City of God (Volumes 1 and 2)

Author: (Ancient Rome) Augustine
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-12-01
Features: The City of God consists of 22 volumes, which can be divided into two main parts. The first part includes the first 10 volumes, primarily refuting the accusations of pagans against Christ, reevaluating Roman history, and arguing that the fall of Rome was self-inflicted and unrelated to Christianity. The second part includes volumes 11 to 22, which more systematically address historical perspectives. Specifically, volumes 11 to 14 elaborate on the origin of human society, or the "City of God" and the "City of Man"; volumes 15 to 18 discuss the development of human history; and volumes 19 to 22 explore the conclusion of human history. The City of God is a massive work with repetitive themes and occasional contradictions in its ideas, making it difficult to judge whether the text presents a rigorous philosophical system by today's academic standards. Augustine's varied life and complex intellectual journey are significant reasons for this phenomenon. He himself once described himself as a person who "writes as life progresses and progresses through writing." Nevertheless, this is a late work by Augustine, incorporating his main ideas throughout his life. Therefore, it can be said that The City of God is the "mature flower of Augustine's thought," the crystallization of his entire intellectual journey.