Rethinking Augustine's early works : an argument for continuity.

The following text is taken from the publisher's website. "Challenges the almost universally accepted interpretation of the development of Augustine's theology Proposes a new thesis, arguing for a fundamental continuity in Augustine's belief and practice from the moment of his conversion, and so enhances a major scholarly debate Resists the general trend to begin reading Augustine with his Confessions (396) and argues for the importance of the works written in the decade before, immediately following his conversion Carol Harrison counters the assumption that Augustine of Hippo's (354-430) theology underwent a revolutionary transformation around the time he was consecrated Bishop in 396. Instead, she argues that there is a fundamental continuity in his thought and practice from the moment of his conversion in 386. The book thereby challenges the general scholarly trend to begin reading Augustine with his Confessions (396), which were begun ten years after his conversion, and refocuses attention on his earlier works, which undergird his whole theological system.