Finally, he explains what is to be accounted the true happiness of the Christian emperors.īook 6 Hitherto the argument has been conducted against those who believe that the gods are to be worshipped for the sake of temporal advantages, now it is directed against those who believe that they are to be worshipped for the sake of eternal life. He then speaks of the manners of the ancient Romans, and shows in what sense it was due to the virtue of the Romans themselves, and in how far to the counsel of God, that he increased their dominion, though they did not worship him. After that, he proves that there is no contradiction between God's prescience and our free will.

Finally, he rebukes the shamelessness of those who cast up to the Christians that their women had been violated by the soldiers.īook 2 In this book Augustine reviews those calamities which the Romans suffered before the time of Christ, and while the worship of the false gods was universally practised and demonstrates that, far from being preserved from misfortune by the gods, the Romans have been by them overwhelmed with the only, or at least the greatest, of all calamities - the corruption of manners, and the vices of the soul.īook 3 As in the foregoing book Augustine has proved regarding moral and spiritual calamities, so in this book he proves regarding external and bodily disasters, that since the foundation of the city the Romans have been continually subject to them and that even when the false gods were worshipped without a rival, before the advent of Christ, they afforded no relief from such calamities.īook 4 In this book it is proved that the extent and long duration of the Roman empire is to be ascribed, not to Jove or the gods of the heathen, to whom individually scarce even single things and the very basest functions were believed to be entrusted, but to the one true God, the author of felicity, by whose power and judgment earthly kingdoms are founded and maintained.īook 5 Augustine first discusses the doctrine of fate, for the sake of confuting those who are disposed to refer to fate the power and increase of the Roman empire, which could not be attributed to false gods, as has been shown in the preceding book. He speaks of the blessings and ills of life, which then, as always, happened to good and bad men alike. Includes the Catholic Encyclopedia, Church Fathers, Summa, Bible and more all for only $19.99.īook 1 Augustine censures the pagans, who attributed the calamities of the world, and especially the recent sack of Rome by the Goths, to the Christian religion, and its prohibition of the worship of the gods. Please help support the mission of New Advent and get the full contents of this website as an instant download.

St augustine of hippo city of god