TOLLE LEGE, TOLLE LEGE*



(Friday)
Augustine and His World
by Andrew Knowles and Pachomios Penkett
IVP, 2004

There have been about 20,000 books written about St. Augustine of Hippo, one of the most influential theological minds of Western Christianity. If you don't have time to read them all you might find this short (less than 200 pages) biography to be of interest.

The book itself is beautiful -- glossy, with lots of pictures (originally published in the U.K. as a Lion book). The style is simple -- almost reading like a newspaper account of his life with more of an emphasis on facts than editorial speculation.

And while it breaks no new ground it gives a great overview of his early life, conversion, and ministry as bishop. Because Augustine was involved in Manichaeism and neo-platonist thinking it gives an introduction to those systems of thought. Because he sparred with the Donatists you get information about the divided church of the fourth and fifth centuries. Because Augustine was battling with Pelagius there is background to the controversy which has defined a good deal of Western theology. Because North Africa was falling to Arian Vandals during Augustine's time you get a good sense of the unraveling of the Roman Empire. Augustine was a key person at this crossroads in history.

All around this is a fine little book in packaging and content -- well worth the read.

IVP link / Amazon.com link

*"Tolle lege, tolle lege" is Latin for "Pick up and read, pick up and read." Augustine overhead a child chanting these words in an adjoining garden, which he took to be a message from God. He ran into the house, opened the Bible, and randomly began to read Romans 13. And that marked his conversion to Christianity.