Confessions

If you're seeking a modern rendition of this classic text, this is the book for you. Elegantly written, easily accessible. No antiquated English here.

Having never read Confessions in its entirety, probably because it always felt like a chore, I was excited by the prospect of a translation that would allow me access to an important text. I'm at the halfway point and find myself routinely amazed by how relevant Augustine's observations are to my own journey and to the world at large. I have decided to just read the book for pleasure the first time and use the second time through to take notes. Ruden's work is exceptional. The notes are helpful but not distracting, the prose enjoyable, and the importance of the work immediately obvious. Well done! I look forward to her next project.

In seminary, I read Augustine hear and there, but the translations always seemed quite dated and difficult to read. Sarah Ruden's translation has really made the voice of Augustine come alive, at least to me. Augustine's story, his conversion, his prayer, his rich biblical language and allusions, all come together in this translation in a refreshing, accessible, and also beautiful way. I'm really grateful to have this book on my shelf, and I imagine I will be coming back to it again and again.

I'd give it five stars for the first third and two stars for the remainder. He's good when he's bad and he's bad when he's good, and he's mostly good which makes for tough reading. The Manichaean section is very interesting. This is the guy who argued how many angels could fit on the head of a pin, so he can really argue. The latter books reminded me of Peter Cook's character in the original Bedazzled, minus the irony. The saint covers much of the same ground many times in a myriad of different ways. Too bad God didn't talk back to him. I think He would have chided him for being so obsequious.

I had read Augustine's Confessions twice before, once as a freshman in college and the other in my mid-twenties. I skimmed it the first time, I enjoyed it the second, but it wasn't until I picked up Sarah Ruden's translation that I truly loved it.Her translation is colloquial, opting for contractions and conversational language over thee's, thou's, and so on. It brings Augustine down to earth without sacrificing his rather lofty thinking. In a sense, it makes the long-dead Augustine come alive for a new generation of readers. I believe her work will be the translation of choice by new readers in the Augustine renaissance, and I find it likely that this will become translation assigned by professors trying to get disinterested college students to pick up a classic.If you've never read Augustine, start here -- with this translation. You will not regret it.

Author did a good job translating into the 21st century

I really wanted to like everything about this translation, but it has some major irritants. The biggest one is its rendering of “dominus” as “Master,” which significantly diminishes the devotional aspect of the work, in my humble opinion. I find the contractions distracting.However, Ruden’s work will make this old chestnut come alive! Her turns of phrase are bracing. And I LOVE the layout—lots of white space and paragraph breaks to help take your mind off Augustine’s rambling prose.

I really enjoyed this translation. It brought fresh life and new insights to reading Confessions. My only critique is that that section numbering in each book does not align to any previous numbering. So trying to cross reference quotes I remember to this book became very difficult.