The City of God · Chapter
Book VI explained
Augustine shifts his argument from those who worship the gods for temporal advantages to those who seek eternal life through them.
What happens
Augustine shifts his argument from those who worship the gods for temporal advantages to those who seek eternal life through them. He introduces Varro's division of theology into three kinds—mythical, natural, and civil—and demonstrates that neither the mythical nor the civil theology can grant eternal happiness. He also cites Seneca's censure of civil theology and concludes that only the one true God, the giver of true felicity, can bestow eternal life.
Themes in this chapter
True Worship and the One God
Augustine argues that only the one true God, not the many false gods, can grant eternal life and true happiness.
Critique of Pagan Religion
Augustine uses Varro's and Seneca's critiques to expose the absurdity and shamefulness of pagan civil and mythical theologies.
Sin, Grace, and Redemption
Implicit in the contrast between eternal life (endless happiness) and eternal death (alienation from God) due to sin.
Characters to notice
- Augustine
Author and primary disputant, refuting those who worship gods for eternal life.
- Marcus Varro
Cited for his division of theology into mythical, natural, and civil, and for his detailed but incomplete account of the gods.
- Annaeus Seneca
Mentioned for his more vehement censure of civil theology in his book against superstition.
Key passages
“Blessed is the man whose hope is the Lord God, and who respecteth not vanities and lying follies.”
Happy is the person who trusts in God and ignores empty, deceptive beliefs.
Augustine cites Psalm 40:4 to contrast true hope with pagan vanities.
“They dedicate images of the sacred and inviolable immortals in most worthless and motionless matter. They give them the appearance of man, beasts, and fishes, and some make them of mixed sex, and heterogeneous bodies. They call them deities, when they are such that if they should get breath and should suddenly meet them, they would be held to be monsters.”
Pagans worship statues made of cheap, lifeless material, shaped like humans, animals, or hybrids, which would be seen as monsters if they came alive.
Seneca's critique of idolatry, quoted by Augustine to show the absurdity of civil theology.