Augustine has always been the big guy for me when it comes to classical philosophy. I even used to have the first words of the Confessions engraved on my skis.

Augustine has always been the big guy for me when it comes to classical philosophy. I even used to have the first words of the Confessions engraved on my skis. ("Thou art great, O Lord", good words when admiring the majesty of creation shortly before heading downhill at speed.) The review does full justice to his subtlety. The Confessions are a really hard read, as you say, but worth the effort. I find it interesting that he flourished in a time that many consider the decline of classical civilization. His treatment of time for instance is the equal of anything I have read in Plato.