St Augustine's Treatise on the City of God - Saint Augustine of Hippo (354 - 430)

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
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03 Exposure of the Pagan Deities
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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