On the Happy Life St. Augustine's Cassiciacum Dialogues, Volume 2 Saint Augustine, Michael P. Foley

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Format:: Paperback
Publication date:: 13 Aug 2019
ISBN:: 9780300238587
Imprint:: Yale University Press
Dimensions:: 232 pages: 210 x 140 x 15mm

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A fresh, new translation of Augustine’s inaugural work as a Christian convert

The first four works written by St. Augustine of Hippo after his conversion to Christianity are the “Cassiciacum dialogues,” which have influenced prominent thinkers from Boethius to Bernard Lonergan. In this second, brief dialogue, expertly translated by Michael Foley, Augustine and his mother, brother, son, and friends celebrate his thirty-second birthday by having a “feast of words” on the nature of happiness. They conclude that the truly happy life consists of “having God” through faith, hope, and charity.

Michael P. Foley is associate professor of patristics at Baylor University. He is the author or editor of several books, including Frank Sheed’s translation of Augustine’s Confessions.

“A truly impressive undertaking.”—Marc D. Guerra, Assumption College

“A consistent, faithful and elegant translation of the crucial but relatively neglected dialogues by Augustine of Hippo.”—Simon Oliver, Durham University, UK

“This edition of On The Happy Life will be welcomed by everyone interested in Augustine’s early corpus. Foley shows himself to be a skilled translator of and erudite guide to the Cassiciacum dialogues.”—Blake Dutton, Loyola University Chicago

“Michael Foley’s lively, precise new translation makes this dramatic dialogue accessible to today’s reader, adding yet another dimension to our understanding of the endless breadth of Augustine’s developing thought.”—Brian Daley, University of Notre Dame

“Michael Foley’s translation of Augustine’s dialogue On the Happy Life is accurate and elegantly written, and his Introduction will provide both students and advanced scholars with a guide to Augustine’s early thinking on the Christian contemplative life.”—Brian Stock, University of Toronto and Collège de France