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Vincent Kumar C.
3rd Year Philosophy
ASSIGNMENT ON ‘THE CITY OF GOD’ (First Book, Chapters 1-12)
‘The City of God’ is a book of Christian Philosophy, written in Latin by St Augustine of
Hippo in the early 5th century A. D. City of God is also called as ‘Old Man’s Book’. This book is a
kind of questions and answers type. Especially this book is writing to an individual Marcellinus, who
is an intimate disciple of St Augustine.
The first book of the first part deals with the three important points. Firstly the gods
did not protect Rome. Secondly the Christians suffered with others, but disasters overtake both good
and bad, and the loss of worldly goods is not always a disaster. And thirdly, the violation of chastity
does not harm the unwilling soul. Suicide is not permissible to avoid this.
Chapter – 1
Is all about the enemies of the Christianity, who were spared by the Barbarians for the
sake of Christ’s name. The sacred places of the martyrs and the Basilicas of the Apostles afforded
shelter to both Christians and Pagans. Pagans claimed that Rome fell because the Christian religion
had weakened it. But now these Romans are attacking the name of Christ and saying Christ is
responsible for all the disasters. The brutal Barbarians showed mercy beyond the custom of war. But
these people are ungrateful to God and accusing the Christ’s name.
Chapter – 2
Communicates that there is no record where the victors spared the defeated people out of
respect for their gods. In the history we read the examples of the destruction of Troy by fire and
sword and the slaughter of Priam at the altar. And it was not because Troy perished but Minerva the
goddess, who was worshipped by the people and asked to secure her protection for their country and
its citizens, could not guard her own keepers.
Chapter – 3
St Augustine highlights with the statement ‘you have made a mistake “pitiable folly” through
worshipping the household gods, who had failed to protect Troy.’ In fact, the gods of Rome died
long before, Romans made every effort to preserve them. The poets, who are men of sense, wrote
and sang of vanquished gods.
Chapters – 4, 5 & 6 describes on three points are:
First point Juno’s sanctuary in troy gave no security from the Greeks; whereas the
Apostolic Basilicas at Rome protected from the barbarians.
Second Cato’s description regarding the custom of war when sacking the city. “That virgins
and boys are violated, children torn from the embrace of their parents, mothers are subjected to
the pleasure of the conquerors; temples and houses despoiled; there is slaughter and burning rife
everywhere; the scene is crowded with fighting men, dead bodies, with bloodshed and
lamentation.” And the Roman temples were in danger of these disasters, not from foreign foes,
but from Catiline and his associates, the most noble senators and citizens of Rome.
Third point not even the Romans spared the conquered in the temples of captured cities.
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Chapter - 7
In the sack of Rome, the cruelties were expected to be the right way of war. But there was
something new custom which changed the whole aspect of the scene. No one was to be violently
used. Many were brought there by the merciful foes. This is to be attributed to the name Christ and
the influence of Christianity.
Chapter – 8
Narrates the realities are happening to the people. Blessings and disasters are shared by
both good and bad. The identity of their sufferings does not mean that there is no difference between
them. The difference is not in what people suffer but the way they suffer. The disaster tests, purifies
and improves the good, but where the wicked beaten, crushed and washed away. And thus it is that
in the same affliction the wicked hate God and blasphemes, while the good prays and praises God.
Chapter – 9
Talks about the reasons for why administering correction to bad and good together.
Reasons why good and evil equally afflicted? The first reason is the sufferings of the Christians
have tended to their moral improvement because they viewed them in the eyes of faith. The second
reason is for the virtue of Humility. To obtain this virtue one has to reduce oneself and increase
Christ in him. Disaster makes us to be humility, humble and good. The third reason is every human
being, who attached to the Physical desires, must take off them. And the fourth Reason is for Test.
For example Job in the Bible, where he accepts both good and bad.
Chapter – 10
The saints lose noting by they said ‘No’ to the temporal goods, because they discovered the
real good in life. The disaster possessed all they had, but not faith and devotion to God. They learnt
to love Christ, who would enrich with eternal felicity those who suffered for his sake.
Chapter - 11
The end of one’s present life must come, whether today or tomorrow. Death is not to be
judged an evil which is the end of a good life; for death becomes evil only by what comes after
death. One should not worry about what accident will cause their death, about their destination. In
the New Testament Gospel according to Luke chapter 16:19 onwards, we read the story of the rich
man and Lazarus. The death of a poor religion man, licked by the tongues of dogs, is far better than
the death of a godless rich man, dressed in purple and linen.
Chapter - 12
The lack of burial does not matter to a Christian. Everyone dies; therefore death is not an
evil to be left unburied. The sufferings of the saints seem harsh and terrible in the eyes of men, yet it
is precious in the eyes of God. For Christians it has been promised that the flesh itself shall be
restored, and the body formed anew, all the members of it being gathered not only from the earth, but
from the most hiding-places of any other elements in which the dead bodies of men have passed in
disintegration.
