Chris Aldrich’s Reviews > Books that Matter: The City of God > Status Update

Finished lecture 9: Public Religion in Imperial Rome
Etymol of religio, superstitizio, sacrificium, pietas
Gods are long ago humans that memory has turned into heros, legends, and finally gods.
3 kinds of theology displayed in Rome
* Fabulist theologies by poets
* Natural theol from natural phil.
* Civic theol used by political actors to discipline city
Modern analogs: entertainment, science, & politics.

Finished Lecture 7: Augustine's Political Vision
Some great history of politics and political thought here. In particular comparing it to our own time, it would appear that modern "Christians" have completely forgotten the lessons of Augustine and they have become the power hungry Romans of our time. The only question that remains is who or what will play the role of the barbarians?

Lecture 5: The Problem of Suffering

Compared the Roman and Christian ideas of suffering and suicide. Roman perspective generally was: Evil was meant to be endured as long as it was logical to do so. After that suicide was certainly a worthwhile escape.

A fascinating lecture about the word City of the title and the first word of the book with a tad about the rest of the first sentence!

Sack of Rome as a context for the book.

Finished lecture 2: Who Was Augustine of Hippo?
A bit of his life and times. Discussion of the Donatist controversy, and the Pelagian controversy. There's also an interesting passage on thinking and fame around 22:30 in the lecture.

There's some interesting subtext of the ideas of the "stream and the garden" here in thinking about Augustine in his own time versus what has crystalized for us now in the present.

Finished lecture 1

Part 1 of 24: Your Passport to The City of God
Synopsis: The City of God is a monumental work-not just for its scale and structure, but for what it asks of us as readers. In this first lecture, dive into the many layers of this powerful book, surveying why Augustine wrote it, for whom, and what impact it still has on our world today.