Saint Augustine
Saint Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD) was a North African bishop, theologian, and philosopher, and one of the most important thinkers in the history of Christianity and Western thought. His writings shaped Christian theology for over a thousand years and remain deeply influential in philosophy and literature.
His two greatest works are the Confessions, a strikingly personal spiritual autobiography tracing his restless youth and dramatic conversion, and The City of God, a vast defence of Christianity written after the sack of Rome. The Confessions is often called the first true autobiography in Western literature, remarkable for its psychological honesty and its searching self-examination.
Born in Roman North Africa, Augustine spent his youth pursuing worldly ambition and pleasure before a profound conversion led him to the Church, where he became Bishop of Hippo. His reflections on memory, time, desire, and grace still speak directly to modern readers.
Augustine wrote in Latin, and older translations can feel formal and remote. Our editions render his searching, intimate voice in clear modern English. Read a selection free, and read or listen with a membership.
Saint Augustine in the library · 2 works
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The Confessions of St. Augustine
Audiobooks by Saint Augustine
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Frequently asked questions about Saint Augustine
What did Saint Augustine write?
Augustine's best-known works are the Confessions, his spiritual autobiography, and The City of God, his great work of theology and history. He also wrote On Christian Doctrine, On the Trinity, and a huge body of sermons, letters, and treatises. The Confessions is the work most read today.
What are the Confessions about?
The Confessions tell the story of Augustine's life from his childhood and wayward youth to his dramatic conversion to Christianity, addressed throughout as a prayer to God. Along the way he reflects deeply on memory, desire, sin, time, and the search for meaning. It is celebrated as one of the most honest and psychologically rich autobiographies ever written.
Where should I start with Augustine?
Start with the Confessions, which is by far his most accessible and personal work. Its narrative of a restless, searching life makes it engaging even for readers with no theological background. The City of God is his other masterpiece but is much longer and more demanding, so it is usually read afterward.
Why is Saint Augustine so important?
Augustine shaped the foundations of Western Christian theology — on grace, sin, free will, and the nature of God — and influenced thinkers for more than a millennium, from medieval scholars to Reformers like Luther and Calvin. His philosophical reflections on time, memory, and the self also anticipate modern psychology and philosophy. Both Catholic and Protestant traditions draw heavily on him.
When did Saint Augustine live?
Augustine lived from 354 to 430 AD in Roman North Africa, in what is now Algeria. He wrote the Confessions around 397-400 and The City of God in the following decades, after Rome was sacked in 410. He died as Bishop of Hippo as the Roman Empire in the West was collapsing.
Where can I read Augustine for free?
Augustine's works are in the public domain, and older translations are freely available. Many use formal, archaic English. Here you can read a selection free in clear modern English, and read or listen with a membership.
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