The Confessions of St. Augustine

By: St. Augustine, R.S. Pine-Coffin - translator

Narrated by: Mark Meadows

Length: 14 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

A story of spiritual awakening, The Confessions of St. Augustine is a fascinating look at the life of an eminent Christian thinker. Widely seen as one of the first Western autobiographies ever written, it chronicles the life and religious struggles of Augustine of Hippo, from his days as a self-confessed sinner to his acceptance of Christianity as an older adult. Along the way he unveils his theological questioning of human existence and the essence and nature of God while providing influential philosophical arguments on creation and time. Augustine's sincere and inquisitive attitude will inspire any listener, regardless of faith. Translated by R. S. Pine-Coffin.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

Public Domain (P)2017 Naxos AudioBooks

Thought provoking self reflection

This autobiography takes the reader through self discovery of the essence of the journey of life. It provides a view into the thought process of Augustine of Hippo as he finds a deeper meaning of life.

amazingly relevant

Absolutely fascinating that a book written well over fifteen hundred years ago is still relevant and in many ways profound even in light of modern religious thinking as well as scientific gains. i really enjoyed this, although I will admit it took me quite a while to get all the way through it as it is very dense

Great confessions

a great personal look at one's humanity and struggles in relation to one's Christian beliefs and life in general

Take and Listen

Attempting to say anything illuminating about one of the most illuminating books ever written might come perilously close to intellectual arrogance. That being one of the many failings Augustine detects and dissects within himself—all the while inviting you and me to do the same—I’ll just give you a brief road map of this listen. After 15 centuries on the best-seller list, we can take its greatness as a given.

The first ten books cover Augustine’s life, from childhood to conversion. The next two offer a close exegesis of the first few verses of Genesis, where Augustine the philosopher uses philosophy as the “handmaid to theology”—the only way it has ever been able to hold my interest. The final book offers an interpretation of the same verses of Genesis through what would become a favorite lens for the Medieval mind, allegory. To my mind, this last book approaches the visionary.

Of course, I didn’t grasp everything I should have--far from it. But one of the virtues of an audiobook is that, as with the tangle of nautical details in an Aubrey/Maturin novel, here you can let the finer points flow over you and perceive the greater, general idea. In this, Mark Meadows is no end of help; he reads with a conviction and subdued energy that envelops you. The translation, by the unfortunately named R.S. Pine-Coffin, is superb.

The narration gives life to Augustine's confession

The book by itself would have been packed with golden nuggets of truth and perspective. However, Mark Meadows' narration brings the book to life. You can hear the sorrow, confusion, gut-wrenching internal debates and wholehearted praise of God and Jesus in his voice. I felt as though I was back in 400 AD listening to the studied philosopher expanding on his ideas and realizations. The book gives listeners a lot to think about and it's evident that many of the truths Augustine uncovered centuries ago are still relevant today.

Perfect

I really enjoyed the narrator. He gives the story the respect it deserves. One of my favorite Catholic books.

Wonderfully clear performance

The Confessions is a classic and this presentation made it much more understandable than the presentations I've read and heard in the past.

RC Sproul promoted!

I enjoyed it! quick two day read with an honest confession of humility ... I would def read again

Eye-opening

Eye-opening and inspirational. The performance was fantastic and better than I could have hoped for.

The questions of life.

I can’t think of a more thorough analysis of every human problem that has plagued individuals through the millennia.