Monasticism: Its Ideals and History and The Confessions of St Augustine

As well as authoring hundreds of pages on church history, Harnack gave several relatively well-known lectures. Provided here are two of his most famous talks, Monasticism: Its Ideals and History and The Confessions of St. Augustine. Concerning monasticism, Harnack addressed questions about what it meant to live a monastic life and what sort of ideals monastic communities held. As such a prominent force in early and medieval Christianity, the historian explores how wider Christian culture has imbibed monastic principles. Similarly, when Harnack speaks about St. Augustine and his almost legendary Confessions, he seeks out the illustrious saint’s stamp upon all theology and Church practice following him. Harnack was known to be a charismatic orator, and his lectures are consequently interesting, informative, and accessible all at the same time.

Kathleen O’Bannon
CCEL Staff