Augustine: A Very Short Introduction

by Henry Chadwick

Augustine was arguably the greatest early Christian philosopher. His teachings had a profound effect on Medieval scholarship, Renaissance humanism, and the religious controversies of both the Reformation and the Counter-Reformation. Here, Henry Chadwick places Augustine in his philosophical and religious context and traces the history of his influence on Western thought, both within and beyond the Christian tradition. A handy account to one of the greatest religious thinkers, this Very Short Introduction is both a useful guide for the one who seeks to know Augustine and a fine companion for the one who wishes to know him better.

About the Series: Combining authority with wit, accessibility, and style, Very Short Introductions offer an introduction to some of life's most interesting topics. Written by experts for the newcomer, they demonstrate the finest contemporary thinking about the central problems and issues in hundreds of key topics, from philosophy to Freud, quantum theory to Islam.

Genres: Philosophy, Religion, History, Theology, Biography, Nonfiction, Christianity

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

About the author

Henry Chadwick was a British academic, theologian and Church of England priest. A former dean of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford – and as such, head of Christ Church, Oxford – he also served as master of Peterhouse, Cambridge.
A leading historian of the early church, Chadwick was appointed Regius Professor at both the universities of Oxford and Cambridge. He was a noted supporter of improved relations with the Catholic Church, and a leading member of the Anglican–Roman Catholic International Commission. An accomplished musician, having studied music to degree level, he took a leading part in the revision and updating of hymnals widely used within Anglicanism, chairing the board of the publisher Hymns Ancient & Modern Ltd. for 20 years.

Reviews

[Preetam Chatterjee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first encountered Henry Chadwick’s Augustine: A Very Short Introduction in the long corridors of my college library in 2001, during a semester when I was struggling to balance Medieval Political Thought with the distractions of college life. The book itself was slim—almost unassuming—but what it contained was nothing short of an intellectual time bomb. Chadwick had a way of condensing entire centuries of theological and philosophical debates into under 150 pages, without ever sacrificing nuance or clarity. I remember reading it in stolen afternoon hours between lectures, a notebook beside me filled with rushed Latin phrases and marginalia that only a college student could believe was profound.

This book wasn’t just an introduction—it was a gateway. Chadwick brings Augustine alive not as a distant, pious figure enshrined in stained glass, but as a restless, brilliant, deeply human soul. From the youthful pleasures and philosophical flirtations to the eventual spiritual surrender, Augustine’s transformation is treated not with hagiographic reverence, but with empathetic realism. The Confessions, which I had read in fragments before, suddenly acquired context. And The City of God, which I had found daunting, now glowed with meaning.

What struck me most, and has stayed with me across the decades, is Chadwick’s portrayal of Augustine’s political imagination. At a time when Rome was crumbling, Augustine offered an alternative vision—not a new empire, but a new order of love, the Civitas Dei, the City of God. His belief that the state, however powerful, was morally bankrupt without divine justice, was something that felt eerily relevant, even in a postmodern world. Augustine was not advocating for theocracy. Instead, he carved out a space where conscience, morality, and public responsibility could coexist—and sometimes collide—with imperial power.

Back then, I couldn’t have fully grasped how profoundly Augustine’s vision would shape later Western political thought—from the just war theory to debates about church and state. But even in my undergraduate naivety, I sensed that this wasn’t just history. This was foundational. And Chadwick, with his elegant and economical prose, made that foundation accessible without ever dumbing it down.

Years later, when I returned to Augustine through more elaborate commentaries, I realized how much of my initial understanding had been scaffolded by this little volume. Chadwick was never flashy, but he was precise. He trusted the reader’s intelligence, but also their curiosity. That’s rare.

Augustine: A Very Short Introduction is more than a primer—it’s a luminous distillation of a complex life and an even more complex legacy. Reading it at the age of twenty was like being handed a small but powerful lens to view the long arc of Christian philosophy, imperial decline, and human yearning. Today, over two decades later, I still think of that copy—dog-eared, underlined, and marked with tea stains—as one of the most formative books of my student years.

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this book has indeed given a very short introduction to Augustine's thought, major works and context out of which he was working, as well as some biographical detail.

Notable for me has been learning that some of the major influences on Augustine's thought were:
- Cicero's 'Hortensius';
- Neo-platonic writings of Plotinus & Porphyry
- Manicheism and Donatism

Regarding OUP's series 'A Very Short Introduction to ... ', I have mixed feelings.
- On the surface they seem very attractive, being almost pocket-sized, and do seem to give good coverage to their respective themes. However, once opened, the text runs pretty much from edge to edge of the page, with no room for making any notes. The second thing that irritates is that to my taste the texts are just a bit too condensed. I've read some of the Routledge Critical Thinkers series, and find these to be more useful. Not only do they give a more in depth presentation / analysis of the work at stake, but the pointers for further study are more informative.

That said, I might still buy the occasional one in the future, but would try to see it in the flesh first, just to make sure it's worth the bother.

[Ian Clary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Based on lectures Chadwick gave in Toronto and Oxford, this is a short book that introduces readers to major themes in Augustine of Hippo's thought. As a broad survey, it is very clearly written and easy to understand. Chadwick is a master of early Christian studies and knows Augustine very well, and it is obvious when you read this book. If someone has read a biography of Augustine (Chadwick's would be a good place to start), this would make for a great second step to get at his theology and philosophy. Chadwick focuses on topics like Augustine and the life of the mind, the freedom of the will (he addresses it again with Pelagianism), the Confessions, Christian unity (per Donatism), creation and Trinity (per Manichaeism), etc. Chadwick also pays much attention to the role that Neoplatonism played in Augustine's overall thought.
I'd highly recommend reading this.

[Daniel Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chapter 1: The formation of Augustine's mind: Cicero, Mani, Plato, Christ
Chapter 2: Liberal arts
Chapter 3: Free choice
Chapter 4: A philosophical society
Chapter 5: Vocation
Chapter 6: Confessions
Chapter 7: Unity and division
Chapter 8: Creation and the Trinity
Chapter 9: City of God
Chapter 10: Nature and grace

[Eyvind Olafsrud · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delivers what it promises. Lucid, and inspires to read more of the main character.

[Illiterate · Rating 2 out of 5]

A reasonable chronological description of Augustine’s ideas. Chadwick adds little, rarely discussing even links among the ideas.

[Sherif Gerges · Rating 4 out of 5]

I chose to read this book because I found "City of God" to be almost impenetrable, and best left to doctoral candidates who had the time and quite candidly, the background. Unable to progress through even a few pages, I opted for this introduction to get a clearer understanding of who Augustine of Hippo truly was.

This book provides an excellent overview of Augustine's work, consistently revealing just how influential he was in shaping the intellectual tradition of early Christianity. It's hard to find another Christian figure, aside from Paul of Tarsus, who had a greater impact. Indeed, even compared to early thinkers like Origen, Augustine's influence (and seemingly, his ability) is of a singular magnitude.

[Jonathan Mills · Rating 3 out of 5]

A helpful introduction to Augustine's thought from one of his preeminent translators and scholars. Heavy on the philosophy and theology, light on the biography. Chadwick is especially excellent on the nuances of Augustine's thought in relation to those in his own time as well as his reception history. I definitely listened through it too quickly while I was doing other things to get the most out of it.

3.5 - Would recommend for anyone who wants what this compact little book has to offer!

(Audiobook)

[Darren Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very short and small book. I'm not familiar with Augustine but seems like this is a good introduction to know about him. And even though this book is very short, but it's dense and technical so it can at times be quite challenging to process and understand what the author is saying. The author also prefer to use a more academic and technical choice of words which makes it even harder for the average reader. But overall I think this is a good book to begin for those who want to know more about Augustine.

[Elia Mantovani · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book offers good tips to depict properly the main features of Augustinism, the style is plain and most of the times very easy going. Nonetheless, this Introduction is not to be considered as a text available for every student devoid of any ground in the fields of Patristic theories, Paleo-Christian history and even knowledge of the intellectual context of Augustine. Moreover, some parts are too redundant and others are excessively technical (e.g. the argument of the Neoplatonic heritage, the one about the controversy around sexuality with the Pelagians). In short, have some other readings before this and use this book to enhance your knowledge of the topic.

[Wade Luce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Accomplished what it set out to do. Lots of punchy and concise summaries of Augustines philosophy and theology

[Taylor Rollo · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is definitely a short introduction, with emphasis on the word short. However to try to do it and less than 200 pages is always going to be short, too short. But my biggest problem with this book is how Chadwick places considerable emphasis on Augustine's borrowing from platonic thought, as if Plato, Plotinus, and Porphory were his highest authority. He places so much emphasis on that and so little emphasis on the Bible's influence on Augustine, that he essentially makes him out to be a platonic philosopher with a Christian twist.

That is not a fair a reading of Augustine. Certainly Augustine was affected by platonic thought, just like all of us are affected by the philosophical presuppositions of our cultural time and place. But it would be more accurate to say that platonic thought gave Augustine categories of thought and ways of thinking that he then filled with Biblical data. Yes, he was affected by Plato but not to the point of being a platonic philosopher with a Christian twist. His authority was always the scriptures, and his thought process was often platonic with scripture as his guide. That does mean that he had some errors because of his platonic categories, but that does not mean he was mostly controlled by them.

In no other place is this more clear than in his last chapter. Chadwick makes it seem like Augustine's view on the doctrine of grace was mostly platonic and polemic instead of being based on scripture. It is true that Augustine worked out the details of this doctrine in his controversy with Pelagius, but that does not mean that it was not wholly scriptural. Augustine did not build this doctrine off a few scant texts as Chadwick makes it sound. Chadwick also makes it sound the doctrines of grace as formulated by Augustine have been a hiccup in just a few periods in history, instead of the dominant view of the early church, the Reformation, and beyond the Reformation, at least until modern times where American individualism has overridden biblical thought.

So overall I do not think this is a very good introduction to augustinian thought. If I were you I would not waste my time on it. Plus, as many people have commented, Chadwick writes in such a way that if you do not know platonic philosophy already before you read this book, you will not be able to understand much of what he is saying.

[Bill Fornes · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I needed a stronger background in philosophy to get something out of this work.

[Peter Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Please give my Amazon review a helpful vote - https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-re...

Augustine: A Very Short Introduction by Henry Chadwick

Henry Chadwick's book lives up to its subtitle. It is a short and effective survey of the life and thinking of one of the seminal thinkers of Western civilization. Chadwick structures his survey by looking at topics such as free will, grace, Creation, and the Trinity. Chadwick intersperses these chapters with biographical chapters on Augustine's approach to vocations and a chapter on The City of God.

Chadwick begins by explores Augustine's intellectual influences, including Manichianism, Cicero and Neoplatonism. This chapter was particularly useful because Chadwick offers a lucid and comprehensible explanation of the ideas of Neoplatonism. For example, Chadwick explains:

"This way of thinking of causative emanation in the great chain of being enabled Plotinus to achieve several things at once. On the one hand it solved the problem of how to keep the transcendent One and the world from losing all relation to each other, without the Absolute ceasing to be Absolute, and without the world logically dropping out of existence altogether. It expressed a kind of redemption by ‘conversion’ to the source of being. On the other hand, it alleviated a problem which caused acute mental gymnastics for all Platonists, namely answering the question how evil could ever have entered into the continuum of things, when that was an overflow of supreme goodness and power.
Plotinus taught that at the apex of the hierarchy are three divine existences: the One, Mind, and Soul. The One is supremely Good, and therefore all lower levels of the hierarchy below the One must be also distinct from the Good; in short, less than perfectly good. Even Mind has some inferiority about it, some delusions about its own grandeur. Soul, still further down the scale, has the power to produce matter. Matter, being at the opposite extremity of the hierarchy from the good One, is in cosmic terms utter evil, formless non-being."

These are ideas that interface with classical Christian theology. How does a perfect God create an imperfect world? How does a perfect, infinite and transcendent God enter into a finite and changing creation? Augustine viewed Platonism as the philosophy closest to Christianity, so he had to deal with these issues.

Because I am currently reading The City of God, I found Chadwick's chapter on Augustine's great work to be particularly useful. For example, Chadwick advises:

"The title came from the Psalter, and was chosen to offer a conscious contrast to the Republics of Plato and Cicero, with whom parts of the work were a running combat."

Bazinga! I immediately started to read references to Plato and Cicero as oppositional points to the arguments that Augustine was making, rather than Augustine supporting those writers.

Significantly, Chadwick splices autobiographical details into his discussion of The City of God. For example, he writes:

"In regard to justice, the city of God had an obvious bias to the poor. Augustine noticed that the most vocal defenders of paganism were in general defenders of the old social order in which the poor fawned on the rich, and the rich exploited their dependent clients (CD 2.20). He realized how inadequate was private almsgiving and the Church chest with its register of paupers daily fed from the soup kitchen. The dimensions of destitution were too great to be met except by redistributive taxation (CD 5.17)."

And:

"The domination of one man over another may be abused, but it is the lesser of two evils where the alternative is anarchy and every man for himself. Augustine hated the slave trade. Whenever feasible, he used the church chest to emancipate slaves oppressed in bad households. On one occasion his people took direct action to liberate slaves from a ship in Hippo harbour, and the chest was used to reimburse the aggrieved owners. It was hard to stop destitute parents selling their children. Augustine was once nonplussed by a reasonably well-to-do tenant farmer who sold his wife and, when Augustine expostulated, declared that he preferred the money. Yet slavery was not an unmitigated evil when slaves in good homes were better clothed, fed, and housed than the free wage labourers who were the great majority of the labour force.'

These are fascinating insights that bring Augustine, the man and author to life, and make his theological writings more relevant to the modern reader.

I recommend this as an excellent source of information for anyone interested in learning more about Augustine's life and thoughts.

[Clif · Rating 5 out of 5]

Henry Chadwick in this excellent work avoids going into the biography of Augustine, sticking to his philosophy and how the mind of Augustine developed over his lifetime. The man was far more open minded even into old age than one might assume about a person completely dedicated to religion and was genuinely dedicated to finding the proper way to think about things for which there was, and still is, no clear evidence as we moderns understand it.

Those, like me, who put little value in discussion of whether the Father and the Son are one and the same, or the nature of the three-in-one, the detailed handling of Augustine's theology may hold little appeal, but Chadwick doesn't leave it out because of its profound impact on the Church. Augustine is the very rock upon which Catholic theology has been built. We are told of the influences on Augustine that educated his thinking. He was a man of his times who did not develop his philosophy in a vacuum.

What interesting times they were in the 4th century. Discussion of the various Christian sects, the tensions between them and between Christians and the authorities at a time when pagan practices were still popular I found fascinating.

[Deirdre Clancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great companion for those who are studying Saint Augustine's works. While the bare facts of Augustine's life are well known, his religious and intellectual interests pre-conversion are less so. Yet making sense of Augustine's writings and spiritual trajectory arguably requires at least some knowlege of the Neoplatonist ideas that he engaged with and wrote about prior to becoming a Christian. It's equally important to have an idea of the controversies within Catholicism at the time Augustine was a bishop to understand some of his theological positions. Chadwick provides all of this context with great clarity, and this book has a comprehensive bibliography for those who wish to follow up on any particular points.

In addition, this book provides a sense of just how far-reaching Augustine's influence has been throughout the centuries, not only on the level of Christianity, but also across various academic disciplines to this day. He really was a brilliant intellectual and prolific writer. Upon reading this, it became apparent that Augustine had anticipated some trends in philosophy that were presented as 'new' to me back in the '90s as being 'post-Christian', such as post-structuralism. Highly recommended.

[Jack Booth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great little introduction to the thought of Augustine. The focus is more on the thought of Augustine with minimal attention paid to the life and times of the Saint, as Chadwick himself explains on p1. Throughout heavy focus is made on Augustine the Neoplatonic philosopher, with reference to his influences of Plotinus and Porphyry.

Chadwick structures the book chronologically, developing along with Augustine's life and the successive works he wrote. Thus a good overview of the works of Augustine is given. Constant reference is also made to the major works of Augustine throughout - Confessions, City of God, the Trinity and his Sermons and Commentary on the Psalms - showing the continuity of his thought.

However, the fact that Chadwick is an Anglican does come to the surface at some points in my opinion, otherwise it seems quite ecumenical.

Overall a great little overview of Augustine's thought and works which should be a great key to knowing where to start reading Augustine's huge corpus.

[أحمد لطفي · Rating 3 out of 5]

الكتاب على تناوله السيرة الفكرية لواحد من أهم مُفكرّي المسيحية، إلّا أنه بدا جامع تاريخي وفكري وفلسفسي للعصر المذكور
--
قرأت تعليقًا على الكتاب يقول بحاجة القارئ إلى خلفية فلسفية خاصةً فلسفة أفلاطون، وهذا بلا شك واجب
--
أكبر فائدة من اكاتب كانت "كيف تطورت العقيدة المسيحية حتى أصبحت بشكلها الحالي" ومن أغرب النتائج المستنتجة إنها عقيدة جزء كبير منهل = فلسفي..
--
كثير منّا كمسلمين، يرتبط بعقلنا مفهوم "الآب" بالله الخالق ، و"الإبن" بسيدنا عيسى "البشري" وروح القدس الذي يساوي عندنا سيدنا جبريل، ولذا فنحن نفهم العقيدة المسيحية بالإعتماد على الخلفية المعلوماتية المتخيلة وهذا خاطئ، لأن الثالوث يعني عندهم غير ذلك إطلاقًا، الأمر يشبه -إلى حدٍ ما أن أقول لك، أنت روح وجسد وإرادة، هذا ثالوث، لكنّه في النهاية شخصك الواحد!
--
هذا بالنسبة لي شيئًا مهما مع عدم اقتناعي به، وذا لأنّي -قبل اليوم- كنت أرى العقيدة المسيحية غير منطقية بالمرّة..
--
سأقرأ الكتاب مرّة أخرى يومًا ما!

[John Kaye · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite saying at the start that the book would eschew much biographical coverage of Augustine, there was sufficient for me! Especially for someone who lived over 1,500 years ago. And the biography is important, because most life events seemed to have a significant influence on Augustine's thinking and writing at the time. The book makde very clear to me that Augustine relied heavily on the Greeks philosophers and Roman writers, as much as anything in the Bible.

Quite a tough read, nevertheless, and a somewhat bigger book might have alievated the feelins of indequacy I felt when faced with Plotinus et al.

But has renewed an interest in tackling Diarmaid MacCulloch's 'Christianity: the First Three Thousand Years'.

[Hussain · Rating 4 out of 5]

الكتاب رغم صغر حجمه الا انه يقدم دراسة عميقة لحياة أوغسطينوس الذي عاش في الفرن الرابع ونشأته في شمال افريقيا (الجزائر وتونس) لقد علم نفسه بنفسة وكونه وثني اعتنق المناويا وبعد سن الرجولة ونتيجة لانتقاله للعيش في روما اعتنق المسيحية الكاثوليكية لينتقل من الوثنية الى التوحيد المسيحي
كانت اشهر مؤلفاته الاعترافات وهي اول سيرة ذاتية كتبت في التاريخ ولازالت موجودة الى الان وكذلك كتب مدينة الله محاولا في هذا الكتاب توصيف الايمان بالله وهل يمكن لمن ولد من صلب ادم ان لا يحمل اثم خطيئة ادم وهل من الممكن النجاة بدون هداية الله نتيجة لقيام الشخص بالاعمال الحسنة ، كما ان الخطية بالنسبة اليه تتمثل في الجنس ممثلة في جسد المرأة التي اليها تعود الخطيئة
الكتاب جميل والافكار التي تحدث عنها اوغسطينوس جديرة بالمراجعة حتى بعد مرور ١٥ قرن على وفاته

[Tvrtko Balić · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was thinking about giving this two stars because it might be ok as someone's first exposure to Augustine, but the author either not understanding or not explaining properly different philosophical positions was just too frustrating. In the first chapter this was only really a problem when it comes to Manichaeans and so I thought "OK, maybe he just doesn't understand Manichaeans very well, other than that it seems promising." But then it just kept going. The whole thing just felt like it was a homework done too late based on purely secondary sources. In the end I really don't think it is a good introductory work, there is a danger of having wrong preconceptions stuck in your head and it is also just better to pick up Confessions, it is an extremely interesting and very accessible work.

[أسامة بوجبارة · Rating 5 out of 5]

كتاب يشدك في كل صفحة إلى سيرة القديس أوغسطين ..

يمثل هذا الرجل حلقة مهمة من الحلقات التاريخية والمهمة في الأديان الابراهيمية جميعًا وليس في المسيحية وحسب.

فهو كان من أوائل الأشخاص الذين أدركوا اهمية الاشتباك مع الفلسفة اليونانية وحاولوا أن يقاربوا بين النتاج الفلسفي اليوناني بمشاربه الأفلاطونية والأرسطية مع الإيمان الديني .

فضلًا عن ذلك كانت سيرة هذا الرجل تمثل سيرة النقاء في أبهى صورها .. لا أتحدث عن ذلك النقاء المزيف والتبتل المصطنع .. بل عن قديس لم يرد أن يكون قديسًا .

[M. Ashraf · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good very short introduction; but I had prior knowledge of Augustine works and life portrayed in the Story of Civilization; thus I do not think this added much to it. it was a good recap though.
It is a very short book full of philosophical views and reference to the Confessions and for the City of God... adding them to the to-read list.

[Hans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent introduction to the overview of Augustine's work and especially his influences. A bit biased on a few points of discussion, but it wasn't glaring. I would say it's better for people who have read at least a little of Augustine, particularly his Confession. Also assumes at least a moderate understanding of philosophy.

[Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Served it’s purpose.

To understand modern origins of doctrine. To appreciate the influence of a single philosopher on Christendom. To trace the course of Greek philosophy into Christendom.
Needed a dictionary to understand many sentences. Not my academic subject, so somewhat unfamiliar with the jargon.
Would order and read again.

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good, rather heady. Curious readers just wanting information on Augustine's thoughts on issues of current evangelical interest (Calvinism, creation, etc.) might find themselves thrown too much into the deep end of the pool. Chadwick expertly places Augustine in his own context rather than in ours. Very interesting discussion of the Donatists.

[Max Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title says it all with this one. Henry Chadwick does a great job in this book going over the long, rich history of Augustine while not making it boring or wordy. He doesn't miss any large important details, yet he keeps the information succinct. This is a great read for those that are interested in one of the most popular and prominent church fathers.

[Igor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despite the title 'short', it is a dense introduction to a complex and proliferate writer, philosopher and theologian.

Agreeing with him or not. It is impossible not to admire his effort and reasoning 1.600 years ago.

For my purpose, it was wonderful.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Omitting most of Augustine's biography the summary of his ideas manages to provide a lucid introduction to very complex and evolving ideas. While many will find this book too schematic, I thought that it provided a good framework for further reading.

[Carlos De La Rosa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great synopsis

This book offered a historically conscious view of Augustine which was nourished by a theologically and philosophically rich diet. All in all, a well rounded treatment of various topics of which Augustine was truly a master.