There are many ways to tell a story.  This is true even if the story is an autobiography.  No greater proof of this could be found than the 13 books that form Confessions.  At the age of 40 or so in a life that had not produced its finest work yet, Saint Augustine of Hippo wrote a confession of his sinful youth and how he came to convert to Christianity.  The original title was Confessions in Thirteen Books,  This work was written with the intention of reading it aloud.  Each book is a complete unit.

Confessions is written with such power and depth that it will always rank among the best writings of the Western Cannon.   Its subject matter is the unbroken record of his thinking and spiritual development.  As such, the theological importance of this work is revealed spiritual meditations and the insights that come with this as a one turns from sin and toward God.   Nine of these books are autobiographical and the remaining four are commentary based on the trials and successes of Augustine’s journey.

It is not to be missed that each of these books is a written prayer to God.

“For Thou has made us for Thyself and our hearts are restless till they rest in thee.”

The eighth book of The Confessions of St. Augustine can be read by clicking here:

http://www.bartleby.com/7/1/8.html

Alternatively, this work can be heard in an audiobook format here: