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City of God

Full Title: City of God (Penguin Classics)
Author: Augustine of Hippo, Henry Bettenson
Binding: Paperback
Pages: 1184
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Publication Date: 06 January 2004
ISBN 0140448942
Dewey Decimal: 239.3
Availability:Ready for order

Price: $10.88

Editorial Reviews

  • Product Description

    St Augustine, bishop of Hippo, was one of the central figures in the history of Christianity, and "City of God" is one of his greatest theological works. Written as an eloquent defence of the faith at a time when the Roman Empire was on the brink of collapse, it examines the ancient pagan religions of Rome, the arguments of the Greek philosophers and the revelations of the Bible. Pointing the way forward to a citizenship that transcends the best political experiences of the world and offers citizenship that will last for eternity, "City of God" is one of the most influential documents in the development of Christianity.

  • Amazon.com Review

    Augustine's City of God, a monumental work of religious lore, philosophy, and history, was written as a kind of literary tombstone for Roman culture. After the sack of Rome, Augustine wrote this book to anatomize the corruption of Romans' pursuit of earthly pleasures: "grasping for praise, open-handed with their money; honest in the pursuit of wealth, they wanted to hoard glory." Augustine contrasts his condemnation of Rome with an exaltation of Christian culture. The glory that Rome failed to attain will only be realized by citizens of the City of God, the Heavenly Jerusalem foreseen in Revelation. Because City of God was written for men of classical learning--custodians of the culture Augustine sought to condemn--it is thick with Ciceronian circumlocutions, and makes many stark contrasts between "Your Virgil" and "Our Scriptures." Even if Augustine's prose strikes modern ears as a bit bombastic, and if his polarized Christian/pagan world is more binary than the one we live in today, his arguments against utopianism and his defense of the richness of Christian culture remain useful and strong. City of God is, as its final words proclaim itself to be, "a giant of a book." --Michael Joseph Gross

Customer Reviews

  • It just flows...

    I am not sure who to credit to regarding the eloquent flow of ideas in this book. It is just pleasing to read. Whether it's due to Agustine (I can't read Latin) or to the translator making sure the English reflects the original Latin, this book reflects the breadth of the authors experience and knowledge such that it has universal appeal across the ages. Indeed, the new age garbage that's being touted nowadays as being new and enlightened are the "has beens" in Augustine's age and usually came from the gutter and vulgar culture of his age.

  • City of God

    I received my order on time and in perfect condition. I would definately buy from this seller again.

  • Not For Beginners

    St. Augustine of Hippo is one of the most enlightened men to ever live, but be forewarned: the City of God--while doubtlessly a magnum opus that stands among the giants in the history of philosophy--equals the Bible in length and matches Descartes in density. Unless you are already deeply knowledgeable in Christian theology and Platonist philosophy, I would recommend that you take a college course on Augustine rather than trying to tackle this on your free time.

    The entirety of this work, sans footnotes and elaborations, can be found online: [...]

  • A Revelation

    I've done considerable reading in what would be classed as "Great Christian Literature" but thought Augustine would turn out to be boring. Absolutely Not Boring. He's funny, razor sharp, and has allegorical insights which are wonderful. His analyses of the progress of the City of God and the City of Earth are splendid...how come churches don't talk about this stuff? For instance... did you know that when the visigoths sacked Rome, they spared the lives of all who claimed to be Christians and took refuge in a Christian place of worship? I didn't. Do you know why? I didn't... the visigoths were Christians (of the Arian sect). Now I'll bet they never told you that. Now, you've got to like reading, it's 2 inches thick with no "pop-ups" ... I loved reading this.

  • Augustine Vol 7

    This was the last book in the series "City of God" and it completes this portion of my library. Good translation according to my daughter who reads ancient Latin.

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