Augustine Latine
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I call this little book on the great Saint Augustine, "Augustine Latine". For those of you who know the Latin language, you may recall that "Latine" is used as an adverb in sayings such as, "Visne loqui Latine?" Do you wish to speak in Latin or Latinly? So, the title implies that the book is about Augustine in Latin. When the great Saint died in 430 A.D., he left us with some 5,000,000 words written in Latin. My presentation, here, therefore, will be an attempt to allow Augustine tell us his story in his own adopted language, Latin. I have noticed as I read the "City of God’ in Latin that Augustine wrote simple Latin; not the long Ciceronian phrases that he had studied and mastered during his early schooling in Carthage. One might call it Church Latin. Besides his great works such as the "City of God" and the "Confessions", Augustine left us with hundreds of sermons that he had delivered to his congregation in the city of Hippo in North Africa. All of these sermons are written so that the people could understand them in Latin. Therefore I decided to present Augustine in Latin; that is, to translate some excerpts from his major works into English. Thousands of books on Augustine have been written in English, but not in the manner I am using. I will provide a linear translation of the excerpt in English with just enough commentary to assist the reader in understanding the passage, always trying to let Augustine speak for himself. I am also using the direct transliteration into English wherever feasible. Please notice that this man Augustine lived only about eight generations later than Jesus Christ himself. You will notice as you become more familiar with Augustine that he relies heavily on John the Evangelist and Paul the Apostle. He was also a lover of the Psalms of the Old Testament and frequently quotes from them while commenting on the Gospels. I was fortunate to have found in the stacks of the Library of the University of Loyola here in Chicago the Latin version of the City of God, printed in Paris in 1838: "Sancti Aurelii Augustini, Hipponensis Episcopi, De Civitate Dei", with 98 pages of variances at the end. Yes, the text has been altered over the centuries, but recently, much work has been done by scholars to restore it closely to the original. My hope in presenting what I might dare to say is the real Augustine is that this short work may lead the reader to a greater appreciation of the value that this single man has had on the history of Western Christianity. At the back I have listed a selection of his more famous works and there you will find also a brief chronology of his life. Before the "swan" fell silent on August 28, 430 A.D., he had read the first brief critique of the first three chapters of the "City of God": "I am in a quandary as to which to admire the most: Wallace S. Jungers
The complete religious knowledge of a priest;
The range of philosophical opinions;
The fullness of its historical information;
Or, the charm of a grand style."
(Epistolae, 154, 2)
May 23, 2002
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About the Book
"Gloriosissiman civitatem Dei, Most glorious is the City of God, Sive in hoc temporum cursu, Whether in this passing age, Cum inter impios peregrinatur ex fide vivens, Where she wanders, a foreigner, living by faith among the impious, Sive in illa stabilitate sedis aeternae-- Or in the stability of that eternal seat-- Deinceps adeptura per excellentiam Wherein she will possess par excellence Victoria ultima et pace perfecta." Ultimate victory and perfect peace." (De Civitate Dei, Praefatio) Thus Augustine begins his greatest book of all, the work that was one of the greatest influences for Christianity on the whole of Western civilization. All of my life, I have avoided reading the "City if God", written by St. Augustine in 413 A.D.; until recently, that is. Now I am fascinated at the Latin words of this great Christian, who has provided the Western world with a masterpiece of intellectual achievement.
About the Author
Wallace S. Jungers, S.T.B., is a graduate of Woodstock College in Theology, where he studied under the renowned theologian, John Courtney Murray. He also has been awarded degrees in Philosophy, Ph.L., and in Chemistry, B.S. Mr. Jungers taught Chemistry at St. Joseph’s Prep in Philadelphia and at Loyola College in Baltimore. With this work on Augustine Latine, he continues his research into Early Christianity, which he began with his other books: Jesus Christ in Glory (Rev. 2nd Ed.) St. Paul, St. John and St. Augustine Reflections on Christ in Glory Prayers of Early Christianity Of the Holy Spirit, Resurrection, and The Beautiful One. From the viewpoint of a modern Christian, Mr. Jungers has been explaining the New Testament to believers who are searching for a better understanding of the "vera et sincera" (true and honest) deeds of Jesus of Nazareth. Well versed in Greek and Latin, Mr. Jungers translates from the Greek text of Mr. Kurt Aland et alii (4th Ed), called UBS4. An advocate of the modern trend of "Praying the Scriptures", Mr. Jungers brings life to these ancient documents, which form the basis of the Christian Faith. He lives in Chicago with his wife, Sue, who is the long-term principal of Mt. Carmel Academy. They have two married daughters, Jane and Jennifer, and one grandson, Kurtis.