The Life of Augustine of: Childhood to Episcopal Consecration (354-396): Memoire Ecclesiastique

Louis Sebastien, Le Nain de Tillemont (1637-98) compiled all the primary and secondary material he could find on Augustine of Hippo (354-430) for the 13th volume of his series of biographies; it was published posthumously in 1700. Such documentary biography was a popular genre in France at the time. Frederick Van Fleteren (philosophy, LaSalle U., Philadelphia) has translated the French text of a 1732 Venice edition, with the goal of making it easily read, rather than to preserve the idiosyncracies of the 17th-century style. He also provides modern notes and references to the works Louis excerpted. Annotation c2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

The Editor and Translator: Frederick Van Fleteren is Professor of Philosophy at LaSalle University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Internationally respected for his scholarship in Augustine of Hippo, he is the general editor of and a contributor of several book chapters to the series Collectanea Augustiniana; the present volume is the eighth in that series. Professor Van Fleteren has edited three volumes of Anselm Studies and has likewise contributed to several other volumes in that series. He edited a volume entitled Columbus and the New World and a biography of Prince Demetrius Gallitzin. For many years he has served as associate editor of Augustinian Studies, and he is co-editor of the critically acclaimed Augustine through the Ages: An Encyclopedia, which has been translated into Italian, French, and Spanish. He is the author of an ethics text, Fundamental Principles of a Natural Law Ethic. He has contributed countless articles to philosophical and theological journals in several languages and has served as a publisher and journal reviewer on Augustine of Hippo and Anselm of Canterbury. He is a Life Member of Clare Hall Cambridge and has twice been a visiting fellow at Istituto Trentino di Cultura. A much sought-after speaker internationally, he has spoken at several universities and conferences in North America, Europe, and Asia.