The City of God (1-10) (Vol. I/6)

Augustinian Heritage Institute

by Augustine of Hippo

Augustine touches upon numerous topics, including the role of grace, the original state of humanity, the possibility of waging a just war, the ideal form of government, and the nature of heaven and hell.

Genres: Theology, Philosophy, Religion, Classics, Christianity, Nonfiction, Christian

408 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 426

About the author

Early church father and philosopher Saint Augustine served from 396 as the bishop of Hippo in present-day Algeria and through such writings as the autobiographical Confessions in 397 and the voluminous City of God from 413 to 426 profoundly influenced Christianity, argued against Manichaeism and Donatism, and helped to establish the doctrine of original sin.

An Augustinian follows the principles and doctrines of Saint Augustine.

People also know Aurelius Augustinus in English of Regius (Annaba). From the Africa province of the Roman Empire, people generally consider this Latin theologian of the greatest thinkers of all times. He very developed the west. According to Jerome, a contemporary, Augustine renewed "the ancient Faith."

The Neo-Platonism of Plotinus afterward heavily weighed his years. After conversion and his baptism in 387, Augustine developed his own approach to theology and accommodated a variety of methods and different perspectives. He believed in the indispensable grace to human freedom and framed the concept of just war. When the Western Roman Empire started to disintegrate from the material earth, Augustine developed the concept of the distinct Catholic spirituality in a book of the same name. He thought the medieval worldview. Augustine closely identified with the community that worshiped the Trinity. The Catholics and the Anglican communion revere this preeminent doctor. Many Protestants, especially Calvinists, consider his due teaching on salvation and divine grace of the theology of the Reformation. The Eastern Orthodox also consider him. He carries the additional title of blessed. The Orthodox call him "Blessed Augustine" or "Saint Augustine the Blessed."

Santo Agostinho

Reviews

[Luís · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes God commands murder by general law or a temporary and particular command. Now, he is not morally homicidal. It owes its ministry to authority; it is only an instrument like the sword it strikes. Therefore, they did not break the precept, those who by order of God made war; or, in the exercise of public power, have, according to the law, that is to say, according to the will of the justest reason, punished criminals with death: so we do not accuse Abraham of his cruelty, but his righteousness had praised when a murderer out of obedience, he wants to strike his son. And one rightly asks if one must recognize a divine order in the death of the daughter of Jephthah, who hastened to meet her father, who had made a vow to immolate to God the first object offered to his sight on the return from fight and victory. And suppose Samson had excusing for having buried himself with the enemies under the ruins of a building. In that case, it is because he obeyed the interior commandment of the Spirit, who, through him, worked miracles.

(Book I, chapter XXI)

[Tori Samar · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was often tempting to check out mentally with this one and just get through it in anticipation of Volume 2 (which has the books in which Augustine finally lays out the two cities and how they are interwoven in this world). But it is valuable groundwork. Augustine systematically works through how the gods Rome worships do not and cannot provide happiness in this life or the life to come. I admired seeing such a great mind at work and enjoyed the regular bouts of snark.

[Julie Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not gonna lie - this was a slog. It was mostly because Augustine is dealing with ancient history, beliefs and gods who, for the most part, don't really have an equivalent in our time. I could see some parallels and when Augustine was talking about Christianity it was brilliant. It is just that there was precious little about Christianity. I'm not sorry I read it but I can't imagine rereading it, at least this first half. I think (hope) the second half of the book is where this shines and will be something I can relate to more ... and I will get to it, just not right away.

[Manny · Rating 5 out of 5]

It could be four and a half stars, but it is a classic, so I'll round up. Given that the entire City of God is a 1000 pages or so, it’s not a surprise that William Babcock divided his translation into two volumes. This review is for Volume I. The first volume is comprised of the first ten “Books” (what we might call chapters, Augustine calls books), and it’s actually a very natural dividing point. Augustine himself divides his work at Book 10 as well. Part 1 deals with the pagan thought and theology, while Part 2 deals with the Judeo-Christian thought and theology.

Two cities are at the heart of this work, the city of man and the city of God. It should not be a surprise that Augustine values the city of God over that of man, but how he gets there is a feat of extraordinary composition. He reconstitutes all of Greco-Roman history, theology, and philosophy and then deconstructs the fallacies which led to the formation of the city of man.

Through these first ten Books, Augustine takes us through the sordid Roman founding and history, through her historical figures, her theology, and her philosophy. Augustine outlines the history of Rome as a failure of the Roman people to maintain virtue, and that the deities on which they believed failed first to provide a moral foundation and second were actual examples of lack of virtue. The gods themselves were the source of degradation. The gods then were no gods but demons. All the evils that occurred to the Roman people prior to Augustus, and therefore prior to Christ, were never prevented by the pagan gods, and at their root was the sinful, even shameful, nature of the Roman people. Whatever success the Roman people had could not be attributed to the pagan gods because the pagan gods themselves lacked the virtue needed. Whatever success the Roman people had could only be attributed to the one true God for whatever purposes He had.

In Book X’s closing paragraph, Augustine summarizes what he was trying to do in Part 1 and projects what he will do in Part 2.

In these ten books, then, even if less fully than a few people expected of us, we have satisfied the desires of some, so far as the true God and Lord has deigned to give us his help, by refuting the objections of the ungodly, who prefer their own gods to the founder of the holy city which we have undertaken to discuss. Of these ten books, the first five were written against those who suppose that the gods are to be worshiped for the sake of the goods of this life, and the last five against those who hold that the worship of the gods should be maintained for the sake of the life to come after death. Next, as we promised in the first book, I shall set forth, so far as I am aided by God, what I judge should be said about the origin, the course, and the due ends of the two cities, which are, as we have said, deeply interwoven and mixed together in this world.

So Augustine ends Part 1 by rejecting the pagan notion of sacrifice as a means of obtaining happiness and showing how it is a dead end while Christianity the true sacrifice was obtained by Christ the real mediator with God so that our souls can ultimately reach beatific union. One can see how then it all fits together.

I have to admit I was intimidated to read this magnificent opus, but I found it highly readable and profoundly captivating. But I am an ancient Roman history buff. Perhaps it was this translation. I can’t speak to the accuracy of Babcock’s translation—it does feel like Augustine is writing, albeit in English—but it is well annotated, well footnoted, and a real scholarly work. I can’t wait to read Volume II.

[SK]

My husband and I are embarking on a project to read this edition of The City of God in its entirety in 2025 using this plan.

First impression: I'm amazed by how well Augustine understands his opponents. He respects their history and their values, even while disagreeing.

[Philip · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm hopeful the second volume will feel more relevant. I only read this because I'm a completionist, but I knew going into it what I was getting into. The first volume is Augustine's response to pagans and argues that worshipping the one true God is superior to the pagan gods, both in benefits for this life (Books 1-5) and the life to come (Books 6-10). He doesn't really start talking about the City of God until the second volume.

[Александър Стоянов · Rating 5 out of 5]

Основополагащ труд за историята на Християнството.

[Jon Coutts · Rating 5 out of 5]

As anticipated, this is just an incredible piece of work. I guess now I will be that guy who says "yeah but have you read City of God beause I'm not sure he's saying that". I'm all for new books, but there's good reason to go ad fontes. On to volume 2!

[Lukas Stock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Magnificent, truly a masterwork. An astonishing mind. Remarkably relevant to our own questions and concerns.m today. Reading it all together feels like having the veil removed on the underlying issues at the foundation of our struggle with the world in our society today.

[Roger]

I read not only the first volume, Books 1-10, but also the second volume, Books 11-22, before writing this review. Reading The City of God has been a lifelong hope of mine, ever since I learned of Augustine's work from my early church history professor at Perkins School of Theology (SMU), William S. Babcock. In fact, Babcock dedicated his professional career to preparing this translation of Augustine's magisterial work, publishing it in his retirement (in 2012) as part of the New City Press edition of Christian documents. Later, when I became a librarian at Bridwell Library at SMU, I saw the first printed edition of De Civitate Dei (Subiaco, Sweynheym and Pannartz, 1467) in that library's special collections.

Now that I have finished reading The City of God, I again am completely unable to play the "star game" that Goodreads puts before its readers, because it is simply beyond being rated by an amateur theologian like me. I do commend my good professor, Bill Babcock, for producing a readable, clear, and interesting translation of the work, and especially for writing a long analytical introduction and a briefer introduction summarizing the content of each of the 22 books, before proceeding with his translation.

All I can say is that I would not have devoted many hours of my life to reading a work this old, long, and complicated without expecting rich returns for my efforts, and I certainly received them.

[Lillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much of the book is about debunking the Roman gods, or demonstrating that they are demons leading people astray. This is in the context of engaging in debate with people of the time who were saying that Rome got sacked because Christianity was becoming dominant in that waning empire.

A sizable chunk is about debunking astrology.

The end gets a little more relevant for Christians of today and anyone interested in Christianity's arguments, because it goes in-depth into the concepts of Creation, human nature, and the Fall. Much of this, interestingly, is explored through the lens of angels--describing why there would be fallen angels and not-fallen angels. Philosophy related to the ideas of Aristotle, which later scholars like Aquinas built upon, comes in when Augustine discusses what it means for an angel or a human to be fulfilling their nature and purpose, to be living their best life. This involves discussion of God being the embodiment of all good, Creation being good, and evil being a negation of existing things which were made to be good.

[Sooho Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Treasured and venerated for over 1500 years, this most ambitious work of this theological giant culminates all his mature musings into a tome of a zealous outcry for the "most glorious" city--the City of God. This first unequal half further splits into two provocative harangues: (1) Primarily against Greco-Roman culture and (2) primarily against Greco-Roman philosophies, specifically Neo/Platonism. Exposing its savage lust for glory, Rome haughtily self-ordinates the authority "to spare the conquered and subdue the proud," which exclusively belongs to the One True God. After aptly handling the Greco-Roman world, Augustine clangs the bell and brazenly pleas to sacrifice to the one true God: not because God requires animal slaughter, but rather outer sacrifice signifies the inner sacrifice of the humble heart. Humans desire to be happy (fulfilled), but only God can provide, therefore sacrifices help us to love him appropriately.

cf. www.sooholee.wordpress.com

[Rex Libris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have always wanted to see what Augustine and City of God was all about, and now I know, and it has been rather anticlimactic. Augustine bounces between some very well argued apologetics and theology to labored proto-scholasticism.

The best parts are his arguments in defense of Christianity against the pagans who seek to blame Christianity for the sack of Rome and his gradations of goodness. On the down side are his metaphysics, which are probably not needed and unnecessary for any kind of Christian theology.

[Gordan Karlic · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book doesn't connect with me at all.
Don't get me wrong, St. Augustine is a genius, the way he used Plato's ideas and intertwined them with Christianity's is amazing.
And there is my biggest problem, he made a mix of theology, philosophy, and metaphysics, ut biggest accent on Christianity of course.
If you are atheist if will all seem like somebody is a work of fiction trying to explain the real word.
I see why this book is one of the cornerstones of Christian and western thought but it is outdated IMHO.

[Per · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/45304

[Steve DePangher · Rating 5 out of 5]

"A long work, and arduous"... but brilliant

This only volume 1 of 2 in the New City Press translation and both volumes should be read before any final judgment is made on them. I have read all 22 books of the City of God several times and, as is common to the very few truly great books of all time, I come away with more each reading. This time, I have been struck by the theme of humility that runs throughout books 1-10, but will continue in Vol. 2 (books 11-22). Since the very center of Augustine's works is Jesus, humility as a theme should not be a surprise (the incarnation being the ultimate act of humility)! But Augustine touches on so many topics and many with profound insight, it is not easy to hold so many threads together in one's mind while reading. Reading the City of God can be overwhelming and I would not recommend it to beginners in the works of Augustine. For that, Augustine's Confessions probably provides a better starting point.

I thoroughly enjoy this translation (Babcock) and the many references and notes that are unobtrusively part of this edition. For readers who may find it frustrating or unexpected that this is only volume 1 of 2, it might be helpful to know that this division is based on Augustine's own scheme and organization of this massive work which he wrote over a period of some 15 years. Augustine clearly divides his "long and arduous" (his words) text into 2 parts, which can then be subdivided into 5 parts (Part 1 = Books 1-5; Part 2 = Books 6-10; Part 3 = Books 11-14; Part 4 = Books 15-18; and Part 5 = Books 19-22). He reiterates this organization many times throughout. So, even though you don't get the "whole thing" in this volume, you do get a section that is a faithful part of Augustine's intended organization. (I will also note that in times when I have taught The City of God to high school students, this division into two volumes is often perceived as a benefit, as students have to lug around a lot of books already.)

The City of God is for serious, devoted readers. Approached with patience, it can yield much of spiritual value.

[Peter Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Please give my Amazon review a helpful vote - https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-re...

A fascinating view of a world transitioning from paganism to Christianity.

I've been wanting to read Augustine's The City of God for forty years. Somehow, though, I would plow into the first few pages and not find what I expected. Instead, I found a long discussions on Roman history, nothing of the keen observations on theology and philosophy that I expected. Then, The Great Courses put out a lecture series on the book and my Communio group agreed to read the entire book in conjunction with listening to the course.

With that inducement, I attacked the book again and this time I found it captivating. I still found the first several books to be a bit of slog. The first several books essentially involve a dated argument in response to pagans who argued that the sacking of Rome by Alaric and his Visigoths in 410 AD proved the baneful influence of Christianity, which had ended sacrifices to the traditional Roman gods some decades before. Augustine's response is to point out that the Visigoths spared the lives of those who took refuge in Christian churches, but he does not mention that these barbarians were, in fact, Christians. He also points out the long history of Roman disasters where Roman gods had done nothing to protect Rome.

Augustine comes across as very anti-Roman in these sections. It's actually rather surprising since one would assume that Augustine's anti-patriotic rant would rub other Romans the wrong way. It may be the case that the Roman ideal was actually breaking down, and, certainly, Augustine would end his life during the Vandal siege of Carthage, which resulted in the detachment of north Africa from Roman control until the seventh century.

The first several books are interesting as history. Augustine offers an extensive review of Roman history. We also get a view of the life of the Roman of the time, particularly what they believed and valued. For example, Augustine spends a lot of time railing at Roman theater and actors, and, particularly, the depiction of Roman gods in those plays. While we might think that Augustine was merely a blue-nose, the Great Course lecture series describes those plays as literal "snuff" and pornography.

I was pleased to run across Augustine's aphorism about "Justice being absent what are empires but great robber bands." This comes in an interesting discussion of what it means to be a republic. In this day and age, it would be a good thing to reflect on his discussion of Cicero's definition of "republic":

"Once this point was treated satisfactorily, Scipio returns to the interrupted theme and recalls and recommends his own brief definition of a republic which, he had said, is the common good of a people.[67] He stipulates, however, that a people is not just any assembly of a multitude but rather an assembly joined together by a common sense for what is right and a community of interest. He then explains the great advantage of definition in debate, and he goes on to conclude from these definitions of his that a republic — that is, the common good of a people — only exists when it is well and justly governed, whether by a single king or by a few of the most prominent men or by the people as a whole.[68] But when the king is unjust (in this case, following the Greeks, he called the king a tyrant), or the most prominent men are unjust (he termed the consensus of such men a faction), or the people itself is unjust (for this case he found no term in common use, although he might also have called the people itself a tyrant), the republic is not simply flawed, as had been argued the day before. Rather, as logical deduction from his definitions would show, it does not exist at all. For there is no common good of a people when a tyrant or a faction has taken it over, nor is the people itself any longer a people if it is unjust, since it is no longer a multitude joined together by a common sense for what is right and a community of interest — which was the very definition of a people. Thus, when the Roman republic was in the sorry state Sallust described, it was not simply “the worst and most depraved,” as he claimed. In fact, according to the reasoning set out in this discussion of the republic by its great leaders of the time, it did not exist at all."

An interesting thing I learned was that a feature I disliked about the book was essential to it. At times it seems that Augustine would veer on a tangent and engage in an extended discussion that had nothing to do with the subject. In fact, this was happening; the literary style of the time encouraged the "excursus," the long tangent. So, what I thought was a tangent was, in fact, a tangent, which was nice to know.

After Book 5, Augustine begins to tack the Roman gods and Roman philosophers. He is of the opinion that Roman gods were demons, but which he means rational incorporeal powers who inhabit the air and are subjected to passions, that being the traditional definition offered by Roman philosophy. Augustine drags the three approaches to the Roman gods - the Civic, the philosophical (or Natural), and the popular through the glass by pointing out the immoral conduct that all three approaches depict as natural to the gods.

Augustine then turns to the philosophers. It is here that we can see Augustine's deep knowledge of Plato, Plotinus and Porphyry. Augustine opines that the Platonists are the premier philosophy because they are closest to Christianity in their understanding of a supreme God as one, but they lack an idea of the Trinity and abhor the idea that the supreme and unapproachable God would sully itself by trafficking with a human body.

Augustine savagely attacks Platonistic limitations on all fronts. This is actually a strong introduction to Neoplatonism. For example, Augustine points out that the Neoplatonists affirmed the reincarnation, which he considers inconsistent with their abhorrence for bodies, inasmuch as souls flee from bodies to seek immortality, but then when purged of memory by the waters of Lethe, those immortal souls seek new bodies.

Augustine offers an extended discussion of demons. Augustine's world was filled with demons. The gods were demons. Divination was used by demons to control human beings. Platonists might claim that people with knowledge of theurgy were communicating with angels, but they were really communicating with demons.

The final several books offer insights into Platonism, Christian theology and Roman popular beliefs. I found these books to be particularly interesting. These books offer a window into a world that was transitioning between paganism and Christianity. After forty years, it was worth the read.

[Christian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the most organized of Augustine's works. It is incredibly dense and the first part (bks 1-10) are particularly challenging for a modern context. Much of the information, people, and history is foreign and will seem irrelevant to a modern reader. However, it is still worth the read!! Augustine takes the opportunity of Rome being taken over for a weekend to respond and challenge the Romans who are blaming Christianity for the downfall of Rome.

I think the beauty in these first 10 books is to notice the main themes that Augustine is drawing out, and how that has implications even for today. So while the actual reading may be a challenge, I would encourage reading between the lines to see the main themes that he is drawing out.

A few that stand out:
- the libido dominandi (lust to dominate) will end up dominating you
- the elites of society will seek to distract people from their problems through entertainment. They will also seek to use ideas that they know have no value to control the common people (ex. Roman pantheon)
- the myths (constructs or ideas that help to make sense of / order the world) of society will often have medium-term payoff but do not provide true satisfaction.

What follows in part 2 will be the biblical theological unveiling of the two cities and two loves.

[Benaiah Neetz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of Augustine's Three Magnum Opus's ( the other's being De Trinitate and his Confessions). It is the first volume of two that is published by New City Press. It is a classic and a must for any Christian who wants to have any knowledge of the history of political theology.

Rome has fallen and the Romans have begun blaming Christianity for its fall - this book is Augustine's response. This volume contains 10 books and Augustine's goal is not merely to confront Rome's gods, but to confront their religious, political and entire cultural foundation. Book's 1-10 generically have to do with confront Rome's gods and if they can bring happiness in this life or the life to come, and Augustine seeks to set the Christian view over and against the Roman view.

This book is special because there are many similarities between it and our current age and yet there are many aspects of it that are different because the world and even the arguments are very different. My one critique is that Augustine rambles a lot and probably could have used a better editor to cut pages out.

[Hadrien · Rating 5 out of 5]

Saint Augustin, dont la meilleure porte d'entrée pour découvrir sa pensée reste Les confessions, livre ici un écrit dense et d'une grande maturité. Cette ouvrage composé de 22 livres (50 pages par livre environ) a été rédigé sur 13 ans suite au sac de Rome.
L'évêque d'Hippone nous fait entrer dans l'univers et l'histoire de Rome, accompagné par Virgile, Cicéron, Numa, Platon, Porphyre et tant d'autres. Il argumente avec une éloquence sans égale, dans la réfutation des dieux païens et de leurs histoires fabuleuses, de l'intérêt néfaste de la théurgie, goétie etc. Bref de toutes les superstitions romaines.
Il reprend ce qu'il y a de bon dans la philosophie platonicienne, qui lui semble être la plus proche de la vérité, tout en en extrayant les erreurs subtiles. Enfin, il exprime brièvement le génie du christianisme, vraie philosophie.
Hâte de lire la suite !

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely found the first 5 books rather more interesting than the latter 5, largely because the subject matter of the latter 5 is just so disconnected from the theological debates of the 21st century. In the latter 5 Augustine lays out and comprehensively dismantles the arguments of various prominent pagans philosophers in areas such as eschatology and ontology of their gods, the supernatural and the soul. Often in excruciating detail, especially when he gets into the weeds arguing with Platonists. The first 5 books on the other hand are quite amusing, and are just him tearing the Roman civic religion to shreds.

Obviously a skilled writer, though, and the translation seems very good. Very biting and witty when he wants to be, and (I feel) doesn't presume too much of the reader's background knowledge of the topic, which definitely helps as he leads you through various topics.

[Iina Rahkola]

Augustinus käy voimalla vastaan roomalaista yhteiskuntaa sekä roomalaisia jumalia, ja lopettaa kristittyjen Jumalan todistukseen. Hämmentävästi Rooman jumalien vertailu kristittyjen jumalaan tuntuu välistä varhaisimmalta ateismin puolustukselta, mutta Augustinus oli varmaankin läpiuskonnollisessa yhteiskunnassa sokea ateismille. Huippukohtia olivat lopun puolustuksen lisäksi alkupäässä oleva pitkä pohdinta itsemurhan oikeutuksesta.

[Caleb Rolling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who am I to give the first half of The City of God anything less than five-stars? Obviously brilliant, and when Augustine really delves into serious theologizing (as he does in the second half), he's on fire. But when he's critiquing his peers (i.e., the majority of books 1-10), it can be a slog. A real slog. He does some very interesting apologetic work, so it's certain worth reading. But it sure can be slow as he deconstructs the beliefs of his pagan neighbors.

[Benjamin · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent edition of one of the classics of the Christian faith. The first ten books are described by Augustine as follows: "the first five were written against those who suppose that the [Roman] gods are to be worshiped for the sake of the goods of this life, and the last five against those who hold that the worship of the gods should be maintained for the sake of the life to come after death" (348).

[Pseudointelektualac · Rating 5 out of 5]

The whole volume 1 is just an introduction to the story of two cities, Augustine's main point. But it is quite a ride. There is a lot of roman history, much more than expected. The style is surprisingly down to earth, yet in the same time sharp and witty. Also, trust me - any English translation is better than the croatian one, no matter how old. This book is dense on its own. It shouldn't be made any harder to read.

[Adamvoight · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still relevant after all these years.

Augustine devotes the first half of this work to answering the claims of pagans against Christians in the 6th century. And modern pagans reading this should keep in that this is what would have been persuasive to ancient pagans, whose opinions were quite different from so-called “neopagans”.

[Kezscribe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Saint Augustine reflects on the political and social decay of Rome, and how this decay is the result of a degenerate society.

It is interesting to note how his socio-political analysis is universal and timeless, making this reading an excellent exercise in political philosophy, beyond its historical context.

[Eksded · Rating 2 out of 5]

First five book contain good critique of polytheism and its worship. The latter half defending and attempting to prove that christian faith is correct is pathetic. The argument boils down to: "it is written, therefore it is so".

[Colby · Rating 5 out of 5]

feels wrong to mark this is as two books, but this is the edition I was assigned

a truly remarkable work by a master, supremely relevant and thorough: if he repeats himself, he simply pads to the brilliance of his argument. pumped about part two

[sare · Rating 5 out of 5]

Giving this one a rating because it's criminal that so many people have given this masterwork 3 stars. THREE STARS?!?!