St Augustine's Treatise on the City of God Saint Augustine of Hippo (354 - 430) Translated by F. R. Montgomery Hitchcock (1867 - 1951) After the storming and the sack of Rome by the Goths under their king, Alaric, the worshippers of false gods or heathen, as we call them, tried to prove that this calamity was due to the Christian religion, and began more fiercely and bitterly than ever to blaspheme the true God. This it was that kindled my zeal for the House of God, and induced me to defend the City of God against the calumny and misrepresentations of her foes. After many serious interruptions this great undertaking, which was extended over many years, was at length finished in twenty-two books. Of these, the first five are written in answer to those who believe that worldly prosperity is insured by the old polytheistic religion of Rome, and that calamities have followed by reason of its neglect. The next five are addressed to those who admit that the human race is always exposed to such misfortunes, and yet believe that the old religion is a good preparation for the life to come; . . . while the last twelve books of this extensive work are devoted to a comparison of the different origins, histories, and destinies of the City of God and the City of the World. (Augustine) As a complete version of the De Civitate would not be possible within the limits of this series, the author has adopted the plan of selecting the most important passages for translation, linking these together by arguments in brackets. (Abridger) - Summary by Augustine of Hippo 01 The Church's Answer to Paganism 00:00:00 02 The Church's Indictment of Paganism 15:24:29 03 Exposure of the Pagan Deities 16:47:24 04 Traces of Spiritual Religion Among the Pagans 18:31:12 05 The Liberty of Christian and the Freedom of Pagan Rome — A Contrast 21:15:29 06 The Deities of Rome, Unable to Confer Eternal Life, Unworthy of Worship 29:32:08 07 Natural Theology Insufficient 38:28:28 08 Platonism, the Highest Philosophy of the Pagan World, Inferior to Christianity 40:01:05 09 The Demons of Paganism and the Angels of Christianity 52:27:20 10 The Worship of the Triune God, and the Doctrine of the Incarnation 54:32:26 11 The Creation of the World — Its Significance, Purpose and Goodness 01:19:55:19 12 The Creation of Man and the Origin of Evil 01:36:14:14 13 The Fall of Man and its Consequences 01:44:43:06 14 The Two States 01:50:32:08 15 Biblical Account of the Course of the Two States 01:55:55:24 16 Same Subject Continued 01:57:17:20 17 Prophetical Reference to These States 01:57:41:09 18 Augury versus Prophecy 01:58:14:00 19 The Ideals of Life and the Objects of Existence 02:06:03:00 20 The Life to Come 02:09:18:97 21 Sin — Its Punishment and Forgiveness 02:10:33:02 22 Righteousness, Its Rest and Freedom 02:19:14:03