Saint Augustine Confessions

by Augustine of Hippo

Genres: Philosophy, Classics, Religion, Theology, Christian, Biography, Christianity

Paperback

Published January 1, 1961

About the author

Early church father and philosopher Saint Augustine served from 396 as the bishop of Hippo in present-day Algeria and through such writings as the autobiographical Confessions in 397 and the voluminous City of God from 413 to 426 profoundly influenced Christianity, argued against Manichaeism and Donatism, and helped to establish the doctrine of original sin.

An Augustinian follows the principles and doctrines of Saint Augustine.

People also know Aurelius Augustinus in English of Regius (Annaba). From the Africa province of the Roman Empire, people generally consider this Latin theologian of the greatest thinkers of all times. He very developed the west. According to Jerome, a contemporary, Augustine renewed "the ancient Faith."

The Neo-Platonism of Plotinus afterward heavily weighed his years. After conversion and his baptism in 387, Augustine developed his own approach to theology and accommodated a variety of methods and different perspectives. He believed in the indispensable grace to human freedom and framed the concept of just war. When the Western Roman Empire started to disintegrate from the material earth, Augustine developed the concept of the distinct Catholic spirituality in a book of the same name. He thought the medieval worldview. Augustine closely identified with the community that worshiped the Trinity. The Catholics and the Anglican communion revere this preeminent doctor. Many Protestants, especially Calvinists, consider his due teaching on salvation and divine grace of the theology of the Reformation. The Eastern Orthodox also consider him. He carries the additional title of blessed. The Orthodox call him "Blessed Augustine" or "Saint Augustine the Blessed."

Santo Agostinho

Reviews

[Samuel Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

The highs were high and the lows were really really low…

Probably would’ve been a five star if I was a better reader…might revisit the book when I’m older and smarter!

[Peter Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and it gave me a lot to think about. Augustine made me think about things I’d never considered which is what made it a five star book to me. This is a book best focused on or read physically not listened to while doing other things (like I did). I plan to reread the last sections as I don’t feel like I understood them as well as I should.

[Jamie Woods · Rating 5 out of 5]

very philosophical, didn't get a lot of it because i 'sped' through it rather than dwelling on the hard bits. Keeps drawing us back to the Lord in prayer, some great insights and good to read so I know where to go to keep thinking about other stuff when it arises

[Ethan Oberst · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a classic for a reason! I loved the way Augustine writes. He writes everything as a prayer written to the Lord.
It inspired me how he tells his testimony and engages in Philosophy and Theology before the Lord.
He lost me a little bit when he started interpreting Genesis 1. It was VERY allegorical. I can see how some aspects of covenant theology were influenced by his work.

My favorite quote of Augustine’s is his prayer, “Give me the grace to do what You command and command what You will.”

[Emma R. Pilcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rereading because I skimmed this in middle school :(

[Gabe Cowley · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I have ever, ever read. Much of what Augustine wrote here felt eerily relatable in a way I had never experienced. You feel the power of Augustine’s vulnerability to the reader. The sense of his struggle with sin and his deep desire for, yet aversion to, God runs through so much of this book. A taste of the quality of his thoughts, so succinct yet profound, is “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” No one knew this better than Augustine.

I am so thankful that Augustine shared his testament with us. An immensely interesting aspect of this book is how it is more like a prayer that Augustine is offering to God, which we readers are listening in on.

I would highly recommend the translation by Maria Boulding, which seems to portray the beauty of Augustine’s Latin (he was an orator, by trade) for us English speakers to enjoy as his original audience may have. This book is, with the Brothers Karamazov, the most personally influential book I have read.

[Aleksi Puusaari · Rating 2 out of 5]

Holy yap, täst ois voinu karsia

[Lorelei Katcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

i think augustine maybe has some daddy issues?? his teacher also beat him which HAS to do with the religious guilt.. he rlly just needed a therapist rip augustine

[David Clouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first half of this book was largely beautiful, well written, and interesting. The next quarter of it was interesting or good. The final quarter was like drinking lemonade only to find out it was actually water. Philosophy can be extremely interesting to me or extremely boring and pointless. I found a lot of Augustine's final musings in this book similar to that but the account of his life and coming to faith was gripping and thought-provoking. I look forward to reading some other works by him, in particular the City of God, but wouldn't just outright recommend this work to anyone. I would recommend the first half to pretty much anyone though.

[Fyzioo · Rating 5 out of 5]

genuinely nearly cried. this book did too much for me, ESPECIALLY after having read plato's republic. i don't think i truly understood the nature of christian faith until i read confessions- the philosophic backing it lends to both god and faith is precisely what i needed to finally make some connections. it's truly a wonderful read, regardless of how repetitive some of my peers find it.

[Mathew Dodge · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was blown away at how interesting and compelling this book was. Truthfully, I did not read the study chapters (11-13) because I ran out of time and won’t be returning to this book for awhile, but his autobiography of chapters 1-10 were stunning.

[Andrew Tucker]

Re read with undergrads

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

model for Christian reflection

[Evan Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Take up and read!”

[Caela · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like it in the start with his story and conversion experience but when it turned abstract thoughts on genesis 1 I got bored fast still overall enjoyed

[Polly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dude was bonkers. An enjoyable read

[My Little Happy Nook · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️

What an interesting read! I really respect and have benefitted from Augustine’s works, and I was very excited to dive into this one. I will be honest that I had to take some breaks during reading this as it was very heavy and some of his confessions were quite difficult to listen to and reflect on.

Overall- I really appreciated getting to listen to Augustine’s thoughts as he pondered truth, Biblical interpretations, and God’s will. I thoroughly enjoyed these aspects of the book which to me were more in the first 1/3 and final 1/3. The middle 1/3 was more unpleasant to muddle through as he details his sins and the consequences of some made me quite sad and frustrated. For example- listening to him talk about his long term live in girlfriend and their child (especially in talking about the end of both) made me quite sad and a bit upset as it felt jarring to realize that this figure had fallen prey to such sins and I found myself really pondering the consequences for this discarded woman. Also- in the opposite vein- I do believe it was beneficial for him to be honest and frank about the sins he had in his past and at the time of his writing struggled with as that allows the reader to not idolize the man and to realize that God can work through people who are engaged in long lasting sins even with very serious consequences. In some ways his sins and their consequences reminded me of David from the Bible as I also have had a hard time reading his story as the sins and their consequences are so heavy and heartbreaking. Of course- I do remember that David is called a man after God’s own heart and I believe God was so gracious and kind to David as well as Augustine which is a good reminder for the modern reader (I am glad we are given stories like this to learn from/learn through even if they make us uncomfortable when reading them). This is another good reminder that we are all sinners (myself especially!), and we should be confessing and repenting from our sins not only to God but also to our brothers and sisters in Christ to help hold us accountable. One other part of the book that felt a bit abrasive to my soul was the portion in which Augustine praises his mother for being long suffering in what I think most would describe as an abusive/unfaithful marriage with quite a bit of aggressive anger coming from the husband. He made a statement that felt to me as if he was saying that if all abused women acted as his mother did in the face of an abusive husband then they would not be wounded in the way they were. I hope I am not misinterpreting that (and I don’t want to imply at all that I am wiser on this issue than he is- I am young and not an expert on the subject, so I can only speak to what my conscience feels on this issue based on my limited life experiences and knowledge), but that is how that portion of the book read to me, and while I can appreciate his mother’s bravery, I would not advise a friend or daughter to remain physically in a dangerous situation that could endanger their or their children’s lives and I felt that his advice was a bit dangerous to abused women (It is a horrific tragedy that so many women and children are affected by domestic violence and I can’t claim to have all the answers- I just feel the weight of that tragedy and would not want to just tell women to be more loving and avoid the abuser in the fit of rage because in my perception many women stay and are killed with mindsets like that). (Of course I am living in a very different time and context than the author, and I may not be fully interpreting his words appropriately, but this is just how I feel at this time on this issue). This is very complex, and I believe God can work through/provide grace even in horrific things like abuse (specifically related to how he said his mother’s ministry with his father in spite of his anger and unfaithfulness led to him being led to the Lord- that is wonderful that he was led to God through long suffering kindness and faithfulness, so if that is something someone feels called to I guess that is for them to pray about with God I just don’t think it’s an easy: everyone in this situation should do x to get x result type of situation). Overall- I found that the sins were hard to listen to and felt heavy to wade through (Although I can see modern ramifications for things he discussed in himself and others that I don’t often hear modern Christians discuss for example watching/celebrating violence- which I think in our modern day is actually a huge issue that’s been exacerbated by media/movies/TV/phones etc.). In this way I do feel that Augustine had such bravery and strength in sharing his deepest sufferings/struggles with sin and his deep reflections on God and His will. I guess my point is that the things I found hard to listen to and the things I didn’t like in this book were the sins and the consequences which is probably good that the sins upset me, but is also a reminder that I must feel the same dislike and discomfort for all of my own sins and never slip into the trap/sin of feeling like my sins are lesser than other sins that may have more public or serious consequences.


All that to be said- I believe this is a very good book with lots of deep thoughts to ponder that can spur the Christian on to a more honest reflection on the self and inner life. I don’t think this would be a great first intro into Augustine or church history. Additionally, I feel that this is an extreme example of being brutally honest about one’s struggles and sins with the world. While I don’t think it is necessarily wise or helpful for everyone to share their deepest struggles with the entire world- I do believe it’s very beneficial to share your deepest worries, concerns, and struggles with a close group of likeminded believers.
















Content:


•Overall I do feel this is a book tailored for an adult audience. He definitely dives into his history of sexual sins in addition to just overall sins which I don’t think would be equally appropriate for all ages.

[Andrew Mick Uh Luh · Rating 3 out of 5]

He’s not really a writer, but the first like 2/3 of the book are great. It reads like an autobiography and you get a lot of personal dialogue about this guys life. The last 1/3 is painfully slow religious philosophy. We have here an entire 30 pages or so about whether or not time is real and can be measured, he’s got a whole chapter about how cool the memory is, but is it real? And if I can’t see my thoughts are they really present? And what am I doing when I have a memory? Etc. etc., so maybe skip the last bits

[Kishi D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definite 5 star if i was smarter. Didnt understand the last parts enough. A hard read but worth it.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

My boy Augustine has really got to cut himself some slack!

[Gavin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was such a great reflection of the Christian journey from the experience of Augustine. While much of what he writes is unique to his situation, the process is relatable. The simplicity of the faith he professes, which does away with worldly wisdom and worldly wants, is so desirable and refreshing. In his reflections we see the miraculous works of God, the turmoil and contradictions of the human heart, and the authentic feelings of a man who loves God while living in this broken world. We live in an age of want (really a world of want) and the beauty of the Christian faith is the loss of want as everything we desire is satisfied in Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. The longings of the world become less desirable the longer you are filled with Christ. And the joy that this causes is something the pleasures and desires of the world can never satisfy. It’s truly a joy and so enriching to my own faith to read the confessions of St. Augustine. The greatest impact of this book is how it leads one to reflect on how worthy of praise God is and how much greater He is than anything else the world offers.

It shows a life of worship and true contemplation

While it is rich in reflecting the beauty of the Christian life, parts of it are dense and difficult to navigate. There are deep philosophical thoughts that spread vast pages which are insightful but at times difficult to follow.

[Kevin Higginbotham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for a book review for graduate class. The good parts are good. The bad parts are pretty bad. The autobiographical material is interesting, if slow moving. It’s broken up with such random theological ramblings that it’s pretty hard to follow. It’s worth reading just because of how influential Augustine was on all branches of western Christianity. Not necessarily because it’s incredible reading. The man loved Scripture and cites it frequently— pretty much always out of context, but to be fair, I don’t think much of it is him attempting to exposit those passages but just that when he wanted to say something, he used a Bible verse to say it. Picture someone who quotes scripture so much that when he wants his teenage son to finish mowing the lawn, he says, “That thou doest, do quickly (John 13:27).” He’s not saying that verse is about mowing the lawn, but he just can’t help expressing himself using Bible verses instead of using his own words. A bit of a weird way to express oneself but there’s nothing wrong with it I guess. The interpretation he posits at the end of the book for Genesis 1 is DEFINITELY weird and way off base. That part can be skipped unless you want insight into the allegorical interpretation Augustine is so famous for - no real expositional commentary value whatsoever.

[Angel Lovelace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a lot of opinions on this book I personally love saint Augustine, though he may not be the best person by modern standards he's a very intriguing man. This book is mostly like a diary, him questioning humanity without god and then goes on to talk about his troubles as a teenage boy with hormones and at sixteen when lust took over his body, for a lot of people this is probably somewhat relatable, I may be a woman but I do understand his thoughts in some areas. I would say this isn't a 5/5 due to it really being alot of dragging on from him talking about God, of course as a saint your whole life revolves around God but I really would have liked to hear more about him, having a Christian mother and a pagan father is so intriguing to me too - it must be a confusing dynamic. As a philosophy/ religion student I really enjoyed this book though and as someone who converted to catholicism as of this year, saint Augustine is an interesting man and I recommend this book if you want to question humanity as a whole and deep dive into religious and moral ground. I will also say it gives a deep dive into what it was like to live back then, Augustine mentioned something about having to learn greek or he will be beaten - boys hurting animals (pigs in this instance) of the sorts, it's interesting that in all honesty that isn't drastically different to some places now (sadly of course.)

[Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

An autobiography from across the centuries.

I found it fascinating to read about the life and introspection from someone who lived so long ago. Confessions is deeply personal, Augustine recounts his many struggles, his life story up to that point, and how he thinks about God and philosophy, acknowledging where he doesn't know what to think.

I am not Christian, but I found it worth reading for the autobiographical content alone, and it is interesting to see how his thoughts about God and scripture compare to contemporary Christianity. Modern Young Earth Creationists would do well to read his figurative interpretation of Genesis and heed his advice in Book 12, Chapter 25.

Augustine is a human. He fails and sins like you and me, he feels frustrated, he makes mistakes in reasoning, and he feels both regret and joy, just like you and me.

Confessions is worth reading if only for the human connection across centuries to get a sense of personality from an intelligent person who lived so long ago. To hear of a person's struggles, friendships, mournings, and wresting with the unknown is timeless.

[Sofiana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading Confessions feels less like reading a book and more like being ushered into a sacred dialogue, one between a man and God, where every line breathes humility, yearning, and grace. Augustine does not merely recount the story of his life; he offers it up, page by page, as a prayer. His words are soaked in reverence, aching honesty, and an unshakable desire for truth.

What makes this autobiography sublime is not just the depth of thought or eloquence of expression, but the raw beauty of a soul stripped bare before God. Augustine speaks of sin not with shame alone, but with profound understanding, a recognition that sin is not simply the breaking of rules, but the breaking of harmony, of love, of the self’s alignment with the divine. Yet in every confession of darkness, there is a flicker of light, a reaching hand, a divine mercy that never turns away.

There is something extraordinary about reading a book written over 1,600 years ago that still speaks so directly to the modern soul. His hunger for meaning, his intellectual rigor, and above all, his longing to rest in God—all of it still resonates.

[B.J. Fantine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can understand the historical importance of Confessions; that much is not lost on me. This book was hugely influential to early Christian theologians, and it's beyond obvious why: such a vulnerable, honest survey into one man's life with God (not to mention the high-quality study in Books XI- XIII) was - and forever will be - worth celebrating. Augustine, an orator, writes in this vivid prose, and outpouring of faith in every sentence.

And yet.

And yet, Augustine's Confessions was a supreme disappointment. Although somewhat of a byproduct of the work being at the beginning of Christianity's evolution, his arguments in favor of the religion are weak. His points are made in a cyclical manner, the same core idea being repeated oft one-too-many times in a given passage. I was rarely moved. I was never convinced.

Part of me wants to prescribe this impassivity to being naive. Perhaps I am not far enough in my own religious journey to appreciate Augustine's; perhaps I have not lived enough to be influenced by his words. Both - and neither - could be true. For now, I remain as I was before.

[Jamie King · Rating 5 out of 5]

Made it through after (over?) a year! Had to read and reread several parts, and my copy is filled with annotations and highlighted concepts which i hope to come back to later.
1) i like the manner and method by which this guy introduces literally all of his beliefs. super thorough on definitions, line of reasoning, etc.
2) i found his views on God to be surprisingly timeless, and i like how he described one’s relationship with God as an active and deeply personal process, requiring one to utilize reason and interact deeply with the world around them, outside of any preset conceived by human minds before them. i’m totally simplifying and paraphrasing him here but like he cooked, and served us a delicious meal with that one…
3) i like the format of introduction -> history of his relationship with God (disbelief to belief) -> devotions/ musings on the nature of God. Gets more esoteric towards the end and required a lot of repetition of reading, but was totally worth it.

Overall, read it, especially if you’re trying to investigate/ develop your own faith!

[Carley Hoover · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first time I read this book was in ninth grade, so it was so sweet to return to it six years later. You don’t need me to tell you that it is simply incredible. I loved reading it in a class context, but I wish I had been able to go through it a bit slower. So I think I will be returning to some sections in the next few days. This time around I was especially struck with Augustine’s wrestling with sin, the way he grappled poetically, intellectually, and devotionally with Christianity, and his emphasis on the incredible life and faith of his mother Monica.

A favorite line from this read: “let these transient things be the ground on which my soul praises you God creator of all, but let it not become stuck in them…do not be vain oh my soul. Do not deafen your heart’s ear with the tumult of your vanity. Even you have to listen. The Word himself cries to you to return…’surely I shall never go anywhere else’ says the word of God. Fix your dwelling there.”

[Katie Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️ - half star deduction bc I just couldn’t get behind the philosophical rabbit holes towards the end. BUT, I think every Christian should read this book. Augustine’s ability to be relatable to the reader even though he wrote this book over 1500 years ago was beautiful. He intertwined his confessions with praise that emphasized how the Lord’s providential plan was at play throughout every stage of his life.
“Grant my prayer, O Lord, and do not allow my soul to wilt under the discipline which you prescribe. Let me not tire of thanking you for your mercy in rescuing me from all my wicked ways, so that you may be sweeter to me than all the joys which used to tempt me; so that I may love you most intensely and clasp your hand with all the power of my devotion; so that you may save me from all temptation until the end of my days.”

[Christian Kelsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Covetousness would possess many things; and Thou possessest all things. Envy disputes for excellency: what more excellent than Thou? Anger seeks revenge: who revenges more justly than Thou? Fear startles at things unwonted and sudden, which endangers things beloved, and takes forethought for their safety; but to Thee what unwonted or sudden, or who separateth from Thee what Thou lovest? Or where but with Thee is unshaken safety? Grief pines away for things lost, the delight of its desires; because it would have nothing taken from it, as nothing can from Thee.”

“And this is the happy life, to rejoice to Thee, of Thee, for Thee; this is it, and there is no other. For they who think there is another, pursue some other and not the true joy. Yet is not their will turned away from some semblance of joy.“