The City of God · Chapter
Book IV: The One True God, Not the Pagan Gods, Is the Author of Earthly Kingdoms explained
Augustine argues that the rise and long duration of the Roman Empire should be attributed to the one true God, the author of felicity, and not to the pagan gods.
What happens
Augustine argues that the rise and long duration of the Roman Empire should be attributed to the one true God, the author of felicity, and not to the pagan gods. He reviews his earlier arguments against those who blame Christianity for Rome's calamities, and uses the testimony of learned Romans like Varro and Cicero to expose the absurdity and superstition of pagan worship. He further illustrates that earthly kingdoms, including the Assyrian empire under Ninus, are founded and maintained by God's power and judgment, not by the help of false gods.
Themes in this chapter
The Two Cities
Augustine contrasts the earthly city, which pursues earthly joys and transitory power, with the heavenly city founded on the true God.
Critique of Pagan Religion
The chapter extensively critiques pagan gods, citing Varro and Cicero to expose their absurdities and superstitions.
True Worship and the One God
Augustine asserts that only the one true God, not the pagan deities, is the author of felicity and the founder of earthly kingdoms.
Divine Providence and History
The rise and fall of kingdoms, including Assyria and Rome, are shown to be under the power and judgment of the one true God.
Characters to notice
- Augustine
Author and narrator; argues that the Roman empire's success is due to the one true God, not pagan gods.
- Marcus Varro
Cited as a learned Roman who placed scenic plays among divine things, revealing the superstition of pagan religion.
- Cicero
Quoted from 'De Natura Deorum' to show that even pagan intellectuals mocked the absurdities of their own gods.
- Ninus
First Assyrian king who, according to Justinus, changed ancestral custom by waging war for lust of dominion.
- Jupiter
Mentioned as a pagan god to whom the Romans wrongly ascribed their empire's success.
- Romulus
Referenced as an early Roman king under whom the gods were worshipped; his worshippers are long dead.
Key passages
“the extent and long duration of the Roman empire is to be ascribed, not to Jove or the gods of the heathen... but to the one true God, the author of felicity, by whose power and judgment earthly kingdoms are founded and maintained.”
The Roman Empire's size and longevity come from the one true God, not from Jupiter or pagan gods, because God alone grants happiness and controls the rise and fall of kingdoms.
Central thesis of the chapter: God, not pagan deities, is responsible for earthly empires.
“Cicero the augur laughs at auguries, and reproves men for regulating the purposes of life by the cries of crows and jackdaws.”
Even Cicero, a Roman augur, mocked the practice of divination from bird calls, showing that educated Romans recognized the folly of their own religious customs.
Augustine uses Cicero's own words to undermine the credibility of pagan religion.
“Ninus king of the Assyrians first of all, through new lust of empire, changed the old and, as it were, ancestral custom of nations. He first made war on his neighbours...”
Ninus was the first king to break ancient tradition by waging war out of a desire for power, conquering neighboring peoples and expanding his kingdom.
Illustrates that earthly kingdoms are often founded on greed and violence, not divine favor from pagan gods.
