel. Fox also shows appropriate reverence for Augustine's religious conversion and convictions--something that cannot be said about James J. O'Donnell's judgmental and somewhat bitter Augustine: A New Biography (2005). Altogether, this is an engaging, respectful, and highly erudite yet readily accessible study worthy of its glowing commendations. Summing Up: Essential. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty; general readers. --Francis A Grabowski, Rogers State University

Booklist Review

*Starred Review* Perhaps only Newton's apple tree has attracted more attention than the fig tree that shaded Augustine when he heard a child's voice prompting him to read the scriptural passage summoning him to a new life as a Christian saint. By transporting readers to that tree, Fox places them in that pivotal moment when a philosophically sophisticated rhetorician decisively repudiates the worldly ambitions and carnal lusts that have long delayed his baptism into Christianity. The richly detailed narrative indeed guides readers beyond this decisive moment through 11 years of further transformations before Augustine records his life in his inimitable Confessions. Carefully unfolding the structure and themes of this masterpiece, Fox establishes its character as an extended prayer often misread as a protomodern autobiography. To clarify the origins of this singular prayer, Fox contrasts the life of its author with the lives of two prominent contemporaries the gifted pagan orator Libanius and the devout Christian bishop Synesius men whose life trajectories provide illuminating context for Augustine's account of his life's pilgrimage. Readers who unlike Fox share Augustine's faith may resist the psychologizing glosses for key spiritual experiences. But readers pious and skeptical alike will recognize Fox as an exceptionally insightful and probing biographer.--Christensen, Bryce Copyright 2015 Booklist

Kirkus Book Review

A comprehensive literary biography of the great Christian thinker Augustine (354-430). Fox (Ancient History/New Coll., Oxford Univ.; Travelling Heroes: In the Epic Age of Homer, 2009, etc.) adds a hefty tome to the library of works on St. Augustine of Hippo, focusing mostly on his famous Confessions. Written in the late fourth century, Confessions remains a foundational work of Christian thought. Fox guides readers on an epic journey through the book and the life that inspired it. Presuming a familiarity from his audience with Confessions and with Augustine, Fox systematically explores his subject's well-documented life and provides in-depth background and commentary capable of assisting even seasoned scholars in a deeper understanding of the great autobiography. For instance, Fox presents a lengthy, detailed, and nuanced explanation of the Manichaean heresy that Augustine fervently followed for a time. Thorough background on topics such as this, obscure today but foundational to a full reading of Confessions, provides a true service to readers. Fox sees Augustine's early life as a series of conversions, either toward ways of thinking or away from certain lifestyles. Once he had thoroughly accepted orthodox Christianity, however, in the famous garden scene described in Confessions, the focus changed. Augustine ceased to undergo conversions and instead began a period of confession in his life, a grappling with his past that culminated in his writing (or dictating, as Fox theorizes) his great prayer, the Confessions. As Fox notes, "books and people alternate importantly in Augustine's intellectual journey," and he explores the many ancient texts that influenced the young Augustine as well as the many people who helped shape him. Fox's writing is coherent and approachable, but the book is not for casual readers of Augustine. It represents a close analysis of both Confessions and of Augustine himself, leaving few stones unturned. An erudite and ordered reading of Augustine's Confessions and a worthy addition to any library on early Christianity. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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