Confessiones vs Saint Thomas Aquinas: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Christian saints, Religion, Philosophy, Biography & Memoir, History

Confessiones Augustine of Hippo · 1482 ★★★★☆ 4.0 383 pages · ≈ 7 h 06 m · Demanding

“i (1) 'You are great, Lord, and highly to be praised (Ps. 47: 2): great is your power and your wisdom is immeasurable' (Ps. 146:5).”

Garry Wills’s complete translation of Saint Augustine’s spiritual masterpiece—available now for the first time Garry Wills is an exceptionally gifted translator and one of our best writers on religion today. His…

Religion & Spirituality Collected works Spiritual life Christianity

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Saint Thomas Aquinas Gilbert Keith Chesterton · 1933 ★★★★☆ 4.0 115 pages · ≈ 2 h 08 m · Demanding

" St. Thomas Aquinas is enriched by the author's unique ability to see the world through the saint's eyes, a fresh and animated view that shows us Aquinas as no other biography has. Acclaimed as the best book ever…

19th Century Theology Criticism and interpretation

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Side by side

The verdict

Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
Saint Thomas Aquinas is the quickest read — about 2 hours vs 7 for Confessiones.
Confessiones has the widest readership — 77983 ratings behind its score.
Saint Thomas Aquinas runs the darker storyline; Confessiones stays the lighter read.

How to choose

Want a one-evening read? Saint Thomas Aquinas ≈ 2h vs 7h for Confessiones Want the crowd-tested pick? Confessiones 77983 ratings vs 12102 for Saint Thomas Aquinas In the mood for something dark? Saint Thomas Aquinas a darker storyline than Confessiones Want something lighter? Confessiones an easier tone than Saint Thomas Aquinas

Scores by source

	Confessiones	Saint Thomas Aquinas
Goodreads	4.0 (77983)	4.0 (12102)
Hardcover	—	4.1 (10)

Reception

	Confessiones	Saint Thomas Aquinas
Ratings	77983	12102
Editions	450	78
Film adaptations	1	1
Want to read	113595	17409
Reading it now	17969	2238
Written reviews	5285	1327
Wikipedia attention	11386	72604
Pages	383	115

Questions readers ask

Which is rated higher: Confessiones or Saint Thomas Aquinas?

Confessiones has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Confessiones 4.0/5, Saint Thomas Aquinas 4.0/5).

Which is shorter to read: Confessiones or Saint Thomas Aquinas?

Saint Thomas Aquinas is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Saint Thomas Aquinas (115 pages, ≈ 2 h 08 m); Confessiones (383 pages, ≈ 7 h 06 m).

Which is harder to read: Confessiones or Saint Thomas Aquinas?

Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Confessiones: Demanding; Saint Thomas Aquinas: Demanding.