Saint Augustine lived between 354 and 430AD--some of the most turbulent times for the Roman Empire. Augustine's life matched this turbulence for despite his early rejection of Christianity he eventually became a bishop and one of the most influential theologians and thinkers in church history. In the Confessions, Augustine tells his own story of his path from a Hedonistic and profligate lifestyle to the acceptance of Christianity and is one of the most profound, personal and honest autobiographies of all time. Indeed it is the model for the autobiographical record of the journey to self-knowledge. "There is no ordinary limit to the extraordinary range of his mind. Augustine is a fitting study for a lifetime, even for those who do not share the Christian faith which sustained his ceaseless writing and thinking." - Robin Lane Fox.