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This Fall, http://sacredpage.wordpress.com/ Sacra Pagina will be hosting a reading and discussion group dedicated to St. Augustine’s Confessions. I invite you to join me in reading, pondering, and discussing this classic text of Christian spirituality. If you would like to participate, simply reply to http://sacredpage.wordpress.com/2010/09/05/reading-confessions-sign-up/ the thread on Sacra Pagina or email me indicating your intentions.
When: Confessions is divided into 13 books, so we will begin discussing Book 1 on Monday, September 27 and finish reading Book 13 on Monday, December 20. Each Monday in between marks a book due date. The total reading load breaks down to about 25 pages per week, a relatively light amount that will (I hope) leave time for meditation.
Which version: Readers are welcome to use whichever text they like, but I recommend the http://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Oxford-Worlds-Classics-Augustine/dp/0…: Oxford edition translated by Henry Chadwick , listing at $7.95 right now. I will be using this translation in my posts. There are a few free texts available, but they are either poorer translations or use outdated English. A Latin text with commentary is available http://www.stoa.org/hippo/frame_entry.html online .
How: Sometime before each week’s due date, you read the current chapter. Usually on Sunday night, I’ll post some commentary on it as well as my own thoughts and perhaps some questions to jump-start discussion. You’re free to respond to questions, ask your own, or just let us know how the reading affected you. The more interaction, the more satisfying this experience will be for everyone.
“Dona sua coronat deus, non merita tua.”
[God crowns his gifts, not your merits.: ~ St. Augustine
When: Confessions is divided into 13 books, so we will begin discussing Book 1 on Monday, September 27 and finish reading Book 13 on Monday, December 20. Each Monday in between marks a book due date. The total reading load breaks down to about 25 pages per week, a relatively light amount that will (I hope) leave time for meditation.
Which version: Readers are welcome to use whichever text they like, but I recommend the http://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Oxford-Worlds-Classics-Augustine/dp/0…: Oxford edition translated by Henry Chadwick , listing at $7.95 right now. I will be using this translation in my posts. There are a few free texts available, but they are either poorer translations or use outdated English. A Latin text with commentary is available http://www.stoa.org/hippo/frame_entry.html online .
How: Sometime before each week’s due date, you read the current chapter. Usually on Sunday night, I’ll post some commentary on it as well as my own thoughts and perhaps some questions to jump-start discussion. You’re free to respond to questions, ask your own, or just let us know how the reading affected you. The more interaction, the more satisfying this experience will be for everyone.
“Dona sua coronat deus, non merita tua.”
[God crowns his gifts, not your merits.: ~ St. Augustine
Discussion