Preface

[Nemo]

Purpose and Theme

The glorious city of God is my theme in this work, which you, my dearest son Marcellinus, suggested, and which is due to you by my promise. I have undertaken its defence against those who prefer their own gods to the Founder of this city. --a city surpassingly glorious, whether we view it as it still lives by faith in this fleeting course of time, and sojourns as a stranger in the midst of the ungodly, or as it shall dwell in the fixed stability of its eternal seat, which it now with patience waits for, expecting until “righteousness shall return unto judgment,” and it obtain, by virtue of its excellence, final victory and perfect peace.

[Nemo]

The opening sentence reminds me of other books we've read, such as Origen's Against Celsus, and Gregory of Nyssa's Life of Moses. These important works of the early Church Fathers were all written in response to requests by fellow Christians, and to meet an urgent need in the Church. These Fathers were pastor-scholars -- they had to attend to the spiritual need of their brethren, and to defend the Christian faith on historical, philosophical and theological ground.

I pray that there are more Augustines, Gregorys and Origens in our time.

[Nemo]

The theme in City of God reflects Augustine's conception of time.

On the one hand, we're in time, where everything seem uncertain, and the ungodly and the godly seem indistinguishable, for the same disaster happen to all; on the other hand, the godly dwell in eternity in Christ, having the foretaste and expectation of eternal peace and stability, when the City of God, His Masterpiece, will be fully manifested as glorious and victorious.

[Ruth]

About the opening sentence : ( I mean that he writes to a friend)

It shows the importance of human interaction.

I've said it before, but I was also so delighted with Augustine's booklet 'the teacher' which describes a conversation he had with his son. He said that he learned a lot from the questions and answers that his son gave.

It shows how insights can come to surface if we interact with each other. Also insights we didn't know we had because no one asked.

Quite an encouragement to go on and ask all our questions and raise objections and just share whatever bothers us with our pastors, as it will provide them with inspiration for what to preach on.

[Ruth]

"For I know very well what efforts are needed to persuade the proud how great the power of humility is"

I wonder if this is another such attempt at persuasion ;-)

[Ruth]

That the Goths saved people who fled to churches is new to me.
It is certainly impressive, especially against this background of so much bloody violence.
Still, you'd think that if these Goths were Christians, they might have behaved less barbarous, not only in Churches, but everywhere.

[Nemo]

Ruth wrote: "That the Goths saved people who fled to churches is new to me.
It is certainly impressive, especially against this background of so much bloody violence.
Still, you'd think that if these Goths were..."

Did you mean to post this comment in the Book I thread?
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[Ruth]

Yes, sorry, I just realized that the preface was only that one paragraph and I was already far into book I!

[John]

Ruth wrote: "About the opening sentence : ( I mean that he writes to a friend)

It shows the importance of human interaction.

I've said it before, but I was also so delighted with Augustine's booklet 'the teac..."

I actually wondered if Augustine was emulating Luke in the Gospel 1:1-4 and Acts 1:1, placing names in the text to give creditability as a classical historical writing.

[Ruth]

The footnotes to my translation state that the original letter of this friend where he asked this, is still there. Letter nr. 136 in Augustine's correspondence.

[Nemo]

Ruth wrote: "The footnotes to my translation state that the original letter of this friend where he asked this, is still there. Letter nr. 136 in Augustine's correspondence."

Yes, that letter is also available online @CCEL
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf1...

[David]

I just read a fantastic book (Awaiting the King by James KA Smith) in which the author relied heavily on Augustine's City of God for his own ideas of public theology. One thing he noted, which I see in this preface and is helpful for us going forward, is that Augustine is focused more on time then geography.

The City of God is breaking into the present time and will not be fully present on earth until the future; the City of Man is passing away in this "fleeting course of time."

Smith's point is that we should beware reading later ideas of two kingdoms which have different spheres of authority into Augustine. He argued that, in light of Aquinas or Luther or whomever, we have tended to see Augustine as saying the City of Man demands our lesser allegiance while our greater allegiance is to the City of God. This is a "geographical" idea, as if each is sovereign over its own area. But Augustine's point, Smith says, is that the City of God is a future breaking into present and demands our full allegiance.

Maybe Smith is wrong, who knows. That quote on time reminded me of what he said, and it is worth keeping in mind as we read.