Confessions

Summary

Translated by F. J. Sheed

Introduction by Peter Brown

Notes by Michael Foley

Superbly narrated by Mike Fraser, F. J. Sheed’s remarkable translation of this classic spiritual autobiography is finally in audio format, with an introduction by noted historian of late antiquity Peter Brown. Incorporated in this edition are a wealth of notes on literary, philosophical, biblical, historical, and liturgical topics by Michael P. Foley, an Editor’s Preface, and a timeline.

This translation is already a classic. It is the translation that has guided three generations of students and readers into a renewed appreciation of the beauty and urgency of a masterpiece of Christian autobiography. This is largely because the translator has caught not only the meaning of Augustine’s Confessions, but a large measure of its poetry. It makes the Latin sing in English as it did when it came from the pen of Augustine, some sixteen hundred years ago. Deeply rooted in the tradition of which Augustine was himself a principal founder, this translation is not only modern: it is a faithful echo, in a language that has carried throughout the ages, of its author’s original passion and disquiet.” (Peter Brown)

Saint Augustine’s Latin presents notable difficulties for translators. And even good English translations have usually dated badly. Frank Sheed’s, which I read a mere fifty years ago, still shows no signs of dating. It captures Augustine’s extraordinary combination of precise statement and poetic evocation as does no other. (Alasdair MacIntyre)

Augustine’s sublime Confessions fairly ring with the music of a baroque eloquence, lavish and stately. F. J. Sheed’s ear for that music makes this translation a memorable opportunity to hear Augustine’s voice resonating down the years. (James O’Donnell)

©2011 Sheed & Ward, Inc.; Hackett Publishing Company, Inc. Produced and published by Echo Point Books & Media, an independent bookseller in Brattleboro, Vermont.