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THE CITY OF GOD BOOK I
ARGUMENT. AUGUSTIN 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. HE SPEAKS OF THE
BLESSINGS AND ILLS OF LIFE, WHICH THEN, AS ALWAYS, HAPPENED
TO GOOD AND BAD MEN ALIKE. [...]

BOOK II
ARGUMENT IN THIS BOOK AUGUSTIN REVIEWS THOSE CALAMITIES
WHICH THE ROMANS SUFFERED BEFORE THE TIME OF CHRIST, AND
WHILE THE WORSHIP OF THE FALSE GODS WAS UNIVERSALLY
PRACTICED; 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 [...]

BOOK III
ARGUMENT AS IN THE FOREGOING BOOK AUGUSTIN 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 [...]

BOOK IV
ARGUMENT 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 [...]

BOOK V
ARGUMENT AUGUSTIN 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. AFTER THAT, HE PROVES THAT
THERE IS NO CONTRADICTION BETWEEN GOD’S PRESCIENCE AND
OUR FREE [...]

BOOK VII
ARGUMENT IN THIS BOOK IT IS SHOWN THAT ETERNAL LIFE IS NOT
OBTAINED BY THE WORSHIP OF JANUS, JUPITER, SATURN, AND THE
OTHER “SELECT GODS” OF THE CIVIL THEOLOGY.

BOOK VIII
ARGUMENT AUGUSTIN COMES NOW TO THE THIRD KIND OF
THEOLOGY, THAT IS, THE NATURAL, AND TAKES UP THE QUESTION,
WHETHER THE WORSHIP OF THE GODS OF THE NATURAL THEOLOGY
IS OF ANY AVAIL TOWARDS SECURING BLESSEDNESS IN THE LIFE TO
COME. THIS QUESTION HE PREFERS TO DISCUSS WITH THE
PLATONISTS, BECAUSE THE PLATONIC SYSTEM IS “FACILE PRINCEPS”
AMONG PHILOSOPHIES, AND [...]

BOOK VI
ARGUMENT 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. AUGUSTIN DEVOTES
THE FIVE FOLLOWING BOOKS TO THE CONFUTATION OF THIS
LATTER BELIEF, AND FIRST OF [...]

BOOK X
ARGUMENT IN THIS BOOK AUGUSTIN TEACHES THAT THE GOOD
ANGELS WISH GOD ALONE, WHOM THEY THEMSELVES SERVE, TO
RECEIVE THAT DIVINE HONOR WHICH IS RENDERED BY SACRIFICE,
AND WHICH IS CALLED “LATREIA.” HE THEN GOES ON TO DISPUTE
AGAINST PORPHYRY ABOUT THE PRINCIPLE AND WAY OF THE
SOUL’S CLEANSING AND DELIVERANCE.

BOOK IX
ARGUMENT HAVING IN THE PRECEDING BOOK SHOWN THAT THE
WORSHIP OF DEMONS MUST BE ABJURED, SINCE THEY IN A
THOUSAND WAYS PROCLAIM THEMSELVES TO BE WICKED SPIRITS,
AUGUSTIN IN THIS BOOK MEETS THOSE WHO ALLEGE A
DISTINCTION AMONG DEMONS, SOME BEING EVIL, WHILE OTHERS
ARE GOOD; AND, HAVING EXPLODED THIS DISTINCTION, HE PROVES
THAT TO NO DEMON, BUT TO CHRIST [...]