The Irrational Augustine takes the notion of St Augustine as rigid and dogmatic Father of the Church and turns it on its head. Catherine Conybeare reads Augustine's earliest works to discover the anti-dogmatic Augustine, who values changeability and human interconnectedness and deplores social exclusion. The novelty of her book lies in taking seriously the nature of these early works as performances, through which multiple questions can be raised and multiple options explored, both in words and through their dramatic framework. The theological consequences are considerable. A very human Augustine emerges, talking and playing with friends and family, including his mother - and a very sympathetic set of ideas is the result.

throughout her book Conybeare writes with a masterful command of both the Latin and English languages * Paul C. Burns, The Classical Review *
Conybeare's book is clever, intriguing, and relentlessly trendy in its theoretical vocabulary * Lewis Ayres, Journal of Roman Studies *
Conybeare's fine study is a very close reading of the earliest Augustinian texts...her arguments are provocative and persuasive throughout. * David Vincent Meconi, Journal of Early Christian Studies *
In short, this work is a model of what it means to reconsider Augustine on his own terms - respectfully, while recognizing Augustine's sophisticated self-presentation. Conybeare gives us a thoughtful, inquisitive Augustine, a portrait which should prompt us to look at the apparent dogmatism of his later works with fresh, unjaded eyes. * Todd Breyfogle, Canadian Journal of History *

Catherine Conybeare is Associate Professor in the Department of Greek, Latin, and Classical Studies, Bryn Mawr College.