City of God, Part I
by Augustine of Hippo | Book Summary
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Author: Augustine of Hippo
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Following Rome's official conversion to Christianity and the sack of Rome by the Visigoths in 410, the hostilities between pagans and Christians reached an apex. Augustine articulated these hostilities and the dynamics between the two religions with an eye toward refuting pagan theology and championing Christian thought. For much of City of God (Part I), Augustine engaged with the work of other philosophers. Primarily, though, Augustine outlined, praised, and attacked the philosophy of Plato and his followers. The Platonists, a Greek sect of philosophers with continuing influence on the Roman world, resembled Christianity in many ways, and Augustine saw their thought as being highly elevated in the realms of metaphysics and ethics. Specific theological assertions about the plurality of pagan gods and the relationship between angels, demons, God, and men provided points of tension and contention that Augustine addressed with meticulous care. By the conclusion, Augustine saw himself as having refuted much of the theological doctrine of the Roman pagans, supplanting it with a clearly superior Christian vision of reality. Now, having attacked the pagans, Augustine had laid the foundation for City of God, Part II where he analyzed the cities of God and Men and "their origin, their development, and their destined ends" (p. 416). |
Augustine was a theologian and Bishop of Hippo, a city in Northern Africa, in the 4th and 5th centuries. He is considered to be one of the 'Church Fathers', a handful of influential theologians who laid the foundations for Christian thought in the first centuries following the death of Christ. Some of his major works include City of God, On Christian Doctrine, and Confessions.
Augustine's impact on Western Christian thought cannot be overstated; in fact, it could be said that Christianity, as it is understood by the Western world, is almost entirely shaped by Augustine's systematic summary of the Christian vision. The Western understanding of Christianity, and especially the thought of the Apostle Paul, is inextricably bound to Augustine's exegesis of the New Testament and his understanding of salvation, grace, eschatology, and ethics — not to mention countless other theological subdisciplines — continues to have a dominant and lasting influence on the Christian world.
City of God, Part I
by Augustine of Hippo
[ Book Summary ]
| Author | Augustine of Hippo |
| Publisher | Penguin Classics |
| Date | Early 5th Century |
| Pages | 1091 |
Overview:
Augustine here outlines a critique of the Roman culture and philosophy of his day, thoroughly exploring and exposing the pagan pantheon for all of its various inconsistencies and incoherence.
Following Rome's official conversion to Christianity and the sack of Rome by the Visigoths in 410, the hostilities between pagans and Christians reached an apex. Augustine articulated these hostilities and the dynamics between the two religions with an eye toward refuting pagan theology and championing Christian thought.
For much of City of God (Part I), Augustine engaged with the work of other philosophers. Primarily, though, Augustine outlined, praised, and attacked the philosophy of Plato and his followers. The Platonists, a Greek sect of philosophers with continuing influence on the Roman world, resembled Christianity in many ways, and Augustine saw their thought as being highly elevated in the realms of metaphysics and ethics. Specific theological assertions about the plurality of pagan gods and the relationship between angels, demons, God, and men provided points of tension and contention that Augustine addressed with meticulous care.
By the conclusion, Augustine saw himself as having refuted much of the theological doctrine of the Roman pagans, supplanting it with a clearly superior Christian vision of reality. Now, having attacked the pagans, Augustine had laid the foundation for City of God, Part II where he analyzed the cities of God and Men and "their origin, their development, and their destined ends" (p. 416).
Augustine was a theologian and Bishop of Hippo, a city in Northern Africa, in the 4th and 5th centuries. He is considered to be one of the 'Church Fathers', a handful of influential theologians who laid the foundations for Christian thought in the first centuries following the death of Christ. Some of his major works include City of God, On Christian Doctrine, and Confessions.
Augustine's impact on Western Christian thought cannot be overstated; in fact, it could be said that Christianity, as it is understood by the Western world, is almost entirely shaped by Augustine's systematic summary of the Christian vision. The Western understanding of Christianity, and especially the thought of the Apostle Paul, is inextricably bound to Augustine's exegesis of the New Testament and his understanding of salvation, grace, eschatology, and ethics — not to mention countless other theological subdisciplines — continues to have a dominant and lasting influence on the Christian world.