At the same time the hallmark of the Augustinian
philosophy is its insistent demand that reflective thought issue
in practical consequence; no contemplation of the end of life
suffices unless it discovers the means by which men are brought to
their proper goals. In sum, Augustine is one of the very few men
who simply cannot be ignored or depreciated in any estimate of
Western civilization without serious distortion and impoverishment
of one's historical and religious understanding.
In the space of some forty-four years, from his conversion in
Milan (A.D. 386) to his death in Hippo Regius (A.D. 430),
Augustine wrote -- mostly at dictation -- a vast sprawling library
of books, sermons, and letters, the remains of which (in the
Benedictine edition of St. Maur) fill fourteen volumes as they
are reprinted in Migne, Patrologiae cursus completus, Series
Latina (Vols. 32-45). In his old age, Augustine reviewed his
authorship (in the Retractations) and has left us a critical
review of ninety-three of his works he judged most important.
Even a cursory glance at them shows how enormous was his range of
interest. Yet almost everything he wrote was in response to a
specific problem or an actual crisis in the immediate situation.
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