St. Augustine

The Giants of Philosophy

by Robert J. O'Connell (Narrator), Charlton Heston (Narrator)

St. Augustine, the first great sympathetic Christian philosopher, thought of Plato's eternal forms as ideas in the mind of God; he believed Christ provided the light of knowledge to the human mind. His Confessions constitutues one of the timeless statements of faith and self-surrender.

Genres: Philosophy, History, Biography, Nonfiction, Audiobook

3 pages, Audio Cassette

First published October 1, 1994

Reviews

[Brian Mikołajczyk · Rating 2 out of 5]

An introduction to some of St. Augustine’s work and philosophy. His philosophy is not for me. He uses varies various versions of the ontological argument to justify the existence of god and develops the philosophy that god is not of our spacetime and cannot be perceived, but rather is unchangeable, eternal, omnipresent, and mortals should put all faith in him in whatever they do.

[Igor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too short indeed.

Even considering to be listen by generalists, I found it too short and basic.

[bimri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Augustine really did find a way to solidify the illusion of the other world; built firmly on platonism rock. With Plotinus serving as a diligent shepard to lead his soul to contentment. In all seriousness, god is a state onto which some humans reach - contentment. That is all there is.

[AttackGirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Where is my review?

[Toni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent for what it is: a very brief introduction to the life and ideas of Augustine.

[Rob Jacobs · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a short piece taking on a huge figure.

[عدنان العبار · Rating 5 out of 5]

"And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh."
- Romans 13:11-14.

It was in these verses that Christianity (and Islam) have changed forever, for it was in these words that the venerated St. Augustine convert from Manicheanism to Catholicism (literally, the Universal religion). From a religion that manipulates God to suit its philosophical insights, to a religion that tries to understand God for what he is. St. Augustine is the master orator, the master rhetorician, and a psychologist-theologian par-excellence. Moreover, the saint is a poetic mystic whose conception of God gives God his due aesthetic appeal.

This book makes me want to return to Augustine, and I will very soon, hopefully. But it also imprints in my head a version of Augustine, who, though pious, retains utmost evil and cunning in his heart, which only increases for some bizarre effect the charisma of the medieval thinker.

[Maxfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well done short overview. Read by Charlton Heston which is pretty awesome.

[Nishant · Rating 2 out of 5]

The historical facts are nil and the book deals only with psychology and philosophy of that times.. Plausible read.