The seven works of Augustine that are contained in this volume all deal with the problem of faith in God. They were written over the course of three decades, beginning with True Religion (390) and extending to the Enchiridion on Faith, Hope, and Charity (c. 421). Hence this selection of writings provides an impressive insight into the intellectual and spiritual development of one of the greatest of all Western minds, as it grappled with a question that has never ceased to preoccupy and stimulate Western thought: Is it reasonable to believe in God, and what form might such belief take? Each of these seven works is a new translation into contemporary English, and each is introduced by the German Augustinian scholar Michael Fiedrowicz, who has also written a valuable general introduction.

No other part of the Hebrew Scriptures, aside from the Psalter and sections of the prophet Isaiah, captured the interest and aroused the attention of the early Church as did the opening chapters of the Book of Genesis. Augustine of Hippo, the early Latin Church's profoundest scholar, devoted three treatises to these chapters. The first two -- On Genesis: A Refutation of the Manichees and his Unfinished Literal Commentary on Genesis -- are early works. The third and longest -- The Literal Meaning of Genesis -- was produced at the height of Augustine's maturity and has been ranked with his Confessions, The Trinity, and The City of God. The range, depth and genius of Augustine's thought, which begin to appear in the two earlier writings, are on full display in the third. This volume brings these three works together for the first time in English and provides a valuable and comprehensive introduction to each one.