City of God by Augustine Book Review

The City of God by Augustine is a classic work of Western culture written in response to pagan claims that the sack of Rome by barbarians in 410 was one of the consequences of the abolition of pagan worship by Christian emperors.

The book presents human history as a conflict between what Augustine calls the Earthly City (often colloquially referred to as the City of Man, but never by Augustine) and the City of God, a conflict that is destined to end in victory for the latter.

At this work’s heart is a powerful contrarian vision of human life, one which accepts the place of disaster, death, and disappointment while holding out hope of a better life to come, a hope that in turn eases and gives direction to life in this world.

Augustine argues that Christianity was not responsible for the Sack of Rome but instead responsible for Rome’s success. Even if the earthly rule of the Empire was imperiled, it was the City of God that would ultimately triumph. Augustine’s focus was Heaven, a theme of many Christian works of Late Antiquity.

He emphasizes the idea that the peace and happiness found in the heavenly city can also be experienced here on earth. Augustine also outlines the nature of the supreme good and suggests an alternative view that Rome endured for many centuries because it was the will of the true God, and its survival had nothing to do with pagan gods such as Jove, who behaved only in the lowest manner.

The City of God is divided into 22 books. In the first ten books, Augustine refutes the pagans’ charges that Christians brought about the fall of Rome.

The next four books explain the prehistory of the city of heaven, from Genesis to the age of Solomon, whose story is allegorized as Christ and the church. In book XVIII, Augustine undertakes a similar process of portraying the prehistory of the city of the world, from Abraham to the Old Testament prophets. Augustine focuses on how the two cities will end in book XIX, and in the process he outlines the nature of the supreme good.

Book XX deals with the Last Judgment and the evidence found for it in the Bible. Augustine continues with this theme in book XXI and describes the eternal punishment of the damned, arguing that it is not a myth.

The final book, book XXII, tells of the end of the city of God, after which the saved will be given eternal happiness and will become immortal.

The City of God by Augustine is a timeless classic that offers a powerful contrarian vision of human life, one which accepts the place of disaster, death, and disappointment while holding out hope of a better life to come.

It presents human history as a conflict between the Earthly City and the City of God, a conflict that is destined to end in victory for the latter. Augustine argues that Christianity was not responsible for the Sack of Rome but instead responsible for Rome’s success and emphasizes the idea that the peace and happiness found in the heavenly city can also be experienced here on earth.

Useful Takeaways

• Christianity was not responsible for the Sack of Rome but instead responsible for Rome’s success.
• The City of God is a conflict between the Earthly City and the City of God, a conflict that is destined to end in victory for the latter.
• The peace and happiness found in the heavenly city can also be experienced here on earth.
• Augustine outlines the nature of the supreme good and suggests an alternative view that Rome endured for many centuries because it was the will of the true God.
• The City of God offers a powerful contrarian vision of human life, one which accepts the place of disaster, death, and disappointment while holding out hope of a better life to come

What I Liked

Whether you agree with him or not, Augustine was one brilliant dude, and a good writer to boot. Whenever I read ancient writers, I’m always amazed at well they write and reason without all the tools and knowledge that we have at our disposal in the 21st century.

I liked how he drew in references to such a diverse array of writers. Again, it’s amazing how well read he was…without the Internet or libraries, or anything like we have now.

I liked how accessible of a primary source it is. And I’m always blown away whenever I read a primary source rather than someone else’s summary of a primary source.

For all the hand wringing and rhetoric over “misinformation” and “narratives” – we forget just how simple it is to go read the source yourself. It’s all there for anyone to read. Whether it’s a presidential speech, church doctrine, company data, or corporate accounts…it’s all there to read and access.

I was also blown away by how much of modern religious & Christian thinking originates, not in the Bible…but from Augustine. It’s really nuts – similar to how most of the creation story is taken from John Milton…not Genesis.

What I Did Not Like

Augustine is comprehensive…to a fault. I definitely skimmed whole books in this books. It’s long and tedious in parts. He’s definitely going for “whoever can marshal a bigger, longer argument, wins” debate strategy. Many of his best arguments get buried in paragraphs of context.

As influential as it was, it is still so specific to its time, place & religious context. Unless you are reading it for a religion, philosophy, or history project / class / course….I don’t see how it’s super-relevant. I read it in one of my religion courses in college. I wouldn’t read it just for pleasure or information now.