Confessions of Saint Augustine

By: Saint Aurelius Augustinus

Narrated by: Bernard Mayes

Length: 12 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

Considered to be the first autobiographical work in history, this timeless book is completely applicable to everyone who has experienced the struggle between good and evil in his own soul. Saint Augustine, born in Constantine in 354 C.E., was raised by a devout Christian mother. He abandoned the Christianity of his upbringing and had an illegitimate son. After hearing the sermons of Ambrose, he began his great internal struggle which led to his conversion in 387 C.E. The Confessions describe his conversion, shedding light on the questions that had troubled him on his way to the Cross. Outside Scripture it is the most famous - and perhaps the most important - of all spiritual books.

(P)1992 by Blackstone Audiobooks

old English my foot!

The narrator gives a compelling reading of one of the truly great books in the Audible collection. This is a somewhat formal, very thoughtful and dignified reading matching in tone the theme of a mature man reflecting back on his journey through life. The somewhat archaic, rather formal 19th c. translation lends an appropriate degree of gravitas to the words of Saint Augustine, but it is certainly not unintelligible. I found it very gratifying and easy on the ears. If in doubt, give it a listen before buying. I'll be looking for other audiobooks by this narrator.

Great book, but antiquated English

I think this book would be fantastic, but this version's English is completely antiquated... like the King James Bible, with 'thee' and 'thou'... it's hard to understand much of it. It's also a bit boring, although Augustine is brilliant... but seriously, how interesting is a theft of some pears?

Significant historical figure

I always wanted to read this because of its reputation. This is about an early Christian (5th century) contemplating his past life in light of his Christian one. Augustine is a cornerstone in the Church and its later doctrine so one can learn much from this book. I took away 2 stars because the translation from Latin to English has too many "thee" and "thou" and the narrator is elderly with a British accent.

Worth the Price

This great spiritual classic is very well produced. It takes a little bit of time to get used to the Old English, but anyone who has read Old English will get used to it very quickly. The translation, with the Old English, is very eloquent and the listener can sense a little of St. Augustine's great oratorical skills. I was a little weary to download this work because of the reviews against the text and narrator, but after having listened to it, I think the reviews say more about the reviewers than about the work reviewed. A great listen!

Powerful teaching

All persons who desire to do good and serve God should read/listen to this great work by an extraordinary intellect.
Catholics know him to be a Saint; but, the concepts he develops would be of tremendous interest to an atheist who desires to do good. Always a good expenditure of time.

Enlightenment

I really enjoyed the narration of the book. The book shared an honest look into the heart and soul of one journeying into holiness.

A Great Classic Well Read

I am currently listening to this book, and find it greater than I'd expected. The reading is very good (although the sound quality is that of a good telephone interview on the radio, which is my only complaint). If you have any experience with either the King James Version of the Bible or Shakespeare, you should have no trouble with the translation. One reviewer said it was English from the 1200s! That would, indeed, be hard to understand, unless you knew German as well as English. This is more like the 1600s. The "thees and thous" many complain about are simply the singular form of the second person pronoun (you). "Thou" is nominative (subject), and "thee" is objective (object). When we lost that distinction, and the singular/plural distinction, our language bacame more inexact.

Of the several things I've downloaded so far, this is my favorite. Thanks, Audible!

Difficult Translation to Listen To

Although clearly a Christian classic, the wording of this translation is rather archaic, making it difficult to understand the concepts unless your mind is totally focused.

Might be difficult

This translation may be a little difficult for many readers. The translation is to the English of around the 1200's. There are a lot of "whereforto" and "tho". The problem isn't really the language, but if you are not used to reading (or listening) to such translations you might want to try to slow down the rate. Some MP3 players have the option of slowing down the speed of the audio so that you can follow a little better.

Overall the only complaint I have is that the reader reads this text a little too quickly. There were a few times where it was hard to understand and had to rewind a few minutes to get the point of what was being discussed.

I rated it 4 stars because the content is very well done. If you are looking for a modern translation that is easy to follow then this may not be the version for you.

Old English Translation

This is a truly wonderful book, when read in a modern translation. Unfortunately this audio is NOT such a translation, but in Old English. I found it to be almost incomprehensible as a result, although it did motivate me to buy a book of this work in modern English, which I greatly enjoyed reading. I found this audio a real let-down!