Augustine of Hippo’s magnum opus The City of God is one of the greatest works of the Western intellectual tradition—so powerful, in fact, that one could argue all of Christian theology has been a series of footnotes to Augustine.
— Charles Mathewes, Professor of Religious Studies, University of Virginia
In the beginning of 2010, I read Augustine’s Confessions for the very first time, and immediately followed up with City of God. These two books are among the very best I’ve ever read, and I’ve since read many other works of his, which made me an Augustinian to a large degree. Indeed, it is not an exaggeration to state that, in the Western World, Augustine is to Christian theology what Plato is to Philosophy.
I’m re-reading City of God this year with a GoodReads group, at a much slower pace of one or two books per month. I plan to write a series of posts, in which I will reflect upon Augustine’s ideas and teachings, digest and discover things I’ve missed the first time round.
Augustine writes that the best way to know someone whom you haven’t met in person is to read his writings. Needless to say, I cannot and do not speak for Augustine, but can only write as I understand him. I would encourage anyone (remotely) interested in Augustine to read his own works, which are freely available online. He is such a great writer that his books, written more than 1600 years ago, are actually more accessible, and more coherent, than modern commentaries on him.
Related Posts:
References:
- “NPNF1-02. St. Augustine’s City of God and Christian Doctrine.” Christian Classics Ethereal Library. Accessed January 26, 2019. http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf102.html.
- Augustine. Concerning the City of God against the Pagans. Translated by Henry Bettenson. London: Penguin, 2003.