1st Edition

An Analysis of St. Augustine's The City of God Against the Pagans

By Jonathan D. Teubner Copyright 2017
    96 Pages
    by Macat Library

    96 Pages
    by Macat Library

    The City of God against the Pagans is a central text in the Western intellectual tradition. Made up of twenty-two lengthy books, Augustine wrote his masterpiece over a thirteen-year period during which the Western Roman Empire began to unravel. The first ten books are a critique of pagan religion and philosophy, while books eleven to twenty-two treat the relationship between the City of God and the Earthly City. Throughout Augustine conveys his mature vision of what it means for a Christian to live in a world with evil. Its arguments and ideas have provoked debate for nearly 1600 years, and remains a central text in the disciplines of theology, historiography, and political theory.

    Ways In to the Text 

    Who was Augustine of Hippo? 

    What does City of God Say? 

    Why does City of God Matter? 

    Section 1: Influences 

    Module 1: The Author and the Historical Context 

    Module 2: Academic Context 

    Module 3: The Problem 

    Module 4: The Author's Contribution  

    Section 2: Ideas  

    Module 5: Main Ideas  

    Module 6: Secondary Ideas 

    Module 7: Achievement 

    Module 8: Place in the Author's Work 

    Section 3: Impact 

    Module 9: The First Responses 

    Module 10: The Evolving Debate 

    Module 11: Impact and Influence Today 

    Module 12: Where Next? 

    Glossary of Terms 

    People Mentioned in the Text 

    Works Cited

    Biography

    Dr Jonathan D. Teubner is Lecturer in Religious Studies and Associate Director of the Initiative on Religion, Politics and Conflict at the University of Virginia. He received his PhD from Cambridge and was the Fernand Braudel Postdoctoral Fellow at the Laboratoire d’excellence - Religions et Sociétés dans le Monde Méditerranéen in Paris. Dr Teubner has published widely on the thought of Augustine of Hippo, including Prayer after Augustine: A Study in the Development of the Latin Tradition (Oxford University Press) in 2018.