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Lädt ... Confessions (1998. Auflage)von Saint Augustine, Bishop of Hippo. (Autor), Henry Chadwick (Übersetzer)
Werk-InformationenBekenntnisse von Saint Augustine (Author) ![]()
501 Must-Read Books (90) » 49 mehr Favourite Books (653) Top Five Books of 2014 (683) Folio Society (321) Top Five Books of 2022 (335) Books Read in 2021 (2,551) Africa (24) Well-Educated Mind (83) Leseliste (2) Out of Copyright (147) Filosofía - Clásicos (14) Western Canon (134) Tom's Bookstore (35) Biografías eminentes (14) readingList (29) scav (52) Truly old classics (22) Five star books (1,622) Unread books (866) Keine aktuelle Diskussion zu diesem Buch. Simultaneously read a contemporary academic translation by Peter Constantine (University of Connecticut) and a contemporary translation by a non-academic, Benignus O'Rourke of the Order of St. Augustine, that seeks to make the text more easily accessible by simplifying the sentence structure and, uniquely, breaking the lines into short poetic-like units of text. Augustine likely would have approved such an effort as he wrote in a simpler Latin than that of the famous orators and intellectuals of his own day that he taught to students for many years, and in the work bemoans that he was initially put off by the simplicity of language of the Christian scriptures: "It struck me as unworthy of comparison to the distinction of a Cicero. My strutting pride shunned the simplicity of the Scripture, my eye not keen enough to penetrate its interior." (trans. Constantine). Could my own strutting pride enjoy a translation inspired by a desire to provide today's youth with a text that is easy to follow, non-poetry formatted to impersonate poetry? Happily yes! Clarity is no fault, and the poetic-like structure works I think. Here's an example where I think it heightens the emotion that Augustine wants to communicate, concerning his state of mind following the death of a close friend when he was a young man. First, Constantine: Not in shady groves, not in amusements, nor in song could my soul find repose, nor in fragrant gardens or sumptuous feasts, not in the pleasures of bed and couch, not in books or poetry. Everything repelled me, even light itself. Everything was irksome and vile that was not what he was, everything except for laments and tears, since it was in those alone that I found a little solace. Now O'Rourke: Not in sheltered groves, Here's an instance where O'Rourke adds clarity to the passage that in its reference to the Roman god Jupiter would surely have been clearly understood two thousand years ago, but using a strict translation today it isn't quite so clear. Constantine: Did I not read in you of Jupiter the thunderer and adulterer - he surely could not have been both, but was presented as such so that a fictitious thunder might mimic and pander to real adultery. Have to admit I didn't quite follow Augustine's point there. What's all that about thunder and why can't you thunder and adultery both? Then I read the O'Rourke: It was an accepted belief in the studies I followed Aha, Augustine is highlighting the hypocrisy of the gods in classical texts and how this is also present in humans, blustering one way yet behaving in quite another. This regrettable aspect of human nature was copy/pasted onto Roman gods, leaving Augustine unconvinced that what he was reading and teaching to Rome's youth bore witness to actual truth. And one thing the Confessions makes clear, that I didn't really appreciate earlier, is that Augustine was embarked on a long journey in search of Truth from a young age, from reading Cicero to the community of the Manicheans to the philosophy of the Neoplatonists and finally to baptism in the Christian faith after becoming convinced by it after years of first intellectual resistance and then years of a resistance of his will (the famous "make me chaste, but please, not yet" years). O'Rourke's unique translation is one I would highly recommend then, although he only translated the first 9 of the 13 books of the Confession, those in which Augustine composes the world's first written autobiography in the modern sense. Books 10 through 13 are a philosophy of time and memory, and an exegesis of Genesis. These more academic topics must be read in an academic translation. But O'Rourke gives us Augustine's personal journey of the intellect, of the heart, of the seeker, in a highly relatable reading that can seem quite contemporary. I was delighted to hear Ambrose Or, one might say, there is a light and it never goes out (Morrissey. Not translated.). I don't know where to begin in reviewing this. I will just say as a Christian, I would suggest to anyone that delves deeply into the study of Scripture, philosophy, and theology needs to read this work. Both memoir and exploration of Augustine's allegorical beliefs. Definitely something to chew over in the mind and spirit. This translation and the copious notes made the reading much easier for me to follow. Ist enthalten inThe Harvard Classics [50 Volume Set] von Charles William Eliot (indirekt) BeinhaltetIst gekürzt inHat eine Studie überHat als Erläuterung für Schüler oder StudentenAuszeichnungenBemerkenswerte Listen
Augustinus' "Bekenntnisse" erschlossen der Antike einen fremden seelischen Bezirk: das Reich der Innerlichkeit. Nie zuvor hatte ein Mensch seinen Lebensweg so eindringlich als ein Taumeln zwischen Himmel und Erde, dem heißen Sehnen nach wahrem Glück und den verwirrenden Leidenschaften geschildert. Ohne das Vorbild der "Confessiones" wären weder Luthers Glaubenslehre noch die autobiographischen Werke Rousseaus und Goethes vorstellbar. Übersetzt von Wilhelm Timme. Keine Bibliotheksbeschreibungen gefunden. |
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![]() GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)270.2092Religions History, geographic treatment, biography of Christianity History of Christianity Period of ecumenic councils; Centralization (325-787)Klassifikation der Library of Congress [LCC] (USA)BewertungDurchschnitt:![]()
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I found this book interesting more theoretically than in actuality. Although I'm not a believer, stories about faith (particularly people who came to faith rather than just continuing to believe what they have been taught since they were children) are intriguing...what makes a person decide to believe or renew a belief they had drifted away from? I suspect most of them would describe it the way that Augustine does, as a realization of a truth that they'd been looking for, consciously or unconsciously, throughout their lives. But the environment that produces that realization can vary...sometimes friends and family are involved, sometimes it's an intensely personal experience, sometimes it comes out of the blue, and sometimes right after a major life event that shifted perspective in a significant way.
I didn't realize until I'd already started it that the Kindle copy of the book that I was working with was an abridged edition. I'm not sure if that was a positive or a negative, honestly. While the book never really engaged me until the end, when Augustine gets more analytical about his beliefs, and I was therefore rather happy that there wasn't more of it to get through, perhaps that's because a more developed narrative would have been more compelling all along? I can't honestly say. I didn't personally enjoy reading this particular edition and wouldn't recommend it for a general audience, but for an audience curious and inclined to enjoy books about religion, this would be a worthwhile read. (