St Augustine

Ryan Topping is a Post-doctoral Fellow in Catholic Studies and a Classical, Medieval and Renaissance Studies Fellow in the College of Arts and Science at the University of Saskatchewan, Canada.

• 1. Intellectual biography; 2. Critical exposition of the thinker's work; 3. The reception and influence of the work; 4. The relevance of the work today; 5. Bibliography.

'Ryan Topping's book on Augustine is an essential addition to a series on great educational thinkers. He shows convincingly how Augustine defends a Christian liberal education, a unique synthesis of pagan rhetorical techniques and Christian spirituality, whose Christian character is seen in its valuing of truth, its emphasis on love, and its cheerfulness. Topping's analysis of Augustine's influence is realistic, identifying limitations as well as strengths in his educational philosophy. This realism strengthens the application of Augustinian ideas to contemporary debates about the university.'  Vivian Boland, O.P., Director of the Aquinas Institute at Blackfriars Hall, and member of the Theology Faculty of Oxford University, UK