Book Review of "City of God" by St. Augustine

     St. Augustine's City of God is a composition which can be considered his most notable work, even when one considers solely its sheer length and the quantity of time which he dedicated toward its realization.  It is divided into twenty-two books, each of which addresses an aspect of the composition's subject matter in a fashion which is focused and yet simultaneously relates to the other content of the work as a whole.  Each of these books is divided, in turn, into various sections, of which there are quite often more than thirty per book.  Considering these attributes of this remarkable composition, it is not surprising that its completion involved twelve years of effort on the part of St. Augustine. [1]

     The commencement of the writing of The City of God on the part of St. Augustine was due partly to the fall of Rome in 410 at the hands of Alaric and his Gothic forces. [2]  Following this misfortune, there were many within Rome who sought to lay the blame for the tragedy upon the relatively recent acceptance of Christianity, and the consequent abandonment of the Roman deities, by the Empire. [3]  By means of a thorough and logical examination of both history and a proper understanding of the Christian God, St. Augustine explains in Books I and III that the fall of Rome is by no means the fault of the true God, especially since the pagan gods had no power to protect Rome from any harm whatsoever. [4] [5]  In this manner, he refutes a prevalent yet completely unfounded objection to Christianity.

     Many of the other contents in the first half of The City of God are devoted to manifesting the inferiority of paganism when it is compared to Christianity. [6] To accomplish this objective, St. Augustine places various attributes of paganism side-by-side with the corresponding characteristics of Christianity.  For instance, he contrasts the perfection of the Christian God with a description of the various pagan deities of Rome and their multifarious shortcomings, such as immorality, an inability to assist those who honor them, and irreconcilable contradictions with one another. [7] [8] [9]  In addition, he contrasts pagan philosophy with its Christian counterpart, an examination which displays the flaws of the former and the perfection of the latter. [10]

    As the work progresses, St. Augustine turns to a description of the City of God, a place whose residents will behold God and live in eternal happiness and knowledge of God. [11]  In contrast, the residents of the earthly city are those who have rejected God and prefer to seek happiness and fulfillment through the world, an approach which will inevitably fail. [12]  Throughout the next eight books, St. Augustine writes extensively anent numerous theological matters of a sublime nature, interspersing therein various references describing particular elements of the heavenly city such as the glorified bodies of the saints. [13]  The final two books of The City of God comprise, respectively, a rather detailed illustration of the eternal punishment and misery of the earthly city and the eternal bliss of the heavenly city. [14] 

    While a perusal of The City of God can at times proceed slowly, it bestows upon the reader a profound realization of the intelligence and insight of St. Augustine, who expounds upon the most sublime facets of theology in a highly intellectual and remarkably gifted manner.  As is mentioned earlier, he begins the work with a defense of the Christian faith from the accusation that its acceptance by Rome resulted in the downfall of that city.  This accusation belongs to a category of objections which are particularly frustrating: those which are obviously false but seemingly irrefutable from a logical standpoint.  St. Augustine, however, discredits this claim with adroitness and decisiveness, and in the process exposes the grave deficiencies of paganism and the radiant fullness of truth in Catholicism.  Although this section of the work may seem to bear little relationship with the theme of the heavenly city, it establishes a solid foundation upon which this can be described and which prepares the reader to accept with little hesitation the truth of what St. Augustine declares.  

     In his essay entitled Augustine, Martyrs, and Misery, Peter Iver Kaufman states that, "[f]or Augustine, much depended on the church's instruction." [15] This is perhaps most apparent in the second half of The City of God, in which are found many theological explanations both directly related to the heavenly city and concerning the entire subject of the Faith in general.  The work as a whole, and in particular its second half, function in many ways as an advanced catechism for those who wish to expand their understanding of Catholic belief and to possess the capacity to present a competent defense of the Faith.  Such doctrinal clarity was particularly important in the time of St. Augustine (as it still is today) on account of the presence of a great number of heresies.  His exposition of Catholic theology, in addition to refuting these errors, is also remarkably useful in acquiring the knowledge needed to refute many of the heresies which arose after the time of St. Augustine.  

     Overall, this work by is remarkable for its expression of the beauty of the heavenly city and of the Catholic Faith as a whole.  The imagery conveyed by St. Augustine in his descriptions of heaven and various sublime elements of theology, as well as the advanced yet orthodox catechetical instruction he provides, constitute a very sound apology of the Faith and a tremendously compelling witness to the truth of Catholicism.  Admittedly, the work requires much attention and patience, as it is not something which one can read in great haste.  However, once such an effort is consciously and diligently applied, the treasures discovered within are well worth the exertion.  In summary, The City of God is a remarkable testimony to the intellect, faith, and insight of St. Augustine, the beauty and rewards of heaven, and the eternal truth of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.

     The City of God, by St. Augustine, is available in many different translations and from a wide variety of publishers.  One of the more prominent versions is published by Penguin Classics, was reissued in 2003, and bears a price of $16.00 on its back cover.

Endnotes

[1] Etienne Gilson, ed., introduction to The City of God: An Abridged Version from the Translation by Gerald G. Walsh, S.J., Demetrius B. Zema, S.J., Grace Monahan, O.S.U., and Daniel J. Honan (Garden City, NY: Image Books, 1958), 7.
[2] Peter Iver Kaufman, "Augustine, Martyrs, and Misery," Church History, Vol. 63, Issue 1 (March 1994), 5.
[3] St. Augustine, City of God, Book I, Chapters 1-7, translated by Henry Bettenson (Harmondsworth, England: Penguin Books, 1984), 5-13.
[4] City of God, Book I, Chapters 1-7, trans. Bettenson, 5-13.
[5] City of God, Book III, trans. Bettenson, 89-134.
[6] City of God, Book VI-VII, trans. Bettenson, 225-253, 254-297.
[7] City of God, Book VI, Chapters 6, 10-11, trans. Bettenson, 236-239, 248-251.
[8] City of God, Book III, trans. Bettenson, 89-134.
[9] City of God, Book VII, Chapters 1-4, trans. Bettenson, 254-260.
[10] City of God, Books VII, X, trans. Bettenson, 254-297, 371-426.
[11] City of God, Book XI, trans. Bettenson, 429-470.
[12] City of God, Book XI, trans. Bettenson, 429-470.
[13] City of God, Book XIII, Chapter 22, trans. Bettenson, 535-536.
[14] City of God, Books XXI, XXII, trans. Bettenson, 964-1021, 1022-1091.
[15] Kaufman, "Augustine, Martyrs, and Misery," 9.

Image I: Beginning of a French Manuscript of The City of God (La Cité de Dieu), 15th Century (National Library of the Netherlands, The Hague). At https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Cit%C3%A9_de_Dieu

Image II: Philippe de Champaigne, St. Augustine, 1650 (Los Angeles County Museum of Art: Los Angeles, CA). At https://www.college.columbia.edu/core/content/saint-augustine-philippe-de-champaigne-1650.