Abstract
The book is a commented translation of a group of Augustine's Sermones, which belong to the group of discourses devoted to liturgical seasons (sermones de tempore), in this case, the forty days of preparation for Easter. The first part of the book is a scholarly study of Augustine's preaching and the Lenten season.
First, contemporary hypotheses of the origins of Lent in the ancient Church are presented, distinguishing between the forty-day period (quadragesima), the pre-Easter week, Holy Week, and the three-day period of immediate preparation for baptism. The relationship of Lent to fasting, prayer, and almsgiving is then studied, but especially with regard to the baptism of new members of the Church.
The discourses on the transmission of the faith (traditio symboli) and the Lord's Prayer (traditio orationis) form a separate chapter. The last section is devoted to the Good Friday discourses, which are also included in this collection of discourses.
The second part of the book consists of the translation of Augustine's sermons 205-218/C and 398 into Czech with explanatory notes. A bibliography and an ancient and modern author index, as well as Bible index are included.