Augustine through the Ages: An Encyclopedia (review)

Abstract

This volume is a superb encyclopedia devoted to one of the most influential thinkers in the history of Western thought. As a student and an admirer of Augustine, I am especially grateful to see this encyclopedia in print. Augustine wrote a great number of works. The spectrum of his writings ranges from theology to philosophy, ethics to metaphysics, epistemology to philosophical psychology, pastoral sermons to polemic writings, and so on. Among his works, roughly five million words and 120 titles are preserved. Due to the massiveness of the Augustinian corpus and the fact that Augustine did not write his works according to modern categories, the attempt to gain an understanding of his thought on a particular issue is often a humbling experience. It can easily take a person hours, or even days, to plow through those numerous pages but acquire only a feeble grasp of Augustine's thought. Now with the invaluable help of this encyclopedia, the hours of painful labor will surely be shortened.