Saint Augustine of Hippo 
The Confessions 

The Confessions is an autobiographical work by Saint Augustine of Hippo, written between 397 and 400 AD. It begins with Saint Augustine’s sinful youth and his conversion to Christianity and concludes with meditations on the nature of God and the Holy Trinity. The Confessions were not only meant to encourage conversion, but to offer guidelines for how to convert. Saint Augustine uses his own experiences to fit others’ journeys. Considered to be one of Augustine’s most important works, it is also seen as the first Western autobiography ever written, and was an influential model for Christian writers throughout the Middle Ages. Translated by Edward B. Pusey.

About the author

Saint Augustine of Hippo (354-430) was an early Christian philosopher and church father whose writings heavily influenced the development of Western Christian philosophy. Born in the Roman province of Numidia (now Algiers), he was drawn to Manichaeism, and later to neo-Platonism. After fathering a child out of wedlock at age eighteen, he became a celibate priest and later became the bishop of Hippo Regius in north Africa. It was then that he began writing the works that would become iconic touchstones of early Christian thought, including The City of God, On Christian Doctrine and Confessions.