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Zusatztext "These sermons come alive in Griffin's marvelous translation." –William Barry! SJ! coauthor of The Practice of Spiritual Direction “While Augustine was writing landmark theology! he was also preaching earthy! colloquial! witty! Christ-honoring sermons to his African congregation. Now! thanks to this lively translation! he's preaching them to us.” –Eugene Peterson! professor emeritus! Regent College! Vancouver! British Columbia; translator! The Message “In this delightful translation! Mr. Griffin has recovered the Augustine's homilies! delivering them all the way into the contemporary idiom! where yet another generation might hear his living voice.” –Scott Cairns! author of Philokalia Informationen zum Autor Augustine of Hippo Klappentext A superb new translation brings the words of Augustine the preacher stirringly to life! When the great Saint Augustine was called from his country home to become Bishop of Hippo in the fourth century, his new responsibilities took him away from the solitude of his writing and into the glare of the public eye. The author of two of the greatest works of religious literature, Confessions and City of God, Augustine became a shepherd to the people, inspiring and enlightening them with his sermons. His skills as a speaker were as great-if not greater-than his skills as a writer. According to his friend Possidius, "Those who read what Augustine wrote on the divine topics do get something out of them. But those who saw and heard him in person-they were the ones who got heaven and Earth.” Sermons to the People collects the homilies on the liturgical seasons of the Church Saint Augustine delivered over the course of his lifetime. This Image edition includes the first sermons in that vast collection: from Advent, Christmas, New Year's, and the Epiphany. Newly translated by William Griffin, they address timeless concerns, including the problems of materialism and the intellectual difficulties of faith. Griffin renders the sermons with such immediacy, it is as though he had been present when Augustine spoke to his flock. Leseprobe 1 SERMO LI Advent BIRTHDAY OF CHRIST--INSOLUBLE PROBLEM OR INCREDIBLE DAY? How shall I address you, my dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ? What's the appropriate collective for a gathering of Christians? A Quorum or Quarum? A Choir or Quire? How about a Caritas, a Sanctitas, a Felicitas Ecclesiae? A Charity, a Sanctity, a Felicity Assembly? They have a nice ring, don't they? It's December, my dear Charity in Christ. As I reminded you the last time we met, Christmas is fast approaching. And now that Christ has aroused our seasonal expectations, He'll soon fulfill them all! But before I begin, may I offer my usual disclaimer. What I say here may appear to be mine, what with my mouthing the words and all, but as you know, nothing I say this morning is really mine. It's all God's, I assure you. The Apostle Paul said much the same thing in his Second to the Corinthians (4:6-7). The Word of God is stashed in shapely earthen vessels--that's us--but there's no mistaking a jar of clay for the Word of God. And only when the pot is opened--need I say it?--does the Word pour out. But I've digressed... Last year, do you remember Christmas morning? You came to celebrate the solemn feast. I was sermonizing about the thorny problems in the genealogies of Christ when a strange thing happened. I looked up, and you'd all dozed off. Well, of course, I stopped instantly, promising I'd return to the sermon at some point in the future. And then another strange thing happened. You all woke up. Happily, we continued the liturgy together. That day I prayed God I wouldn't forget my promise. Apparently, He's answered my humble petition. I've just remembered it, even if you didn't, and I'm ready to make good on my promise...
