Augustine: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions #38), Henry Chadwick Augustine was arguably the greatest early Christian philosopher. His teachings had a profound effect on Medieval scholarship, Renaissance humanism, and the religious controversies of both the Reformation and the Counter-Reformation. Here, Henry Chadwick places Augustine in his philosophical and religious context and traces the history of his influence on Western thought, both within and beyond the Christian tradi...

Reading this book has indeed given a very short introduction to Augustine's thought, major works and context out of which he was working, as well as some biographical detail.Notable for me has been learning that some of the major influences on Augustine's thought were:- Cicero's 'Hortensius';- Neo-platonic writings of Plotinus & Porphyry- Manicheism and DonatismRegarding OUP's series 'A Very Short Introduction to ... ', I have mixed feelings. - On the surface they seem very attractive, being alm...

Chapter 1: The formation of Augustine's mind: Cicero, Mani, Plato, ChristChapter 2: Liberal artsChapter 3: Free choiceChapter 4: A philosophical societyChapter 5: VocationChapter 6: ConfessionsChapter 7: Unity and divisionChapter 8: Creation and the TrinityChapter 9: City of GodChapter 10: Nature and grace

Based on lectures Chadwick gave in Toronto and Oxford, this is a short book that introduces readers to major themes in Augustine of Hippo's thought. As a broad survey, it is very clearly written and easy to understand. Chadwick is a master of early Christian studies and knows Augustine very well, and it is obvious when you read this book. If someone has read a biography of Augustine (Chadwick's would be a good place to start), this would make for a great second step to get at his theology and ph...

This book offers good tips to depict properly the main features of Augustinism, the style is plain and most of the times very easy going. Nonetheless, this Introduction is not to be considered as a text available for every student devoid of any ground in the fields of Patristic theories, Paleo-Christian history and even knowledge of the intellectual context of Augustine. Moreover, some parts are too redundant and others are excessively technical (e.g. the argument of the Neoplatonic heritage, th...

Accomplished what it set out to do. Lots of punchy and concise summaries of Augustines philosophy and theology

This is definitely a short introduction, with emphasis on the word short. However to try to do it and less than 200 pages is always going to be short, too short. But my biggest problem with this book is how Chadwick places considerable emphasis on Augustine's borrowing from platonic thought, as if Plato, Plotinus, and Porphory were his highest authority. He places so much emphasis on that and so little emphasis on the Bible's influence on Augustine, that he essentially makes him out to be a plat...

I think I needed a stronger background in philosophy to get something out of this work.

Please give my Amazon review a helpful vote - https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-re...Augustine: A Very Short Introduction by Henry ChadwickHenry Chadwick's book lives up to its subtitle. It is a short and effective survey of the life and thinking of one of the seminal thinkers of Western civilization. Chadwick structures his survey by looking at topics such as free will, grace, Creation, and the Trinity. Chadwick intersperses these chapters with biographical chapters on Augustine's approach to

Despite saying at the start that the book would eschew much biographical coverage of Augustine, there was sufficient for me! Especially for someone who lived over 1,500 years ago. And the biography is important, because most life events seemed to have a significant influence on Augustine's thinking and writing at the time. The book makde very clear to me that Augustine relied heavily on the Greeks philosophers and Roman writers, as much as anything in the Bible.Quite a tough read, nevertheless,

A good very short introduction; but I had prior knowledge of Augustine works and life portrayed in the Story of Civilization; thus I do not think this added much to it. it was a good recap though.It is a very short book full of philosophical views and reference to the Confessions and for the City of God... adding them to the to-read list.

Decent introduction to the overview of Augustine's work and especially his influences. A bit biased on a few points of discussion, but it wasn't glaring. I would say it's better for people who have read at least a little of Augustine, particularly his Confession. Also assumes at least a moderate understanding of philosophy.

This introduction needs an introduction. The author does a decent job of explaining the philosophical, cultural, and religious contexts of Augustine's work. However, without a general knowledge of Platonism, Christian history, and Roman history, the reader will find himself lost.

Despite the title 'short', it is a dense introduction to a complex and proliferate writer, philosopher and theologian.Agreeing with him or not. It is impossible not to admire his effort and reasoning 1.600 years ago.For my purpose, it was wonderful.

Omitting most of Augustine's biography the summary of his ideas manages to provide a lucid introduction to very complex and evolving ideas. While many will find this book too schematic, I thought that it provided a good framework for further reading.

Great synopsis This book offered a historically conscious view of Augustine which was nourished by a theologically and philosophically rich diet. All in all, a well rounded treatment of various topics of which Augustine was truly a master.

This was informative but was not "very short" except on the amount of pages. I was hoping for a quick intro overview but got a deep philosophical book that is written for a PhD audience. Unfortunately I didn't finish the whole thing because it was above my head.

Decent introduction of the historical life and context of St. Augustine. A good overview of Augustine's thought and some of what his writings are about. Very philosophically dense though, and not an overly compelling read, but readable.

Well written book, well in Formed of the subject, did not believe 80% of the philosophy of the subject,.

This is a phenomenal overview of Augustine's thought and an introduction that will definitely inspire further reading of and about Augustine. An easy read as well.

Exactly what the title says: short (150 pages) but comprehensive. Recommended as an easy-to-understand summary of his life and beliefs.

Good intro.

I guess it's an alright overview.

Covers biography and theological ideas, although hard to fully appreciate without some knowledge of Neoplatonism. Introduces the theological controversies of his times.

Helpful short introduction to the theology of Augustine.

Augustine: A Very Short Introduction (Paperback)by Henry Chadwick

Before I critique this middle-of-the-road short introduction, I intend to make a few broad criticisms of Oxford University Press’s “Very Short Introduction” series. First and foremost, can someone please explain why Oxford University Press publishes each book in this series in a sans-serif font that is difficult to read? I see absolutely no reason for this and, quite frankly, expect a better aesthetic sense from the publishers at Oxford. Second, while I appreciate the attempt to make these littl...

This book, originally published in OUP The Past Masters Series, is an excellent survey of the life and thought of Augustine. This Past Masters series presents a biographical, historical and intellectual account of Augustine in one succint, lucid, and well-researched little volume. Chadwick's is a masterfulexample of this genre and any newcomer to this field should read this most readily. Chadwick presents a survey of the life and work of Augustine and his immediate historical influences. In the...

I like this series, but it does strike me that the supposedly succinct introductions can become a deceptively long read. In this case, the author made up for space with big vocabulary, which actually results in a nice challenging piece of work. I still advocate my principle of reading the source before the commentary (in this case, especially the Confessions. This author shows the diversity of Augustine's thoughts, as they apply to philosophy, religion, and literature. He also brings out Augusti...

I knew almost nothing of Augustine other than the Confessions before this read. I now have a firm grasp of the basics of his theology as well as the importance of his influence during his life and in Christina history thereafter. Chadwick spends scant time on the biographical details of Augustine's life since much of that is covered in the Confessions. Instead he introduces us to the philosophy of the age and how those philosophies shaped and challenged Augustine. Probably the most striking thin...