This book presents an overview of the best of contemporary scholarship on the fourth and fifth century bishop, Augustine of Hippo. His life, his sermons and letters, doctrinal writings and pastoral work, as well as his own faith and spirituality are reviewed in light of new research. This Father of the Church emerges as a dynamic thinker struggling to integrate his Christian faith with the demands of reason, and to discern Christian meaning amidst the political and social controversies that plagued the late Roman world. The circumstances of his life and the dynamism of his faith are more relevant to the contemporary Christian than one might suspect. The early- and mid-twentieth century saw new scholarly interest in and understanding of Augustine. His persistent influence on Christian theology, especially in the West, was evident, mid-century, at the Second Vatican Council; his thought is cited liberally in Council documents. Since the Council there has been an explosion in Augustine studies, marked largely by the shift from doctrinal to historical approaches and methodologies. New appreciations of Augustine s pastoral role have arisen from careful study of his sermons and letters, several of which have been rediscovered in the past several decades. Controversy about Augustine s teachings on original sin, human sexuality, and the relationship of church and state continue. However, contemporary Augustinian scholarship invites a reconsideration of long-standing presumptions about Augustine, among both those who defend him as well as those who revile him.

Augustine has been called the greatest man possessed by the Christian church between Paul and Luther. His writings continue to be read and studied, and they continue to influence the church. But where does one turn to discover what Augustine wrote concerning theological topics such as Scripture, God, Christ, humanity, salvation? How can one find out what Augustine said about the relation between faith and reason, about evil, about ethics? Identifying the key passages in Augustine's works on any one topic can be exhausting and even impossible for the student. In this volume such passages are quoted, allowing students to become acquainted with one of Christendom's greatest theologians through his own words and in a volume of manageable length. Each quote or group of quotes is summarized by a sentence heading, which in turn is part of a well-organized outline. In the chapter on faith and reason, for example, the quoted material is divided into these major groupings: (1) reason precedes initial faith, (2) faith precedes full reasoning or understanding, (3) reason or understanding is the reward of faith, (4) reason can stand on its own for faith, (5) reason helps confirm faith, (6) faith goes beyond reason, and (7) faith never goes against reason, nor reason against faith. The editor has drawn on a wide variety of sources, including Augustine's theological writings, sermons, letters, and 'Confessions'. All quotations are documented, providing the reader easy access to the full context of each excerpt. Augustine (354-430) was bishop of Hippo in Roman North Africa from 396 to his death.

"In this work, traditionally translated as On Christian Doctrine, Augustine combines the pedagogical methods he learned from Greek and Roman writings with the content of the Christian faith to help preachers present biblical teachings in an effective manner. This new translation is lively and accessible." Library Journal

The aim of this study is to present, as far as possible, a general description of the theory of the sign and signification in Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD), with a view to its evaluation and implications for the study of semiotics. Accurate studies for subject, discipline, and significance have not yet given an organic and systematic vision of Augustine’s theory of the sign. The underlying aspiration is that such an endeavour will prove to be beneficial to the scholars of Augustine’s thought as well as to those with a keen interest in the history of semiotics. The study uses Augustine’s own accounts to investigate and interpret the philosophical problem of the sign. The focus lies on the first decade of Augustine’s literary production. The De dialectica, is taken as the terminus ad quo of the study, and the De doctrina christiana is the terminus ad quem. The selected texts show an explicit engagement with poignant discussion on the nature and structure of the sign, the variety of signs and their uses. Although Augustine’s intention never was to establish a theory of meaning as an independent field of study, he largely employed a theory of signs. Thus, Augustine’s approach to signs is intrinsically meaningful.