As some reviewers have mentioned, this book presupposes you know a lot about Augustine before you read this. This assessment is correct--you do. Wills freqently stops in mid-discusssion to get into arguing with other translaters about whether a given word should be translated one way or the other. And if you don't know about Augustine's life (presumably true, if you're reading a biography), you have no idea why the author is making a big deal about each translation point. And they are numerous.

In addition, key facts that most biographers would introduce for the reader are skipped. For example, he refers to the Maximus the Usurper in his pages as if you should know who he is. Who Maximus is or why he is important is never explained. Other references to key players are left similarly unexplained.

Other parts that are suspicious. After a long explanation of the origins of the word 'confession' and its use in Augustine's time, Wills decides to call Augustine's most famous work not by its universal title "The Confessions" but "The Testimony." What is the point of renaming a book that is known by everyone under one name? Everytime he refers to the Testimony, you mentally correct it to the Confessions. This is a pointless distraction and it makes you suspicious of what other titles have been intenetionally retranslated to something no one would recognize.

Likewise, he gives the name Una to Augustine's mistress, even though there is no record this was her name.

Personally, I don't like this kind of self-created biography. I was expecting a book that would lay out Augustine's life, and at various points dip deeply into the theological debates and explain Augustine's views in the context of his times and also detail how they affected Catholic/Christian thinking after him. This is not that book. This is a treatise arguing for a different translation of Augustine; it's not a biography.

I wanted very much to like this book, and I did by the time I finished and reflected on it. Publication of a short biography of Augustine, an influential but little-known (to modern Americans) figure in Western history, was a great idea, and I'm pleased that Penguin took on the project.

Writing a biography of someone like Augustine is difficult -- little information is available other than Augustine's surviving writings. The successful biographer needs to ground the available information, and a critical rereading of previous biographies, in our current understanding of the state of society at that time. Garry Wills has pulled that off nicely.

Augustine lived in interesting times: Church doctrine was evolving while identifying heretical docrines (e.g., Donatists); the Roman Empire was effectively split in two, with the Western capital moved from Rome to Ravenna; and (mainly) Christianized "barbarian" groups were taking over large sections of the Western Empire (Alaric's Goths captured Rome during Augustine's lifetime, and Augustine died near the end of the Vandal conquest of Roman Africa). Wills successfully places Augustine's life in context of these important events.

Other Amazon reviewers have noted that this is not a good introductory volume. I disagree, as long as the reader has some knowledge of the historical period. Even in that case, however, the early sections of the book can drag -- e.g., with lengthy reinterpretations of specific Augustinian phrases. But how can one complain about an Augustine biography that (in the final pages, anyhow) manages to incorporate discussions of both Roth's "Portnoy's Complaint" and Chesterton's "Secrets of Father Brown"?

I wanted very much to like this book, and I did by the time Ifinished and reflected on it. A short biography of Augustine, aninfluential but little-known (to modern Americans) figure in Western history, was a great idea. Writing a biography of someone like Augustine is difficult -- little information is available other than Augustine's surviving writings. The successful biographer needs to ground the available information, and a critical rereading of previous biographies, in our current understanding of the state of society at that time. Garry Wills has pulled that off nicely.

Augustine lived in interesting times: Church doctrine was evolving and identifying heretical docrines (e.g., Donatists); the Roman Empire was effectively split in two, with the Western capital moved from Rome to Ravenna; and (mainly) Christianized "barbarian" groups were taking over large sections of the Western Empire (Alaric's Goths captured Rome during Augustine's lifetime, and Augustine died near the end of the Vandal conquest of Roman Africa). Wills successfully places Augustine's life in context of these important events.

Other Amazon reviewers have noted that this is not a good introductory volume. I disagree, as long as the reader has some knowledge of the historical period. Even in that case, however, the early sections of the book can drag -- e.g., with lengthy reinterpretations of specific Augustinian phrases. But how can one complain about an Augustine biography that (in the final pages, anyhow) manages to incorporate discussions of both Roth's "Portnoy's Complaint" and Chesterton's "Secrets of Father Brown"?

Well, Strathern is certainly entertaining, if not informative. He gives us the dirt on each philosopher, tells us who was overweight, cheap, pushed people around, etc. This would be great if we were reading about movie stars or politicians but I bought these books in order to understand something about what these philosophers thought. He does reserve a few pages at the end of each volume to tells us one or two of their ideas and gives us a handful of quotes. A total waste of money unless you hate your philosophy classes so much that you want to hear how awful the personal lives of the philosophers were. A new low in publishing.

Paul Strathern's concise overview of St Augustine's life, thought, and influence upon the world will be an invaluable introduction for anyone seeking to begin a study of the man whose doctrines and aspirations changed the face of Christendom. Strathern sets the stage by discussing some of the various philosophies prevalent in the Roman world during St Augustine's time and constructs a quick run-over of Augustine's battle with sin, struggle with the problem of Evil, and final journey to truth. Augustine's epic and exhaustive conflicts with heresy in order to edify and preserve the tenets of Catholic doctrine will be found here as well. Finally, Strathern closes this sharp, to the point work, with a succinct survey of some of the later Christian philosophers up until St Thomas Aquinas and the downfall of the Platonist tradition. This work serves its purpose well; even average readers will be finished and find much useful information at their leisure in at the least thirty minutes.

Strathern is a master at this kind of work, which mixes biography, critical analysis, historical context and humor all in a concise, informative & entertaining package. He lists a time line for the philosopher, his place in world/philosophic history & a selection of works for furthur reading. This series of books by Strathern is a wonderful course in Philosophy 101 without ever having to go to college, all presented in plain, easy to understand English without being bogged down with philosophy's often confusing vernacular. If you are expecting an in-depth review or complete analysis of the philosopher's life & work, read another book. This is meant to be a quick, concise overview & that's just what it provides.

This text is a collection of modern philosophers (most, if not all are analytic philosophers) and their essays on various topics. Some of these topics pertain to Augustinian subjects and some do not. For instance, Alvin Plantinga's work titled "Augustinian Christian Philosophy," Genevieve Lloyd's article "Augustine and the 'Problem' of Time," Simon Harrison's "Do We Have a Will?: Augustine's Way in to the Will," and Philip L. Quinn's "Disputing the Augustinian Legacy: John Locke and Jonathan Edwards on Romans" would be the more "Augustinian" articles (others included). On the other hand, others such as "Romancing the Good: God and Self According to St. Anselm of Canterbury," by Marylin McCord Adams would perhaps be less "Augustinian" in their overall content.

The articles were not historical in their approach (which does not necessarily make them bad articles), but if you are wanting a historical assessment or approach to Augustine's philosophy, then you will not find it in these pages. This is what leads me to question the title of the work, which ultimately seems to be a misnomer.

However, if you are wanting a wide variety of articles that pertain to Augustine or some aspect of modern Augustinian thought, then perhaps this is a better text.

I found this book to be a bit dated. It has some helpful advice, but it's been said much better and more understandably in other books. Much of it is a guide on how to read the Bible. However, I have many of Augustine's writings (and this is no exception) to be too metaphoircal and cryptic. That style is ok for some things, but it's no good for explaining something as practical as how to read the Bible. Also, it was (understandably) rather dry. For a better book on the same subject, I would suggest Fee & Stuart's "How to Read the Bible for All It's Worth."

The Tertullian portion of this work is rather old-fashioned and not very enthralling. It does contain a review of the misunderstanding often encountered on Tertullian's Adversus Hermogenem that Tertullian did not believe in the coeternity of the Son. However this is not enough to make it a necessary purchase. Not bad - just a bit too old-fashioned.

Living within a few minutes of St. Augustine, I eagerly looked forward to the publication of this book. Unfortunately, it is poorly written, and one of the stories is set in upstate New York! I hate to purchase a book--believing it is about a certain area--only to discover it contains accounts from other parts of the country. I found Oldest Ghosts very disappointing.

This book wasn't really what I was looking for. It didn't really tell the ghost stories it was more like summaries. I like David Lapham's book a lot better which is ghosts of st. augustine.

With a population of about 12,000 and a city limit of 10.38 square miles, St. Augustine, Florida, is not North America's largest city, but, founded by Don Pedro Menéndez de Avilés on September 8, 1565, it has the distinction of being the oldest European settlement on the continent. When a city boasts having the oldest house and other structures in the United States, a few hauntings are expected. OLDEST GHOSTS: ST. AUGUSTINE HAUNTS provides readers some of the ghost folklore it's accumulated from over 400 years of existence, but it skimps on its background research.

This slim 2000 book first categorizes the many ghostly anecdotes it relays by whether their settings are indoor or out, then by the types of uncanny activities they are, including supernatural contacts, animal spirits, spiritualist interaction, sounds, smells, unexplained fires, guardian angels, and malevolent entities. These accounts are accompanied by photos of the sites and eerie pencil sketches by Dianne Thompson Jacoby. Also included is a glossary of the terms the author uses and bibliography, which could be helpful for anyone looking for further reading on the subjects covered.

Stopping by a cemetery for a story while on a ghost walking tour, one visitor notices the woman beside her disappear as they moved onto the next point of interest. At the Benét Store, an ancestral home of Stephen Vincent Benét, two poodles frequently appear to current owner Marla Pennington on the steps leading to the second floor. When an old partitioned Victorian apartment dweller's neighbors deny making harpsichord music, she seeks out the culprit when it recurs and realizes the woman playing the instrument was not living.

Most of these stories are anecdotal and concentrate on the encounters themselves, but not all of them supply any background, analysis, or investigation for how the hauntings came about. Questions are provoked, yet unanswered. Ghost folklore that captivates gives a bit of background as well. Looking up the history of the haunted site, identifying the ghosts (even if it's just theory), and determining why their spirits remain in the physical plane is part of the fun. The tales don't need to have all of this information, but it helps. The stories that have more background research in this volume are better than the ones that don't.

While this is a volume of ghost stories, a first-hand account of one in San Diego, California, was out of place as it had little connection to St. Augustine. San Diego has enough of its own ghost folklore--particularly the Whaley House--and has the books to back it up for anyone who wants to learn about its legends. This reviewer wanted to learn more of Florida's fascinating historic city.

The spirit photos might be of interest to those looking for more tangible mementoes of St. Augustine's uncanny phenomena. Jacoby's spot illustrations also enhance the storytelling. Although Author Karen Harvey sometimes changes the names of those in the stories, many aren't. Anyone who has a genealogical interest in St. Augustine might run across a name or homestead for their research.

More background would have been appreciated, but this book serves as an atypical introduction to an intriguing city. OLDEST GHOSTS: ST. AUGUSTINE HAUNTS is enjoyable reading for anyone fascinated by this aspect of the paranormal, especially when it is combined with how this little city forged its frontier.

I found this book exceptionally horrible. I fell asleep at the end of every paragraph. I nearly killed my myself as I reached the middle of the book as I waited to find Monsiure Elshtain's point. I came to the conclusion that Nevertheless, I concur with Harvard professor Mary Ann Glendon's observation that Elshtain's "exploration of Augustine's implicit cognitnive theory... (is) especially interesting." Beavis Ramesh Esquir

For a serious appraisal, see the review by Mary Ann Glendon, Learned Hand Chair at Harvard Law School, at http://www.firstthings.com/ftissues/ft9611/reviews/glendon.html

Someone recommended this book as the epitome of Augustine's philosophical work. It tries to replicate the style of Plato's dialogues, but its shallow logic, infantile writing, and general poor scholarship as well as just plain lousy thought and development makes me feel like I got gypped buying it.If I could, I would ask for a refund. Ugggg.

I found the style and content interesting from the point of view that it gives the reader a glimpse into the minds of the church thinkers of the time. The arguments are made by someone who knows what they are supposed to believe and the work ignors some seemingly logical conclusions along the way. The primary purpose seems no to be directed at convincing unbelievers but to enforce the church's position. Many obvious, to a well educated populace, quiestions and opposing arguments are not addressed. To get the full impact of the reasoning we must take the work in context. We must imagine that we only knows what the average person knew at the time. Most education of the time was done by the church and the logic is constructed to convince those who believe in the infalability of the church and fear the consequences of opposing church thinkers. Take the time and energy to read this and you will see the logic parralells much of modern religious writings.

The absurdities produced by Wills' eccentric treatment of Augustine multiply like rabbits. One example: Wills insists on calling Augustine's son Adeodatus "Godsend" rather than Adeodatus. It is true that the etymology of the name roughly corresponds to "Godsend," but given the fact that almost every name in antiquity "meant something," this tick is supremely annoying. His translations are clunky to the extreme. He translates the classic line, "Our hearts are restless until they rest in you" (inquietum est cor nostrum donec requiescat in te) as "Our heart is unstable until stabilized in you."

If you have to read the Confessions in English, by all means stick with Henry Chadwick.