Saint Augustine by Garry Wills

Saint Augustine is considered not just one of the great religious figures in history but also as one of the great thinkers. Most folks who know me know that I am a seeker, one who makes it a habit to always have at least one book going of a spiritual bent. I know what I believe, and who I believe in, yet I never fear to learn more and hear more from those that differ or at least might see things from a different angle.

Wills being the writer of several books on religion is a strong writer for me and so I embraced the idea of reading more on St. Augustine. This book, is a sort book in the Penguin publishing series on famous people but it certainly gives a basic introduction into the character and writings of the Catholic bishop that will, in my case, lead to further more in depth readings.

This is not to say that Wills dumbs down his efforts in this introductory book for he does not, he never does. In fact I will admit I struggle with some of the meanings and assumptions of Augustine's work. Writing just 400 years after Christ's death St Augustine himself goes from a life of sin to, eventually, a belief in Christianity. One would not know, at least I did not know, that Augustine lived a life mostly in Africa, centering around modern day Tunis, in the city of and cities around Carthage.

Wills examines much of Augustine's writings and time frames of the writings and compares them to where and what his life was doing at that time. I will not, and really could not give justifiable service to either the author or his subject in this writing. I am not a religious scholar. I will say however that the examination of Augustine's writings on crime and punishment are some of the best I have ever read. Indeed Augustine's opinion against the death penalty and his reasons for it is as eloquent as I have ever read. If punishment is meant to be punitive in our society we have strayed a far cry from where we began as a country of Angelo-Christian faith. It is always interesting to me that a good percentage of those people strongest in favor of capital punishment are those that purport to be Conservative Christians. There is nothing in my reading of the Bible or later New Testament interpretation that has much good to say about the death penalty. Both Jesus and Augustine talk about their concern for the soul of the criminal and when one examines the methodology of today's prison system one can see that we have deviated. Of course when you insist on a full and complete separation of church and state you cannot necessarily complain as one in favor of that system when the results do not follow Christian or Biblical imperatives.

This is not an easy read though Wills is as accessible as you will find on these subjects.

Well worth a person's time.