The reader will value this book for the historical understanding it provides, but even more for its relevance to the problem of modern society and the individual. Why is St. Augustine, who was born 1600 years ago, so widely read in the twentieth century by those who are trying to understand human problems? Why is it that when men of our day discuss the meaning of good and evil, or human love and the love of God, or the nature of justice, or the unity of the church and the relations of church and state, the argument often turns on references to Augustine's thought?
This book begins with these questions and endeavors to answer them as well as to offer a fresh evaluation of the man and his life and work. Sixteen distinguished theologians and teachers have contributed to the book, which is in three parts: I. Introduction: The Life; II. A Critical Guide to the Major Works; III. Special Aspects of St. Augustine's Thought. Through these interpreters St. Augustine speaks to our own era - an age of spiritual poverty and uneasiness much like his own.