Augustine's Confessions - the Lenten blog project

William Watts, Rector of St Alban's, London, took it upon himself to translate Augustine's Confessions as a Lenten discipline in the year 1641:

This translation I began for the exercise of my Lenten Devotions;  but I quickly found it to exercise more than my Devotions:  it exercised my skill, (all I had); it exercised my Patience, it exercised my Friends too (for it is incomparably the hardest task that ever I yet undertook.

I was taken by the words of Wm Watts (found in the preface to the Loeb edition) - I found his Lenten project to be intriguing, and have thought to myself that one day I would also walk with the Confessions through Lent.  Since first reading the Confessions almost 25 years ago, I must say (I dare not write 'confess') that Augustine has been a rather faithful companion to me.  For the next 40 days I intend to blog my way through Augustine's Confessions.

There will be a mix of posts.  This will sometimes be commentary, sometimes reflection on how the Saint's writing has made its way into my own discipleship, sometimes mere query as I peer into things of which I haven't the foggiest notion.  Once in a while I may descend into the Latin, at which point I might refer to the critical editions, if for no other reason than to give some people an excuse to put Latin on their blogs (...fecisti nos ad te, et inquietum est cor nostrum, donec requiescat in te).  For the most part I'll follow then the Loeb edition and Watts' translation (though I will depart from some of his translation for my own).  I've had several excellent teachers over the years, and so in advance I will claim no great originality in the posts I write (except in cases of abject stupidity - that alone is mine).

Magnus es, domine, et laudabilis valde:  magna virtus tua, et sapientiae tuae non est numerus
Thou art great, O Lord, and greatly to be praised:  great is thy power, and thy wisdom cannot be numbered.  (I.i)

It is perhaps a radical departure from contemporary practice to start with God, rather than ourselves.

Comments

[Steve]

Looking forward to it

[Leslie]

Me too.

[Erin]

Me three.