Reading Confessions with Guardini
 |
Description
Book Introduction
“Wisdom without the name of Christ is incomplete!”
A giant of 20th-century Catholic theology
Romano Guardini revealed in his Confessions
The Abyss of Human Personality and God's Providence
Romano Guardini, a representative thinker who had a great influence on 20th-century Catholic theology and inherited the spirituality of Saint Augustine in a modern way.
His book, "Reading the Confessions with Guardini," is an in-depth commentary on St. Augustine's "Confessions," a masterpiece of Christian spiritual literature.
In his Confessions, Guardini explicitly rejects any interpretation that dismisses St. Augustine's journey of conversion toward God as a moral reflection, a psychological analysis, or a mere philosophical shift.
For Guardini, the Confessions is an existential record in which a human being stakes his entire existence and responds to God, who is active in history.
St. Augustine's 'confessio' includes confessing one's sins.
But more fundamentally, it means the act of a created human being placing himself within the truth of God the Creator.
This is joining with the knowledge of God even in the midst of one's own shame and resistance to self-assertion.
This book brilliantly explains Guardini's core concepts of 'mind' and 'personality' through the inner struggle of Saint Augustine.
Just as the young Augustine, consumed by a passion for wisdom through Cicero's Hortensius, ultimately retreated from the fervent fervor of his passion because of the absence of the name of Christ, it clearly shows that philosophical truth is bound to be incomplete without God's revelation and grace.
For believers today, this book provides an opportunity to reexamine their spiritual existence.
By following the struggles and decisions of Saint Augustine, readers will also come to understand how God's providence works in their lives and ultimately find the path to true conversion through grace.
A giant of 20th-century Catholic theology
Romano Guardini revealed in his Confessions
The Abyss of Human Personality and God's Providence
Romano Guardini, a representative thinker who had a great influence on 20th-century Catholic theology and inherited the spirituality of Saint Augustine in a modern way.
His book, "Reading the Confessions with Guardini," is an in-depth commentary on St. Augustine's "Confessions," a masterpiece of Christian spiritual literature.
In his Confessions, Guardini explicitly rejects any interpretation that dismisses St. Augustine's journey of conversion toward God as a moral reflection, a psychological analysis, or a mere philosophical shift.
For Guardini, the Confessions is an existential record in which a human being stakes his entire existence and responds to God, who is active in history.
St. Augustine's 'confessio' includes confessing one's sins.
But more fundamentally, it means the act of a created human being placing himself within the truth of God the Creator.
This is joining with the knowledge of God even in the midst of one's own shame and resistance to self-assertion.
This book brilliantly explains Guardini's core concepts of 'mind' and 'personality' through the inner struggle of Saint Augustine.
Just as the young Augustine, consumed by a passion for wisdom through Cicero's Hortensius, ultimately retreated from the fervent fervor of his passion because of the absence of the name of Christ, it clearly shows that philosophical truth is bound to be incomplete without God's revelation and grace.
For believers today, this book provides an opportunity to reexamine their spiritual existence.
By following the struggles and decisions of Saint Augustine, readers will also come to understand how God's providence works in their lives and ultimately find the path to true conversion through grace.
index
Introduction 5
Ⅰ.
Foundation of interpretation
1 · Confession 23
2 · Memory 31
3 · Inner Nature 41
4 · Inner Drama 56
5 · Spirit, the sensuous, the religious, the mind 65
6 · Blessed Life and Perfection 81
7 · Eros and the Heart 92
8 · Wisdom 104
9 · Blessed Life and God's Presence 109
10 · Amazement at Human Existence 126
11 · Creation and Providence 170
12 · Augustine's "Paganism" 199
13 · Mother Monica 212
14 · The Development of Augustine's Perspective 223
Ⅱ.
Journey and Decision
1 · Boyhood, Youth, and Youth 229
2 · Rome and Milan 262
3 · Explanation 297
4 · Decision 333
5 · New Life 360
supplement
Is it a child's voice or God's call? 371
Translator's Note 377
Reviewer's Note 382
Ⅰ.
Foundation of interpretation
1 · Confession 23
2 · Memory 31
3 · Inner Nature 41
4 · Inner Drama 56
5 · Spirit, the sensuous, the religious, the mind 65
6 · Blessed Life and Perfection 81
7 · Eros and the Heart 92
8 · Wisdom 104
9 · Blessed Life and God's Presence 109
10 · Amazement at Human Existence 126
11 · Creation and Providence 170
12 · Augustine's "Paganism" 199
13 · Mother Monica 212
14 · The Development of Augustine's Perspective 223
Ⅱ.
Journey and Decision
1 · Boyhood, Youth, and Youth 229
2 · Rome and Milan 262
3 · Explanation 297
4 · Decision 333
5 · New Life 360
supplement
Is it a child's voice or God's call? 371
Translator's Note 377
Reviewer's Note 382
Into the book
The Christian God, to whom Augustine dedicated his Confessions after his conversion, is not an absolute being of philosophy, but a holy and living being attested to in the Old and New Testaments.
This person enters history himself and works within it.
He calls the individual human being and draws him into history, into the story of his life.
So, there are as many such historical stories as there are people.
Every time, everything that exists, the objects of the world and humans, is drawn into this story.
Since everything exists for this story, everything that exists, the world and human existence, finds its center and name within this story.
--- From the "Preface" on p.10-11
This book aims to show Augustine's struggles and growth as a Christian who understands himself through faith.
I hope that Part I of this book, which presents Augustine's thought analytically, will also be received in that way.
This book often emphasizes things more strongly, distinguishes them more sharply, and restructures them more carefully than would be acceptable in a systematic study.
It doesn't matter here whether each statement itself is conceptually correct.
Because what matters more is how clearly the statement makes the concept and what lives behind it.
--- p.14 From the "Preface"
Man is the path to God.
Augustine wants to testify through his life about the possibility of reaching God.
Readers of 『Confessions』 must understand, empathize with, and practice this point.
--- p.30 From "Confession"
Just as the space of life is not uniform but rather diverse and contrasted, and just as the self is not a single unit but a complexly intertwined organization, the process of living unfolds richly and forms events woven within oneself.
Behind this diversity lies the same unity of one human being.
Humans are beings who live with various elements that make up their own unique existence.
A person meets himself by meeting another person.
And by bringing these encounters into consciousness, the individual can develop the content of his or her human existence and the questions about it through dialogue and drama.
--- p.62 From “Inner Drama”
Ultimately, the key is that the awareness that God exists becomes stronger and stronger.
This is the person.
He is turning to Augustine.
The person experiencing it is in a relationship with God, and the realization of the meaning of his existence can only occur when he turns to God.
This is not consciousness in the intellectual sense, but the inner opposition, the confrontation with reality, the knowledge of the situation that precedes all theoretical thinking, ethical judgment, or practical decision.
The person experiencing is moving from contact with one reality to contact with another.
He is under the pressure of reality, the passion for values, and the demands of judgment in what is to come.
All of this is always getting more and more intense.
As someone comes closer, his demands come closer too.
In this respect, the journey of conversion becomes the history of the One who approaches and penetrates.
--- From “The Development of Perspective in Augustine” p.224-225
For Guardini, Augustine, especially his Confessions, holds great significance.
This is because the book that most excellently describes and explains the mind and personality, which are the core concepts of Guardini's thought, is the Confessions.
Therefore, while 『Confessions with Guardini』 is a commentary on an outstanding theological and philosophical literary classic, it is also a place where the profound essence of Guardini's thought is revealed.
This person enters history himself and works within it.
He calls the individual human being and draws him into history, into the story of his life.
So, there are as many such historical stories as there are people.
Every time, everything that exists, the objects of the world and humans, is drawn into this story.
Since everything exists for this story, everything that exists, the world and human existence, finds its center and name within this story.
--- From the "Preface" on p.10-11
This book aims to show Augustine's struggles and growth as a Christian who understands himself through faith.
I hope that Part I of this book, which presents Augustine's thought analytically, will also be received in that way.
This book often emphasizes things more strongly, distinguishes them more sharply, and restructures them more carefully than would be acceptable in a systematic study.
It doesn't matter here whether each statement itself is conceptually correct.
Because what matters more is how clearly the statement makes the concept and what lives behind it.
--- p.14 From the "Preface"
Man is the path to God.
Augustine wants to testify through his life about the possibility of reaching God.
Readers of 『Confessions』 must understand, empathize with, and practice this point.
--- p.30 From "Confession"
Just as the space of life is not uniform but rather diverse and contrasted, and just as the self is not a single unit but a complexly intertwined organization, the process of living unfolds richly and forms events woven within oneself.
Behind this diversity lies the same unity of one human being.
Humans are beings who live with various elements that make up their own unique existence.
A person meets himself by meeting another person.
And by bringing these encounters into consciousness, the individual can develop the content of his or her human existence and the questions about it through dialogue and drama.
--- p.62 From “Inner Drama”
Ultimately, the key is that the awareness that God exists becomes stronger and stronger.
This is the person.
He is turning to Augustine.
The person experiencing it is in a relationship with God, and the realization of the meaning of his existence can only occur when he turns to God.
This is not consciousness in the intellectual sense, but the inner opposition, the confrontation with reality, the knowledge of the situation that precedes all theoretical thinking, ethical judgment, or practical decision.
The person experiencing is moving from contact with one reality to contact with another.
He is under the pressure of reality, the passion for values, and the demands of judgment in what is to come.
All of this is always getting more and more intense.
As someone comes closer, his demands come closer too.
In this respect, the journey of conversion becomes the history of the One who approaches and penetrates.
--- From “The Development of Perspective in Augustine” p.224-225
For Guardini, Augustine, especially his Confessions, holds great significance.
This is because the book that most excellently describes and explains the mind and personality, which are the core concepts of Guardini's thought, is the Confessions.
Therefore, while 『Confessions with Guardini』 is a commentary on an outstanding theological and philosophical literary classic, it is also a place where the profound essence of Guardini's thought is revealed.
--- From "The Supervisor's Note" on p.386-387
Publisher's Review
Written by Romano Guardini, a leading figure in 20th-century Catholic theology
An outstanding theological and philosophical commentary on the Confessions
The influence of Romano Guardini, a representative theologian of 20th-century Catholic theology, transcends academic and sectarian boundaries.
During his lifetime, Guardini spread Christian humanities around the world, and his influence remains in Pope Francis' words: "We can apply Guardini's reflections to our own time and discover God's hand in today's events."
The common thread in the books written by Guardini can be said to be 'a personal encounter with Jesus Christ.'
He developed humanism and humanistic thinking within the Catholic Church, inviting readers to embark on a journey to discover a heart burning for God, a journey that remains relevant even in the 21st century.
Romano Guardini, who dedicated himself to the church that was wavering in the face of a new era, wanted to rely on Augustine.
Because for him, Augustine's 'Confession' is an act of creation, a human being, placing himself in the awareness of God the Creator, and a process of conversion.
Therefore, 『Reading the Confessions with Guardini』, subtitled ‘Augustine’s Journey of Conversion’, approaches and deeply examines the process of Augustine’s conversion journey described in the 『Confessions』, where he begins a new life through confession, through a theological and philosophical approach in two parts.
Ⅰ.
Foundation of interpretation
This book focuses on the essence of 'confession', which is deeply rooted in Augustine's theology, focusing on the 'Confessions'.
Confession is an act of laying oneself bare before God, and is the opposite of the will to close one's inner self.
Confession is an intimate conversation between me and God, and at the same time, it is a public act in that it is spoken out loud.
Confession is a dynamic drama of inner self that builds up layer by layer, and at the same time, it is a life that struggles for God's presence, a wholly 'existential act'.
In this book, Guardini examines how Augustine develops his own theory of 'mind' and 'personality' in the Confessions.
Ⅱ.
Journey and Decision
In Part 2, we will examine in detail the life of Augustine, in which the theory discussed above took root.
Confession, as Guardini speaks of it, is an existential act of human beings struggling toward the presence of God.
Therefore, the 'confession' that runs through the 'Confessions' cannot be understood without the big and small events that occur in Augustine's memories, that is, the relationship between him and his mother Monica, his friend Alpheus, and his son Adeodatus.
Augustine's 'Confessions' as viewed by Guardini can never be separated from Augustine's whirlwind process of conversion, and Augustine's path to conversion leads to a new life, a life of 'sharing joy with God, my Lord', through confession.
This book contains the foundation of the theological work that Guardini sought to develop throughout his life.
The core of Guardini's theology is 'mind' and 'personality'.
And within Catholic theology, ‘mind’ and ‘personality’ are discovered and developed in the works of the great church father Augustine.
In particular, 『Confessions』 most excellently describes and explains this core.
In this way, Guardini develops his own thoughts in depth while commenting on the Confessions.
Moreover, the story that Guardini wanted to share has a deeper meaning in the Korean edition of ‘Reading Confessions with Guardini.’
Because Father Kim Hyeong-su, who translated this book, passed away.
This book is Father Kim's posthumous work and the first in the Romano Guardini Series.
The reason this book was published as the first in the series is because the life of Father Kim, who pursued the truth until the last moment of his life and walked the path of conversion without guidance, is in line with the purpose of Guardini, who wrote this book.
I hope that 『Reading Confessions with Guardini』, which was published a year after Father Kim's death, will be even more valuable to readers now.
“This book is not intended to contribute to the study of historical Augustine.
Augustine's personal characteristics and thoughts in a permanent form,
And it is an attempt to understand the Christian human existence as a permanently open possibility.
This study, if I may so say, is of the whole that pertains to Augustine.
In those areas where philosophy and theology have not yet been separated in the modern sense,
So to speak, the distance between the two is not that far as it was in the Middle Ages.
Rather, it accepts Christian human existence as a whole,
Looking at the thought from this whole, without regard to methodological distinctions,
Keep in mind the living realm.
[In other words] This book is for Christians who understand themselves through faith.
The purpose is to see Augustine struggling and growing.
- From the 'Preface'
An outstanding theological and philosophical commentary on the Confessions
The influence of Romano Guardini, a representative theologian of 20th-century Catholic theology, transcends academic and sectarian boundaries.
During his lifetime, Guardini spread Christian humanities around the world, and his influence remains in Pope Francis' words: "We can apply Guardini's reflections to our own time and discover God's hand in today's events."
The common thread in the books written by Guardini can be said to be 'a personal encounter with Jesus Christ.'
He developed humanism and humanistic thinking within the Catholic Church, inviting readers to embark on a journey to discover a heart burning for God, a journey that remains relevant even in the 21st century.
Romano Guardini, who dedicated himself to the church that was wavering in the face of a new era, wanted to rely on Augustine.
Because for him, Augustine's 'Confession' is an act of creation, a human being, placing himself in the awareness of God the Creator, and a process of conversion.
Therefore, 『Reading the Confessions with Guardini』, subtitled ‘Augustine’s Journey of Conversion’, approaches and deeply examines the process of Augustine’s conversion journey described in the 『Confessions』, where he begins a new life through confession, through a theological and philosophical approach in two parts.
Ⅰ.
Foundation of interpretation
This book focuses on the essence of 'confession', which is deeply rooted in Augustine's theology, focusing on the 'Confessions'.
Confession is an act of laying oneself bare before God, and is the opposite of the will to close one's inner self.
Confession is an intimate conversation between me and God, and at the same time, it is a public act in that it is spoken out loud.
Confession is a dynamic drama of inner self that builds up layer by layer, and at the same time, it is a life that struggles for God's presence, a wholly 'existential act'.
In this book, Guardini examines how Augustine develops his own theory of 'mind' and 'personality' in the Confessions.
Ⅱ.
Journey and Decision
In Part 2, we will examine in detail the life of Augustine, in which the theory discussed above took root.
Confession, as Guardini speaks of it, is an existential act of human beings struggling toward the presence of God.
Therefore, the 'confession' that runs through the 'Confessions' cannot be understood without the big and small events that occur in Augustine's memories, that is, the relationship between him and his mother Monica, his friend Alpheus, and his son Adeodatus.
Augustine's 'Confessions' as viewed by Guardini can never be separated from Augustine's whirlwind process of conversion, and Augustine's path to conversion leads to a new life, a life of 'sharing joy with God, my Lord', through confession.
This book contains the foundation of the theological work that Guardini sought to develop throughout his life.
The core of Guardini's theology is 'mind' and 'personality'.
And within Catholic theology, ‘mind’ and ‘personality’ are discovered and developed in the works of the great church father Augustine.
In particular, 『Confessions』 most excellently describes and explains this core.
In this way, Guardini develops his own thoughts in depth while commenting on the Confessions.
Moreover, the story that Guardini wanted to share has a deeper meaning in the Korean edition of ‘Reading Confessions with Guardini.’
Because Father Kim Hyeong-su, who translated this book, passed away.
This book is Father Kim's posthumous work and the first in the Romano Guardini Series.
The reason this book was published as the first in the series is because the life of Father Kim, who pursued the truth until the last moment of his life and walked the path of conversion without guidance, is in line with the purpose of Guardini, who wrote this book.
I hope that 『Reading Confessions with Guardini』, which was published a year after Father Kim's death, will be even more valuable to readers now.
“This book is not intended to contribute to the study of historical Augustine.
Augustine's personal characteristics and thoughts in a permanent form,
And it is an attempt to understand the Christian human existence as a permanently open possibility.
This study, if I may so say, is of the whole that pertains to Augustine.
In those areas where philosophy and theology have not yet been separated in the modern sense,
So to speak, the distance between the two is not that far as it was in the Middle Ages.
Rather, it accepts Christian human existence as a whole,
Looking at the thought from this whole, without regard to methodological distinctions,
Keep in mind the living realm.
[In other words] This book is for Christians who understand themselves through faith.
The purpose is to see Augustine struggling and growing.
- From the 'Preface'
GOODS SPECIFICS
- Date of issue: November 3, 2025
- Page count, weight, size: 388 pages | 514g | 140*205*23mm
- ISBN13: 9788932119793
- ISBN10: 8932119791
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