The City of God · Chapter
Editor's Preface explained
The editor introduces Augustine's City of God, explaining its occasion (the sack of Rome by the Goths and pagan accusations against Christianity), its plan (twenty-two books refuting pagan worship and establishing the two cities), and its h
What happens
The editor introduces Augustine's City of God, explaining its occasion (the sack of Rome by the Goths and pagan accusations against Christianity), its plan (twenty-two books refuting pagan worship and establishing the two cities), and its historical and theological significance. The preface also discusses the work's popularity, its encyclopedic value, and Augustine's learning and style.
Themes in this chapter
The Two Cities
The central theme of the work: the city of God (community of God's people) versus the city of the world (earthly kingdoms).
Divine Providence and History
Augustine produces the first real philosophy of history, showing historical events in connection with their true causes and divine plan.
Sin, Grace, and Redemption
The work traces the fall of the angels and the fall of man, and the redemption through Christ.
Eschatology and the Last Things
The last four books treat the deserved destinies of the two cities, including the last judgment and eternal destination.
Characters to notice
- Augustine
Author of the City of God; his zeal for the house of God prompted the defense of the city of God against pagan charges.
- Marcus Varro
Mentioned indirectly as a source of Latin literature preserved through Augustine's quotations.
- Plato
Augustine handles metaphysical problems with the unembarrassed ease of Plato.
- Cicero
Augustine's accuracy and acuteness compared to Cicero's, with more profundity.
- Socrates
Augustine's dialectic compared favorably to that of Socrates.
- Annaeus Seneca
Erasmus is mentioned as an admirer of Augustine, though not a canonical character; Erasmus is not in the list, so omitted. Instead, note that the editor cites Erasmus's criticism.
Key passages
“Rome having been stormed and sacked by the Goths under Alaric their king, the worshippers of false gods, or pagans, as we commonly call them, made an attempt to attribute this calamity to the Christian religion, and began to blaspheme the true God with even more than their wonted bitterness and acerbity.”
After the Goths sacked Rome, pagans blamed Christianity for the disaster and intensified their blasphemy against God.
This is the occasion that prompted Augustine to write the City of God.
“He directs the attention of men to the fact that there is another kingdom on earth—a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.”
Augustine points out that there is a divine kingdom on earth, the city of God, built by God.
This introduces the central theme of the two cities.
“He demonstrates that the superior morality, the true doctrine, the heavenly origin of this city, ensure its success; and over against this, he depicts the silly or contradictory theorizings of the pagan philosophers, and the unhinged morals of the people.”
Augustine shows that the city of God's moral and doctrinal superiority guarantees its victory, contrasting it with the absurd theories and corrupt morals of pagans.
This highlights Augustine's apologetic method.