ST. AUGUSTINE City of God

 ST. AUGUSTINE

The City of God (De Civitate Dei), written between 410 and 423 by St. Augustine, bishop of Hippo in north Africa (354-430), traditionally occupies an important place in the canon of great works on political philosophy. 

This extraordinary treatise raises in an acute form the problem of the historical reputation and effect of a body of thought in contrast with its actual content and the intention of its writer. 

The City of God was undoubtedly read in medieval times and afterward as the authoritative statement of the superiority of ecclesiastical power over the secular, because it was believed to identify the visible Christian church with the mystical city of God, thought of as the bride of Christ or, even more mystically, as the body itself of the Christian Saviour. But it is very doubtful whether this was St. Augustine’s intention or is even implied by his text. What is more, the conscientious political scientist finds it very difficult to decide whether The City of God contains any positive political doctrine at all, theoretical or otherwise.

Very recent political philosophy might, therefore, justifiably claim this work as an antipolitical classic, stating in very different terms the position sketched out by Karl Marx and V. I. Lenin as “the withering away of the state.” 

There is the same tendency to identify all arrangements in the collectivity with evil, with the unjustifiable exercise of naked power, and the same confidence that in the fullness of time this monstrous regimentation will disappear. 

Moreover, Augustine was a historicist: He sought to show how God’s plan to fill up the places left in Heaven when Satan and his angels revolted (1) was being fulfilled. The creation of man and the world was intended to reveal candidates for the heavenly choir, and some few men on earth at any one time, the pilgrims (peregrinati), were destined at the last trumpet to be among them. They and they only were the living members of the City of God, but no one would know who constituted this select few until the judgment. It seems to have been a matter of almost complete indifference to St. Augustine how those who were to be saved behaved toward society, secular or spiritual, or what was the nature of political arrangements.

The City of God as City of Church

The City of Devil (The Roman Empire)

The occasion of Augustine’s beginning The City of God was the sack of Rome by Alaric the Goth in 410, and the fall of the Roman Empire, which this event presaged, could not possibly affect the Christian who held such views about history, state, and society. 

The complement of the City of God was the city of the devil (civitas dia-boli), and although it seems unjustifiable to identify the one city with the church, it seems that Augustine did quite often refer to the Roman Empire as the other. Since the heathen Romans could not possibly do justice to God and since kingdoms without justice are but great robberies (Remota itaque justitia quid sunt regna nisi magna latrocinia?—Ch. 4, Bk. 4), what could the Roman Empire be but thievery on a colossal scale? If by the Roman Empire Augustine implied all possible forms of the collectivity—and there are passages to confirm this assumption—then he must indeed be supposed to have had a completely negative political philosophy. Justice could never be found in any of them. In this final work of ancient political theory, then, the overriding concern is with justice, just as it had been with Socrates at the very beginning, but in it justice is viewed from an anarchist, antipolitical outlook.

Structure

• Part I (Books I–X): a polemical critique of Roman religion and philosophy, corresponding to the Earthly City
  • Book I–V: A critique of pagan religion
    • Book I: a criticism of the pagans who attribute the sack of Rome to Christianity despite being saved by taking refuge in Christian churches. The book also explains good and bad things happen to righteous and wicked people alike, and it consoles the women violated in the recent calamity.
    • Book II: a proof that because of the worship of the pagan gods, Rome suffered the greatest calamity of all, that is, moral corruption.
    • Book III: a proof that the pagan gods failed to save Rome numerous times in the past from worldly disasters, such as the sack of Rome by the Gauls.
    • Book IV: a proof that the power and long duration of the Roman empire was due not to the pagan gods but to the Christian God.
    • Book V: a refutation of the doctrine of fate and an explanation of the Christian doctrine of free will and its consistency with God's omniscience. The book proves that Rome's dominion was due to the virtue of the Romans and explains the true happiness of the Christian emperors.
  • Book VI–X: A critique of pagan philosophy
    • Book VI: a refutation of the assertion that the pagan gods are to be worshipped for eternal life (rather than temporal benefits). Augustine claimed that even the esteemed pagan theologist Varro held the gods in contempt.
    • Book VII: a demonstration that eternal life is not granted by Janus, Jupiter, Saturn, and other select gods.
    • Book VIII: an argument against the Platonists and their natural theology, which Augustine views as the closest approximation of Christian truth, and a refutation of Apuleius' insistence of the worship of demons as mediators between God and man. The book also contains a refutation against Hermeticism.
    • Book IX: a proof that all demons are evil and that only Christ can provide man with eternal happiness.
    • Book X: a teaching that the good angels wish that God alone is worshipped and a proof that no sacrifice can lead to purification except that of Christ.
• Part II (Books XI–XXII): discussion on the City of God and its relationship to the Earthly City
• Books XI–XIV: the origins of the two cities
  • Book XI: the origins of the two cities from the separation of the good and bad angels, and a detailed analysis of Genesis 1.
  • Book XII: answers to why some angels are good and others bad, and a close examination of the creation of man.
  • Book XIII: teaching that death originated as a penalty for Adam's sin, the fall of man.
  • Book XIV: teachings on the original sin as the cause for future lust and shame as a just punishment for lust.
• Books XV–XVIII: the history or progress of the two cities, including foundational theological principles about Jews.
  • Book XV: an analysis of the events in Genesis between the time of Cain and Abel to the time of the flood.
  • Book XVI: the progress of the two cities from Noah to Abraham, and the progress of the heavenly city from Abraham to the kings of Israel.
  • Book XVII: the history of the city of God from Samuel to David and to Christ, and Christological interpretations of the prophecies in Kings and Psalms.
  • Book XVIII: the parallel history of the earthly and heavenly cities from Abraham to the end. Doctrine of Witness, that Jews received prophecy predicting Jesus, and that Jews are dispersed among the nations to provide independent testimony of the Hebrew Scriptures.
• Books XIX–XXII: the deserved destinies of the two cities.
• Book XIX: the end of the two cities, and the happiness of the people of Christ.
• Book XX: the prophecies of the Last Judgment in the Old and New Testaments.
• Book XXI: the eternal punishment for the city of the devil.
• Book XXII: the eternal happiness for the saints and explanations of the resurrection of the body.

Notes

(1) The story of Satan and his angels revolting is a significant element of Christian theology, primarily based on interpretations of the Bible. This narrative is not explicitly detailed in the Bible but is derived from various passages across both the Old and New Testaments, along with later theological writings and interpretations.

The most referenced biblical passages that are thought to describe or allude to the fall of Satan and his angels are found in Isaiah 14:12-15, Ezekiel 28:12-17, and Revelation 12:7-9. It's important to note that the interpretations of these passages can vary, and not all Christian denominations may agree on their meanings or the details of the story.

1. Isaiah 14:12-15: This passage is often interpreted as referring to the fall of Satan. It speaks of a being, called "Lucifer" in some translations, who sought to ascend above the heights of the clouds and be like the Most High, only to be brought down to Sheol. The passage originally aimed to address the King of Babylon and his fall, but later Christian tradition applied it to Satan.

2. Ezekiel 28:12-17: This text, while directed towards the King of Tyre, is also interpreted by many as describing the fall of Satan. It tells of a cherub who was in the Eden, the garden of God, perfect in beauty and wisdom, but whose heart became proud because of his beauty, leading to his downfall.

3. Revelation 12:7-9: This New Testament passage more directly describes a war in heaven, where Michael and his angels fight against the dragon (identified as Satan) and his angels. Satan and his angels are defeated and thrown down to the earth. This passage is one of the clearest biblical references to a revolt and is often cited in discussions about Satan's fall and his role as the adversary of God and humanity.

The narrative of Satan's revolt and fall is elaborated upon in various Christian traditions and texts outside the Bible, such as John Milton's epic poem "Paradise Lost". In these interpretations, Satan's pride and refusal to serve lead to his rebellion against God, resulting in his expulsion from Heaven along with the angels who followed him. This story has been a rich source of inspiration for literature, art, and theology, serving as a cautionary tale about pride and rebellion against divine authority.