# Of those who do not approve of certain things which are a part of this good creation of a good Creator, and who think that there is some natural evil. explained — The City of God

> Chapter companion for The City of God by Augustine of Hippo.

## What happens

Augustine argues that all created things are good because they come from a good Creator, and that apparent evils like fire, frost, or wild beasts are not evil in themselves but are good in their proper place and use. He criticizes heretics, especially the Manichaeans, who posit an evil principle opposing God, and insists that the soul is created by God, not a part of God, and that evil is merely a privation of good.

## Themes in this chapter

### Divine Providence and History

Augustine emphasizes that divine providence orders all things, even those that seem harmful, for a good purpose.

### Sin, Grace, and Redemption

The chapter discusses the soul's corruption by sin and its need for cleansing, contrasting with Manichaean views of an inherently evil nature.

## Character check-ins

### Augustine

Author of the chapter, arguing against heretics who deny the goodness of creation.

### Holy Scripture

Referenced implicitly as the source of the doctrine of a good creation by a good God.

## Key lines

> For this concealment of the use of things is itself either an exercise of our humility or a levelling of our pride; for no nature at all is evil, and this is a name for nothing but the want of good.

The fact that we cannot always see the usefulness of things is meant to humble us or curb our pride, because no created thing is evil; evil is simply the absence of good.

_Augustine defines evil as a privation of good, not a positive substance._

> But we do not greatly wonder that persons, who suppose that some evil nature has been generated and propagated by a kind of opposing principle proper to it, refuse to admit that the cause of the creation was this, that the good God produced a good creation.

It is no surprise that those who believe in an evil principle opposed to God cannot accept that a good God created a good world.

_Augustine critiques the Manichaean dualistic cosmology._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_city_of_god_se/chapters/part-ii-xxii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_city_of_god_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_city_of_god_se/chapters