Recommended for working with this book in this edition because it presents the classic text, makes reading easier by moving the notes and references into the body of the text, includes beautiful illustrations that create the right mood, and provides a helpful Guide to the Reader for clearer orientation and deeper engagement. The City of God by Aurelius Augustine was written between 413 and 426 CE, during a period of deep political and spiritual upheaval in the late Roman world. Augustine w...

On the city of God against the pagans (Latin: Dē cīvitāte Deī contrā pāgānōs), often called The City of God, is a book of Christian philosophy written in Latin by Augustine of Hippo in the early 5th century AD. The book was in response to allegations that Christianity brought about the decline of Rome and is considered one of Augustine's most important works, standing alongside The Confessions, The Enchiridion, On Christian Doctrine, and On the Trinity. As a work of one of the most influen...

The schism of the Donatists, with which the treatises in the present volume are concerned, arose indirectly out of the persecution under Diocletian at the beginning of the fourth century. At that time Mensurius, bishop of Carthage, and his archdeacon Cæcilianus, had endeavoured to check the fanatical spirit in which many of the Christians courted martyrdom; and consequently, on the death of Mensurius in 311, and the elevation of Cæcilianus to the see of Carthage in his place, the opposing ...

Delve into the profound depths of faith and philosophy with Aurelius Augustine’s seminal work, "The City of God Volume I." This monumental text explores the relationship between the divine and human society, offering timeless insights into the nature of God, civilization, and morality.As Augustine articulates his vision of two contrasting cities—the City of God and the Earthly City—you'll find yourself contemplating the eternal struggle between faith and te...

For to this earthly city belong the enemies against whom I have to defend the city of God. Many of them, indeed, being reclaimed from their ungodly error, have become sufficiently creditable citizens of this city; but many are so inflamed with hatred against it, and are so ungrateful to its Redeemer for His signal benefits, as to forget that they would now be unable to utter a single word to its prejudice, had they not found in its sacred places, as they fled from the enemy's steel, that l...

Where traditional Christianity has always affirmed that sin can only be atoned by the sacrifice of Christ, the theory that the human will is able to earn salvation of its own accord was the basis of Pelagian thought. Augustine in this series of works fought vehemently against such ways of thinking because he wanted to make people realize that Christ is the one and only way to find true salvation.

One of Augustine’s most famous works, this book tells of the fall of the Roman Empire and the rise of the holy and righteous City of God from the ashes. While building a utopia much like The Republic does, Augustine uses sound theology to build the foundations of the cities morals and lawful authority. Many theologies, especially within the Catholic tradition, owe their beginnings to the teachings of Augustine and this work is one of the starts of the field.

Considered by many to be among the greatest works of political philosophy, especially in the English language, "Leviathan" is Hobbes' book, published in 1651, which outlines his theories on an ideal state and its creation. The structure of a society and a legitimate government, as he reasons, is perhaps the earliest example of social contract theory, which outlines the need of rule by an absolute sovereign. In Hobbes' time, the political and social structures of England were in a changing ...

De Civitate Dei, (full title: De Civitate Dei contra Paganos), translated in English as The City of God, is a book of Christian philosophy written in Latin by Augustine of Hippo in the early 5th century AD. It is one of Augustine's major works, standing alongside his The Confessions, On Christian Doctrine, and On the Trinity. Augustine is considered the most influential Father of the Church in Western Christianity, and The City of God profoundly shaped Western civilization. Augustine wrote...

16 centuries ago, the greatest empire the world had ever seen, The Roman Empire, symbolically, with the sack of its capitol, the eternal city of Rome, died. It was the end of 1,000 years of civilization by the hands of barbarian hordes from Germania. Many Romans argued at the time that the Empire was crumbling because the ancient gods had been displaced by the now official-and dominant-Christian faith. The City of God is a rebuttal of this belief-but that is far from all ...

The works of S. Cyril of Jerusalem owe much of their peculiar interest and value to the character of the times in which he wrote. Born a few years before the outbreak of Arianism in a.d. 318, he lived to see its suppression by the Edict of Theodosius, 380, and to take part in its condemnation by the Council of Constantinople in the following year. The story of Cyril's life is not told in detail by any contemporary author; in his own writings there is little mention of himself; and the Chur...

LEVIATHAN or The Matter, Forme and Power of a Common Wealth Ecclesiasticall and Civil-commonly referred to as Leviathan-is a book written by Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) and published in 1651 (revised Latin edition 1668). Its name derives from the biblical Leviathan. The work concerns the structure of society and legitimate government, and is regarded as one of the earliest and most influential examples of social contract theory. Leviathan ranks as a classic western work on statecraft compara...