The Harvard Classics, vol. 7: Confessions of St. Augustine & The Imitation of Christ

by Thomas à Kempis; Charles William Eliot

Publisher:

P. F. Collier & Son

, 1909

Overview

Explore two crucial texts in Christian theology and history, the Confessions of St. Augustine and Thomas à Kempis’ The Imitation of Christ.

In this volume, you can examine one of the most important and enduring works of ascetic, Bishop of Hippo, and Church Father, St. Augustine. As the introduction to this volume notes, “[t]he Confessions . . . speaks for itself. The earliest of autobiographies, it remains unsurpassed as a sincere and intimate record of a great and pious soul laid bare before God.”

Though there is some debate as to its authorship, the treatise The Imitation of Christ appears to have been originally written in Latin early in the fifteenth century by Thomas à Kempis. “With the exception of the Bible, no Christian writing has had so wide a vogue or so sustained a popularity as this. And yet, in one sense, it is hardly an original work at all. Its structure it owes largely to the writings of the medieval mystics, and its ideas and phrases are a mosaic from the Bible and the Fathers of the early Church. But these elements are interwoven with such delicate skill and a religious feeling at once so ardent and so sound, that it promises to remain, what it has been for five hundred years, the supreme call and guide to spiritual aspiration.”

The Harvard Classics

Journey through “Dr. Eliot’s Five Foot Shelf.” This massive collection, designed to provide the elements of a liberal education, was compiled by distinguished Harvard University president Charles Eliot in the early 1900s. Packed with the essential works of the Western classical tradition, the Harvard Classics collection remains one of the most comprehensive and well-researched anthologies of all time—a must-have library for students and lovers of the classics.

Key Features

• Provides two central texts in Christian history and theology
• Offers an early example of autobiography
• Seventh volume of the prominent Harvard Classics collection

Contents

Top Highlights

“Thou awakest us to delight in Thy praise; for Thou madest us for Thyself, and our heart is restless, until it repose in Thee.” (Page 5)

“It is Truth which we must look for in Holy Writ, not cunning of words. All Scripture ought to be read in the spirit in which it was written. We must rather seek for what is profitable in Scripture, than for what ministereth to subtlety in discourse.” (Page 218)

“No further would I read; nor needed I: for instantly at the end of this sentence, by a light as it were of serenity infused into my heart, all the darkness of doubt vanished away.” (Page 142)

“will seek Thee, Lord, by calling on Thee, and will call on Thee; believing in Thee; for to us hast Thou been preached” (Page 5)

“ And both had affianced brides, who when they heard hereof, also dedicated their virginity unto God” (Page 134)

Product Details

• Title: The Harvard Classics, vol. 7: Confessions of St. Augustine & The Imitation of Christ
• Authors: St. Augustine and Thomas á Kempis
• Editor: Charles William Eliot
• Series: The Harvard Classics
• Publisher: P. F. Collier & Son
• Pages: 384

About Charles Eliot

Charles William Eliot (1834–1926) served as president of Harvard University for 40 years, helping to shape the struggling provincial college into a premier American research university. Eliot graduated from Harvard in 1853, and was appointed tutor in mathematics in 1854, before becoming assistant professor of mathematics and chemistry. Eliot left Harvard in 1863 and traveled in Europe for nearly two years, studying the educational systems of the Old World. He took an interest in every aspect of institutional operation, from curriculum and methods of instruction, to physical arrangements and custodial services. But his particular concern was with the relation between education and economic growth.

Returning home in 1865, Eliot accepted an appointment as professor of analytical chemistry at the newly-founded Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 1869, he published a two-part article with his ideas about reforming American higher education in The Atlantic Monthly, catching the attention of Harvard businessmen trying to pull the university out of a crisis of short-term presidents and languishing curriculum. Eliot was quickly elected as the youngest president in Harvard’s history. Under his leadership, Harvard began to expand the range of courses offered, permitting undergraduates with unrestricted choice in selecting their courses of study. This enabled them to discover their “natural bents” and pursue them into specialized studies. The university soon became a center for advanced scientific and technological research. During his presidency, the university extended its facilities with laboratories, libraries, classrooms, and athletic facilities. Eliot was able to attract the support of major donors from among the nation’s growing plutocracy, making it the wealthiest private university in the world.