Augustine of Hippo: A Life

by Henry Chadwick

Overview

Augustine (354-430) had a profound impact on the development of the Christian Church, sparking controversy and influencing the ideas of theologians for over fifteen centuries. His words are still frequently quoted in devotions today and his key themes retain a striking contemporary relevance—what is the place of the Church in the world? What is the relation between nature and grace? In Augustine of Hippo, the late Henry Chadwick—a renowned authority on Augustine—describes with clarity and warmth the intellectual development of this key Father of the Church. In his characteristically rigorous yet sympathetic style, Chadwick traces Augustine's intellectual journey from schoolboy and student to Bishop and champion of Christendom in a period of intense political upheaval, providing valuable insight into the progression of Augustine's ideas. With a foreword reflecting on Chadwick's distinctive approach to Augustine by Peter Brown, and a further reading list on Augustine compiled by Gillian Clark, this volume is both an essential assessment of Augustine and a final tribute to one of the great church historians of the twentieth century.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199588060
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	08/06/2010
Pages:	200
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Henry Chadwick (1920-2008) enjoyed international renown as one of the leading church historians of the twentieth century. He held senior appointments at both Oxford and Cambridge Universities, latterly as Emeritus Regius Professor of Divinity, Cambridge. Chadwick's scholarship was complemented by his active involvement in church life. Ordained a priest in the Church of England in 1944, he developed a deep commitment to church unity and took a leading role in the Anglican and Roman Catholic dialogues of the mid-1970s.

Chadwick authored numerous books and articles throughout his career. At Oxford University Press he held series editorship of Oxford Early Christian Texts and Oxford Early Christian Studies, and co-edited the Oxford History of the Christian Church series with his brother, Professor Owen Chadwick. His acclaimed translation of Augustine's Confessions is available from Oxford World Classics.

Table of Contents

Abbreviations xix

1 A Personal Quest 1

The Making of a Professor 4

Mani 13

Milan 17

Plato 21

An Uncomfortable Call 25

2 Cassiciacum and the Death of Monnica at Ostia 32

3 Back to Thagaste 41

Language and Communication 45

True Religion 49

4 Discovering the Church 50

Still a Monk 52

Is the Monastery Manichee? 54

Ethics 57

5 Bishop 62

6 North African Christianity 69

7 Christian Culture 80

Questions for Simplician 80

Christian Education 82

The Confessions 89

Aesthetic Beauty 96

8 Divided Christians 98

Coercion 111

9 Discerning the Trinity 116

10 Two Cities 123

The Conflict between Paganism and Christianity 123

The City of God 127

11 Freedom and Grace 145

Foreknowledge and Predestination 151

A Storm of Criticism: Hell and Sex 157

Short Reading List 169

Index 173

Editorial Reviews

"The author's ability to sketch out issues and viewpoints is one of the strengths of the book. So is his grasp of the many challenges facing Augustine as bishop of Hippo in a time of endemic crisis. ... Summing Up: Recommended."—CHOICE

"No writer excelled at that exacting form, the short biography, better than Henry Chadwick (1920-2008) ... . In Augustine of Hippo, posthumously prepared for print by his devoted widow, he returned to the greatest of the early Church Fathers to write a biography that is a delight from start to finish, and a marvel of scholarly distillation. ... Chadwick's biography is a rewarding read."—Weekly Standard

"It is always a pleasure to read great writers who are also great scholars. The wealth of what is found in this short book does not need to be emphasized. Reading a book by Henry Chadwick is always chock-full of choice delicacies. . . To read it [Augustine of Hippo] is to be treated to an adventure, savoring both Augustine's life and that of the delightfully human scholar who wrote about him. One should not delay the pleasure."—The Catholic Historical Review

From the Publisher