The Monastic Rules

This volume brings together three Augustine scholars of international reputation Gerald Bonner, George Lawless, O.S.A., and Sr. Agatha Mary, S.P.B. in a rare collaborative effort to present St. Augustine's highly influential Rule to a wide audience. Lawless, who has already published a major book on the Rule, offers a stimulating foreword that discusses the works literary genre. Bonner, whose St. Augustine of Hippo: Life and Controversies is an acclaimed study, has written two chapters, one on the controversy regarding Augustine's authorship of the various rules attributed to him and the other on the spirit of the Rule. Sr. Agatha Mary, finally, translates the Rule and several other related documents. The Monastic Rules of St. Augustine is a model of clarity in its approach to a complicated subject, and it succeeds admirably in being satisfying on both the scholarly and the spiritual level.

Gerald Bonner is a great interpreter of Augustine's religious life and views, and his essay situating these writings within the context of Augustine's life and works is clear and well-presented, and deftly summarizes the history of the research on the authenticity and the order of these works. The notes by Bonner and Sister Agatha Mary elucidate Augustine's thought, helpfully note allusions to Scripture, and draw the readers attention to relevant secondary literature.

Augustine J. Curley, O.S.B.
Author of Augustine's Critique of Skepticism


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Augustine of Hippo, Doctor of the Church, is one of the greatest thinkers and writers in the Western world. After he became Christian he was made bishop of Hippo in Africa where he was very influential in civil and church affairs. With more than 113 books, 200 letters and 500 sermons he has left a lasting impact on Western philosophy and culture. Besides The Confessions his other well-known works include The Trinity, The City of God, The Expositions of the Psalms.