Essential Expositions of the Psalms is a collection distilled from the 6-volume set in the Works of Saint Augustine. As the psalms are a microcosm of the Old Testament, so the Expositions of the Psalms can be seen as a microcosm of Augustinian thought. In the Book of Psalms are to be found the history of the people of Israel, the theology and spirituality of the Old Covenant, and a treasury of human experience expressed in prayer and poetry. So too does the work of expounding the psalms recapitulate and focus the experiences of Augustine's personal life, his theological reflections and his pastoral concerns as Bishop of Hippo.

This reference work on the Psalter was composed by St. Augustine of Hippo (354 - 430 AD) in the 5th century. St. Augustine was a well-regarded theologian and philosopher, and he served as a bishop in Roman North Africa. His writings greatly influenced the development of Western philosophy. Among his many famous works are, "The City of God," "On Christian Doctrine," and "Confessions." During his lifetime he dedicated himself to the considerable task of drawing up a commentary on the Psalms, the longest book of the Bible. This first volume covers psalms 1 - 20 and is illustrated with images of King David, and other Biblical figures mentioned in the commentary. The text itself is taken from, "A select library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian church / [First series] / Philip Schaff (1819 - 1893) Vol. 8, Saint Augustin: Expositions on the book of psalms / transl. with notes and indices; New York: The Christian literature company, 1888." This version of the work has preserved the original footnotes.

Fourth volume of the longawaited translation of one of Augustines classics and a great work in Christian literature. Newly translated by Maria Boulding, O.S.B., whose masterful translation of Augustines Confessions in the same series has been praised as being of a different level of excellence from practically anything else in the market (Bishop Rowan Williams, Monmouth, England). As the psalms are a microcosm of the Old Testament, so the Expositions of the Psalms can be seen as a microcosm of Augustinian thought. They recapitulate and focus the experiences of Augustines personal life, his theological reflections, and his pastoral concerns as Bishop of Hippo.

This volume covers Augustine's notes and commentaries on Psalms 1 through 29. Augustine's theme is the church, less as an external institution than as the very focus and center of God and Christ.

Recent research has explored how past interpretation can help contextualize current interpretation as well as provide a more colorful and theologically meaningful understanding of scripture. In St. Augustine's Interpretation of the Psalms of Ascent, Gerald McLarney examines Augustine of Hippo's (d. 430) interpretation of the ascent motif in sermons on Psalms 119-133. He looks at the delivery, transmission, and broader context of the sermons, as well as examining the sermons as they stand.