<DIV><p>'As a youth … I had prayed to you for chastity and said “Give me chastity and continence, but not yet”'</p> <p>The son of a pagan father and a Christian mother, Saint Augustine spent his early years torn between conflicting faiths and worldviews. His <B>Confessions</B>, written when he was in his forties, recount how, slowly and painfully, he came to turn away from his youthful ideas and licentious lifestyle, to become instead a staunch advocate of Christianity and one of its most influential thinkers. A remarkably honest and revealing spiritual autobiography, the <B>Confessions</B> also address fundamental issues of Christian doctrine, and many of the prayers and meditations it includes are still an integral part of the practice of Christianity today.</p> <p>In his introduction R. S. Pine-Coffin discusses Saint Augustine's intentions in writing his <B>Confessions</B> and issues of translation. This edition also includes a list of dates of events recorded in the <B>Confessions</B>.<BR> </p> </div>