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.

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.

"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."--Publisher's website.