Question: "What is The City of God ?

Question: "What is The City of God ?"

Answer: The City of God is a book written by St.
Augustine of Hippo between the years 413 and
426. Also known as De Civitate Dei, The City of
God is widely considered Augustine’s greatest
work. He wrote the book in response to the
charge by the Romans that the sack of Rome
by the Visigoth Alaric in AD 410 was due to the
city’s inhabitants having forsaken the classical
Roman religion and adopting Christianity.
Augustine set out to answer this allegation at
the request of his friend Marcellinus.
In Books 1–5 of The City of God, Augustine
demonstrates that the prosperity of the state
was not due to its adherence to the old
polytheistic worship, since the Romans had
suffered disasters long before the birth of
Christianity. He also reminds the Romans that
whatever success they had achieved was due to
the providence of God, even though they were
ignorant of Him. In Books 6–10, Augustine
argues that the worship of the Roman gods was
not necessary in order to attain eternal
blessing. The Roman gods could not aid their
devotees in either the temporal or the spiritual
realms; in fact, it was the God of Christianity
who had given them what temporal blessings
they enjoyed.
Augustine’s philosophy of history is found in
Books 11–22, in which Augustine sets forth his
idea of two contrasting cities, the City of God
and the City of Earth. The City of God,
according to Augustine, consists of all human
and celestial beings united in their love for God
and their seeking to glorify Him. The City of
Earth is comprised of those beings who love
only themselves and seek their own glory and
good.
In Books 15–18 Augustine traces the progress
of the two cities through biblical and secular
history. The remaining books of The City of God
present the destiny of the two cities: judgment
comes, and those who dwell in the City of God
will enjoy eternal happiness and those of the
City of Earth will be consigned to everlasting
punishment. The City of God does not address
the role of the Jewish people in prophecy; in
fact, Augustine believed that the church age is
actually the millennium .
The City of God is widely accepted as one of the
most important apologetic works of all time. Its
message is clearly biblical in presenting the
struggle between the spiritual and secular
realms. For those who live in the City of God,
their story is the story of Christianity—their
redemption and salvation from sin through the
grace of God. For those in the City of Earth,
their story is one of judgment and damnation.
These two destinies are clearly presented in the
Bible (see Daniel 12:2 ; Matthew 7:13– 14 ;
25:46 ).
It should be noted that The City of God may
seem, at least to the modern reader, very long
(1,184 pages in the paperback edition), and the
language difficult to understand at times. Those
who are familiar with the history of Rome and
the Middle Ages will have an easier time with it.
That said, the fact that the book is still being
published and read today is testimony to its
timeless themes and applications.