Literature and History Episode 101: Against the Pagans (Augustine's City of God, Part 1 of 2)
Feb 4, 2023
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City Of God’s Threefold Purpose
- Augustine's City of God reframes Rome's decline as unrelated to Christianity and offers a theological revision of history.
- He aims to defend Christianity, critique pagan culture, and build a systematic Christian theology.
Personal Prompt: Marcellinus And Volusianus
- Augustine frames the book as a response to Marcellinus and the pagan aristocrat Volusianus who doubted Christianity.
- He wrote the treatise partly to persuade Volusianus and defend Christianity after Rome's sack in 410.
Sack Of Rome Recast As Divine Sign
- Augustine claims Visigoths spared churches, framing Christian mercy as evidence of divine favor.
- The podcast notes Augustine misunderstood Gothic identity, making this rhetorical rather than fully historical.