Augustine
Subtitle: A New Biography
Publisher: Ecco
Published: April 5, 2005
Language: eng
Number of pages: 416
ISBN-13: 9780060535377
First sentence: In this nothing town, the sun of the Maghreb outside the hall is relentless, but the shade between stone columns within is cool.
Description: Augustine, sinner and saint, the theologian who served as bishop of Hippo from 396 C.E. until his death in 430 C.E., is widely regarded as one of the most influential thinkers in the western world. During his post-Confessions years he became prominent as a churchman, politician, and writer, and O'Donnell looks back at the events in the Confessions from this period in Augustine's life. Much of Augustine's writing consists of sermons and letters about the events of his time: prosperous men converting to Christianity to get ahead, priests covering up sexual and financial peccadilloes, generals playing coldly calculated games of Roman geopolitics--these are the figures who stand out in Augustine's world and who populate O'Donnell's portrait, set against a background of the battle over the future of Christianity.--From publisher description.