Before he became a father of the Christian Church, Augustine of Hippo loved a woman whose name has been lost to history. This is her story.
She met Augustine in Carthage when she was seventeen. She was the poor daughter of a mosaic-layer; he was a promising student and heir to a fortune. His brilliance and passion intoxicated her, but his social class would be forever beyond her reach. She became his concubine, and by the time he was forced to leave her, she was thirty years old and the mother of his son. And his Confessions show us that he never forgot her. She was the only woman he ever loved.
In a society in which classes rarely mingle on equal terms, and an unwed mother can lose her son to the burgeoning career of her ambitious lover, this anonymous woman was a first-hand witness to Augustine’s anguished spiritual journey from secretive religious cultist to the celebrated Bishop of Hippo.
Giving voice to one of history’s most mysterious women, The Confessions of X tells the story of Augustine of Hippo’s nameless lover, their relationshipbefore his famous conversion, and her life after his rise to fame. A tale of womanhood, faith, and class at the end of antiquity, The Confessions of X is more than historical fiction . . . it is a timeless story of love and loss in the shadow of a theological giant.
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Sexual Content - 1/5
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Violence - 1/5
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Language - 0/5
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Drugs and Alcohol - 0/5
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Summary
Full of insightful, melodic narrative, \"The Confessions of X\" traces the life of a woman lost in the annuls of antiquity by name, but whose selfless love is forever heralded through the words of one of the most revered saints in early Christendom, Saint Augustine of Hippo. Referring to her only as \"Una\"; or \"the one\" in his writings, this remarkable woman loved a remarkable man for many years, bearing him a son, and ultimately demonstrating the nearly impossible act of love; sacrifice. In the midst of our notoriously fast paced, thoughtless routines, this almost poetic novel slows its cadence to embrace deep, philosophical remnants of a past civilization that struggled to realize the truths of Scripture and the freedom of salvation. Remarkably, the strength and courage of this particular woman, whose entire life was steeped with sadness, serves as a reminder that love is a gift, to be treasured, enjoyed and eternally returned to its Maker. \"There is no saint without a past\" ¬ Saint Augustine. Indeed. I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.