One of the great works of Western literature, from perhaps the most important thinker of Christian antiquity, in a revolutionary new translation by one of todayโs leading classicists
Sarah Rudenโs fresh, dynamic translation of Confessions brings us closer to Augustineโs intent than any previous version. It puts a glaring spotlight on the life of one individual to show how all lives have meaning that is universal and eternal.
In this intensely personal narrative, Augustine tells the story of his sinful youth and his conversion to Christianity. He describes his ascent from a humble farm in North Africa to a prestigious post in the Roman Imperial capital of Milan, his struggle against his own overpowering sexuality, his renunciation of secular ambition and marriage, and the recovery of the faith his mother had taught him during his earliest years. Augustineโs concerns are often strikingly contemporary, and the confessional mode he invented can be seen everywhere in writing today.ย
Grounded in her command of Latin as it was written and spoken in the ancient world, Sarah Rudenโs translation is a bold departure from its predecessorsโand the most historically accurate translation ever. Stylistically beautiful, with no concessions made to suit later theology and ritual, Rudenโs rendition will give readers a startling and illuminating new perspective on one of the central texts of Christianity.
Praise for Confessions
โ[Ruden] has clearly thought deeply about what Augustine was trying to say.โโTheย Wall Street Journal
โA translation of [Augustineโs] masterwork that does justice both to him and to his God . . . Repeated small acts of attention to the humble, human roots of Augustineโs imagery of his relations to God enable Ruden to convey a living sense of the Being before Whom we find him transfixed in prayer: โSilent, long-suffering and with so much mercy in your heart.โโโThe New York Review of Books
โDelightfully readable . . . In this lively translation filled with vivid, personal prose, Ruden introduces readers to a saint whom many will realize they only thought they knew. . . . Approaching her subject with deep religious and historical knowledge, [Ruden] chooses to translate Augustine as a performative, engaging storyteller rather than a systematic theologian.โโPublishers Weekly (starred review)
โRudenโs translation makes Augustineโs ancient text accessible to a new generation of readers with a real taste of the original Latin.โโLibrary Journal
โ[Rudenโs] record as a translator of ancient texts . . . clearly establishes her considerable talent.โโChristianity Today