Celebrate Augustine’s Birthday with His Confessions

Augustine was born 1,659 years ago today. To mark the occasion, we’re offering a special deal on one of his most important works: Confessions.

Augustine’s Confessions and Select Letters

Regularly $34.95
Get it for $29.95 with coupon code AUGUSTINE2013 through November 18!

“You never go away from us, yet we have difficulty in returning to You. Come, Lord, stir us up and call us back. Kindle and seize us. Be our fire and our sweetness. Let us love. Let us run.” —Augustine, Confessions

Augustine’s Confessions represents a cornerstone of Western theological and philosophical thought. Widely recognized as the first Western autobiography, Confessions, which examines Augustine’s sinful youth and conversion to Christianity, represents the most complete record of any single person living in the fourth and fifth centuries. It’s considered the first text to examine the inner self—the idea that looking inward can bring you closer to God.

The title Confessions has multiple meanings: in Augustine’s time, “to confess” meant both to admit your sins to God and to praise God for his eternal love and forgiveness. Augustine also made his personal story public to combat the accusations of his critics: after all, he had a pagan-influenced education, believed in astrology, and, for a time, was a Manichaean. By confessing his story from sin to redemption, he was showing his critics his true nature and praising God for his conversion to Christianity.

The collection’s other works, Select Letters, offers 62 letters written by Augustine—a remarkable examination of his culture and how he dealt with its issues.

Augustine’s Confessions and Select Letters is not only a powerful narrative of the soul’s redemption, but also a stirring examination of some of the most significant questions of the Western tradition.

Through November 18, use coupon code AUGUSTINE2013 to get Augustine’s Confessions and Select Letters (6 vols.) for only $29.95!