The Confessions/The Imitation of Christ

by Augustine of Hippo

The origin of the autobiographical tradition, the Confessions of St. Augustine, of one of the great Fathers of the Church, traces a dialogue with his God and a journey toward rising above one's self.

The Imitation of Christ, by Thomas a Kempis, is a pastiche of biblical and Catholic passages attributed to a humble scribe, and remains the most influential of Christian devotional writings.

Genres: Religion, Nonfiction, Classics, Christianity, Philosophy, Faith

Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1909

About the author

Early church father and philosopher Saint Augustine served from 396 as the bishop of Hippo in present-day Algeria and through such writings as the autobiographical Confessions in 397 and the voluminous City of God from 413 to 426 profoundly influenced Christianity, argued against Manichaeism and Donatism, and helped to establish the doctrine of original sin.

An Augustinian follows the principles and doctrines of Saint Augustine.

People also know Aurelius Augustinus in English of Regius (Annaba). From the Africa province of the Roman Empire, people generally consider this Latin theologian of the greatest thinkers of all times. He very developed the west. According to Jerome, a contemporary, Augustine renewed "the ancient Faith."

The Neo-Platonism of Plotinus afterward heavily weighed his years. After conversion and his baptism in 387, Augustine developed his own approach to theology and accommodated a variety of methods and different perspectives. He believed in the indispensable grace to human freedom and framed the concept of just war. When the Western Roman Empire started to disintegrate from the material earth, Augustine developed the concept of the distinct Catholic spirituality in a book of the same name. He thought the medieval worldview. Augustine closely identified with the community that worshiped the Trinity. The Catholics and the Anglican communion revere this preeminent doctor. Many Protestants, especially Calvinists, consider his due teaching on salvation and divine grace of the theology of the Reformation. The Eastern Orthodox also consider him. He carries the additional title of blessed. The Orthodox call him "Blessed Augustine" or "Saint Augustine the Blessed."

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Reviews

[Tyler J McDonald · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 - The Confessions are always wonderful, in it I feel we all become more aware of the human condition to the divine and are horrified and comforted by what we see. The Imitation of Christ was interesting; I felt like I read 200 pages of scolding by a father to a son. Yet, it remained encouraging in many moments, and I feel I would be best served as a spiritual "life raft" of sorts. When struggling with anything, a quick two-page exhortation would be edifying to the soul and reorienting to the struggler. Despite this, however, I found a lot of the writing to be directed towards a monastic lifestyle, away from the active role we are supposed to play in life. Really interesting pairing of these two readings.

[Jeannine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had to read this for a class and I'm glad I did. It's not easy going but a great look into the thinking of the day.

[Robert Engle · Rating 1 out of 5]

The Confessions is quite well written for a religious book. Probably because Augustine was quite well educated before falling into idiocy. His arguments against his previous beliefs apply to his later beliefs, he just chooses to believe one then the other. It seems a big part of his conversion was the sincerity of the Christians he was talking too. Just go to a UFO convention if you want to know why sincerity is a bad judge of truth.
The Imitation of Christ is a book of horrendous advise. Chapter after chapter of bad advice. I went chapter by chapter in both the Benham translation and Dover Thrift Edition and am glad I did. While the Benham was harder to read most all the time there were quite a few chapters where it was much clearer than the Dover.

[Harry Man · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed the content somewhat but the old English tended to slow me down at times. What I did enjoy was reading the thoughts of an early Christian and to see the struggles that are no different than what we struggle with today but also how Christ is the same! Glad I read it but probably read it again.

[Kathryn B · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars for confessions

[Kimberly]

The Confessions of St Augustine is amazing. This book is important for Christians to read, because he who has been designated a Saint had a pretty colorful background before his conversion. This book is important for history lovers in general because it gives many insights into life in the late Roman Empire. I highly recommend this book to everyone.

The Imitation of Christ by Thomas A Kempis ... I'll let you know what I think of it when I finish reading it.

[David Redden · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I'm not down with all the theology, the Confessions of St. Augustine is interesting and inspiring in a way that kind of sneaks up on you. Imitation of Christ is illuminating for sure in the sense that it provides excellent insight into influential religious thought at the time. The focus on mortification made it difficult for me to hang, but I made it through and I'm glad I did.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Saint Augustine of Hippo gives a history of his life in the form of a long montolog to God. In it, he examines the different stages of life and the actions of people as they mature. At times very difficult to read, it still helped me look at my faith as a Catholic. The Bible is easier to read.