[dblarons]

I finished Confessions a few weeks ago, and this review does it justice. The first few chapters, which are autobiographical, completely changed how I view antiquity. From "ah, these people are tough to relate to and certainly must have led much different lives than me," to "Augustine could come spend a day with me, or I a day with him, and neither of us would feel much out of place." He is today's "young professional" -- working, traveling, and being entertained in ways that are strikingly similar to today's tech worker.

The latter half of the book is a bit trickier. Like the other commenter, his treatment of time was food for thought - not just for me but for philosophers and scientists for centuries to come. After finishing that chapter I got lost in Wikipedia learning more about it, eventually finishing with articles on general relativity (Augustine to Einstein... not what I expected from a 16 century old book).

Anyways, read Confessions. It's really worth it.

[ziotom78]

I fully agree. The Confessions is an incredibly modern book, when I read it the first time I couldn't believe it was written at the time of the Roman Empire. Also, the text is full of wit, like when he describes time (“What then is time? If no one asks me, I know what it is. If I wish to explain it to him who asks, I do not know.”).