Reading Augustine

The Confessions of St. Augustine is one of the few Christian classics that is still widely read in the secular academy. Yet, oddly enough, it is not often read in the manner Augustine appears to have intended and in which the church read it for centuries: as a model of conversion, devotion, friendship, and the love of God. This book is a companion for any reader of the Confessions--whether in an academic, ecclesial, or devotional context--informed by the latest scholarship yet always directed toward pushing the reader, with Augustine, toward God. Augustine's Confessions are a glorious exploration of a living, gracious God. We could have no better guide through Augustine than one of his great friends, Jason Byassee. For anyone who has longed for the living God, for anyone who wants to explore the depth and breadth of the human soul, Byassee opens up new dimensions of this classic of the Christian faith. --William Willimon, Bishop in the United Methodist Church, currently serving in North Alabama Jason Byassee's learned, intimate, and engaging guide to Augustine's Confessions is a delight to read and a wonderful resource for everyone who wishes to become the faithful and discerning reader Augustine so fervently desired. --Carol Zaleski, Smith College Jason Byassee is an ideal guide to the Confessions: lucid, unpretentiously learned, witty, and above all generous--to his subject, to his fellow scholars, and to the reader. --John Wilson, Editor, Books & Culture Jason Byassee received his Ph. D. in theology from Duke University and is currently Assistant Editor at The Christian Century, where he has won numerous awards for excellence in journalism. He is author of Reading Augustine (Cascade Books) and Praise Seeking Understanding: Augustine's Enarrationes en Psalmos and the Christological Schooling of Biblical Exegesis (forthcoming from Eerdmans). He has been invited to teach courses to undergraduates, seminarians, and graduate students at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, North Park Theological Seminary, and Wheaton College.