W. offers this excellent and expansive commentary on the central books of Augustine's Confessions, thus advancing another five books beyond G. Clark's volume (1995) in the same series. W. addresses the volume to two different audiences. First, he seeks to assist students of Classical Studies who might be unfamiliar with the nuances of later Latin, with the Bible and Christian theology, and with late antiquity generally (p. ix). Second, he desires it to be of use to students of Patristics who might not appreciate the influence of classical authors and styles on the Confessions.
The volume follows the standard organisation for the series. A brief introduction covering Augustine's life and works as well as the Latin style and structure of the Confessions opens the book. For the Latin text of Books 5–9 that follows, W. draws on J. O'Donnell's (1992) edition, but includes some minor and meaningful differences in word choice and punctuation that are discussed in the commentary. (In the text of the present volume, I noted only two minor errors – firma[-]veramus at 6.14.24 and hoc ita esse<t> debet, illud non ita at 7.17.23 – the latter being adopted from O'Donnell.) As is fitting, the commentary makes up the bulk of the volume, filling 265 pages. The book closes with a list of works cited and indexes both for Latin words and phrases and for names, places and themes that W. selects for attention in the introduction and commentary – references within the Latin text are excluded.
The commentary appears an intimidating mass at first, but can become a dependable companion with some time and effort. W. largely delivers on his main promises to readers. No vital opportunity for comment on relevant socio-political context seems to be missed. By way of help to the uninitiated, he gives useful notes on fundamental aspects of the Christian faith, including, among others, the doctrines of original sin and the Trinity and the sacraments of the eucharist and baptism. He also takes a systematic approach to observing not only the numerous biblical quotations, allusions and thematic parallels in the Confessions but also to their use in the text and import to Augustine's thought. W.'s comparison of the text to the Vulgate and Vetus Latina may also be of interest to students with a greater appreciation for Augustine's biblical language. The assistance promised to students of Patristics, however, is sometimes fulfilled with less grace. W. does draw attention to elements of classical style in his discussion of rhetorical figures in use and points to classical precedents for certain notions or phrases. Occasionally, though, he will recommend classical literary models on which he supposes Augustine drew in his composition of the Confessions, and some of these offerings are far-fetched and unilluminating. For instance, the adulteress, Eppia, from Juvenal's Sixth Satire (82–113) seems an exceedingly unlikely model for Augustine's characterisation of his mother, Monica (5.18.15), despite Augustine's knowledge of that work and the fact that both women braved the sea. As in this case, W. sometimes leaves his audience guessing about what meaning the proposed similarities have for our appreciation of the Confessions. Nevertheless, because of their irregularity, these shortcomings do not become terribly distracting.
The commentary is excellent in other ways that W. did not explicitly intend. He often begins his comments on a new section with an explanation of its context within the narrative, argument or structure of the book. Consequently, the commentary can support a more selective or intermittent approach to its use. He attends closely to the text in observing subtle wordplay that might escape all but the most attentive readers. He avoids delving too deeply into scholarly squabbles, except where unavoidable (like the controversy surrounding the conversion narrative), but judiciously cites relevant secondary sources as helpful starting points for further reading.
W.'s work also deserves high praise for his attention to the fledgling Latinist. In this respect this commentary is superior to any other in this series that I have used as a student or teacher. The work displays bright flashes of pedagogical brilliance that evince a long career of leading students through tricky Latin texts. For example, to help students see the structure of Augustine's lengthier locutions, W. sometimes provides the basic ‘skeleton’ of these sentences, simplified with ellipses. After understanding the central independent clauses of such sentences, students can tackle even a fearsome host of subordinate clauses one at a time with greater ease. Further, in addition to the typical explanations of unexpected meanings of certain words and phrases, his notes on, for example, a syncopated form of the perfect tense, an impersonal use of a verb and the specific referent of a dangling demonstrative (among many others) show an acute awareness of potential stumbling blocks for students. Even if I might quibble with his classification of certain grammatical constructions, well-trained students should be able to produce fine translations, even of quite tricky passages, with W.'s help.
As a pedagogical tool, though, this volume does have a serious deficiency. The amount of the Latin that is translated in the commentary is simply staggering. In some instances, W. translates as much as half of a section completely (e.g. 5.4.7, 6.12.22). There is a certain amount of translation in the notes that I have come to expect from books in this series, and I am reliably informed that the editors strongly encourage it. However, while I understand the utility that translations are intended to have, they seem to me both unnecessary and potentially detrimental to learning. They are unnecessary because, if one were to need a translation of the Confessions, any number of them can easily be found in a variety of formats. They are potentially detrimental because they give students ‘the answer’, which is usually more attractive than any explanation by which they may arrive at it independently.
In bringing more of the rich Latin of Augustine's Confessions within reach of a broader audience, W. has done a great service. The diversity within that audience, though, necessarily creates some friction. The attempt to offer something for everyone, so to speak, creates a situation in which everyone is required to mine deeper for the jewels they seek. These demands can be off-putting for some readers, particularly undergraduates who have just completed grammar courses. Second, W.'s drive to distinguish classical style from the Latinity of the Confessions can leave readers with a sense that the work and its author are curiously out of place in their own time. This impression is heightened by W.'s use of words like ‘un-Latin’, ‘wildness’ and ‘exotic’ to describe Augustine's biblicism and by occasional claims that Augustine merely indulged his rhetorical fancy at the expense of producing a clear thought. To be sure, the Confessions is unique in a variety of ways, but even if the Bible was not universally respected for its literary quality, it was not unread in the late fourth century. Moreover, it is surely better to think of this work of Augustine, whose native tongue was Latin and who practised the profession of rhetoric to such contemporary acclaim, as finding a real place among Christians in North Africa and far beyond. Nevertheless, this commentary is excellent, and I would recommend it to interested colleagues for their private study or guided use in the classroom.
