City of God (Penguin Classics) (184 page)
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Authors: Saint Augustine
sufferings, of Christians,
17
–22,
39
ff.;
of mankind, due to first sin,
1065
–8
suicide, philosophers on,
32
n.;
unlawful for Christians,
26
–39
Sulla, C. Cornelius,
69
,
76
,
79
ff.,
95
Christian view of,
852
–7;
debated by philosophers,
843
–51;
doctrine of Old Academy,
849
ff;
three main views,
847
–49, Varro on permutations of belief,
844
–7
Tellus, divinity, rationalized,
283
f.
Testaments, Old and New,
177
,
211
,
293
,
406
,
687
theatre, corruption of,
41
–4,
56
–65,
81
–5,
167
–70,
247
,
250
,
287
,
305
,
317
Theodosius, Emperor, piety of,
221
ff.;
miraculous victory of,
222
Thessalonica, massacre at,
223
time, compared with eternity,
486
;
in relation to God, creation, and the soul,
432
–6,
452
,
489
,
490
ff.
Tree of Knowledge, meaning of,
578
Trinity, the Holy,
440
f.;
angels’knowledge of,
464
;
image of, in human nature,
459
–63;
Trinity, in Neoplatonism,
403
f.,
414
Troy, fall of,
90
–96
Twelve Tables, laws of,
57
Twins, prove falseness of astrology,
181
–7
Varro, M. Terentius, polymath, Bks VI and VII, passim;
93
,
135
;
Cicero’s tribute to,
229
f.;
division of his Antiquities,
230
ff.;
distinguishes ‘mythical’, ‘natural’, and ‘civil’ theology,
234
–43;
distinguishes religion from superstition,
244
;
inconsistent in his theology,
275
–90;
on functions of gods,
161
f.;
Victory, goddess,
153
;
altar of,
50
n.
war, its miseries,
861
f.;
God’s providence in,
216
–18
will, power over body,
587
f. (and
see
Freewill)
World-Soul (Stoic and Neoplatonic),
148
,
152
.
175
.
261
ff.;
271
,
280
,
374
416
,
528
worship, Christian, contrasted with pagan rites,
85
l
. Material from my
Charter of Christendom:
the
Significance of
the
City of God
, the Saint Augustine Lecture, Villanova University, 1961, Macmillan, New York, 1961, has been incorporated here and is duly acknowledged.
2
. Books 1-III were finished by 413; IV-V by 415; VI-X by 417; XI-XIV by 418 or 419; and XV-XXII by 427.
3
. E. Barker, City
of God
, Everyman’s Library, 1945, p. xxii.
4
. J. Feibleman,
Religious Platonism, London
, 1959, p. 172.
5
.
Political Aspects of Saint Augustine’s City of God
, London, 1963.
6
.
Cf.
my
Charter of Christendom
, p. 40ff.
7
.
Cf.
p. 788 n. 67.
8
.
Cf.
my
The Creation of Man in De Genesi ad litteram
, the Saint Augustine Lecture, Villanova University, 1977, Villanova University Press, 1980, chapter 1.
9
.
Cf.
R. A. Markus,
Saeculum: History and Society in the Theology of St. Augustine
, Cambridge University Press, 1970, pp. 64, 72f. This book gives an extended consideration of this and related questions and puts forward a number of original views.
10
. On the question if there is a philosophy or theology of history in the
City of God cf.
my
Charter of Christendom
pp. 54S.
1
.
Marcellinus.
An intimate disciple of St Augustine sent by the Emperor Honorius to preside over the counil summoned at Carthage to settle the dispute between Catholics and Donatists. Marcellinus was anxious to convert Volusianus, proconsul of Africa. Volusianus showed interest, but among his objections to Christianity was the charge that it had undermined the Roman Empire. Marcellinus wrote to ask for help from St Augustine (who had already corresponded with Volusianus) and this led eventually to the writing of
The City of God
(cf. Aug. Ep., 135–8).
2
. cf. Hab. 2, 4; Rom. 1, 17; Gal. 3, 11; Hebr. 10, 38.
3
. Ps. 94, 15.
4
. cf. Ps. 118, 6.
5
. Jas. 4, 6.
6
. Virg., Aen., 6, 853.
7
. The clemency of Alaric to those who took sanctuary in Christian shrines, and especially in the basilicas of St Peter and St Paul is attested by Orosius (7, 39) and Jerome (Ep. 27, 13).
8
. St Augustine’s challenge was ill-judged. Pagans could quote the clemency of Alexander at Tyre (Arr.,
Anab
., 7, 24) and of Agesilaus after Coronea (Plut,
Ages
., 19).
9
. Virg.,
Aen
., 2, 502.
10
.
Aen
., 6, 166ff.
11
.
Ep
., 1, 2, 69f.
12
.
Aen
., 1,67f
13
.
Aen
., 2, 319f.
14
.
Aen
., 2, 203.
15
. Virg.,
Aen
., 2, 761ff.
16
. Cato
Uticensis
killed himself after the battle of Thapsus (46
B.C
.) and the suicide was applauded as an example of Stoic virtue. The description of war is in fact put into the mouth of Caesar in Sallust’s
Catiline
.
17
.
Cat
., 51, 9.
18
. Virg.,
Aen
., 6, 853, quoted above in the Preface.
19
. Sall.,
Cat
., 9, 5.
20
. Liv. 25, 24, 11. In 212
B.C
.
21
. Liv. 27, 15f. Q. Fabius Maximus Cunctator captured Tarentum in 209
B.C
.
22
. Alarte entered Rome, 24 August
A.D
. 410; Aug began the
City of God
in
AD
. 413.
23
. Ps. 89, 33f.
24
, Matt. 5, 45.
25
. Rom. 2, 4ff.: ‘the Apostle’ refers always to St Paul in the works of the early Fathers of the Church.
26
. Col. 3, 18ff.
27
. Ez. 33, 6.
28
. Rom. 8, 28.
29
. cf. Luke, 12, 21.
30
. 1 Tim. 6, 6ff.
31
. 1 Cor. 7, 31.
32
. Job 1, 21.
33
. 1 Tim. 6, 9.
34
. 1 Tim. 6, 17ff.
35
. Matt. 6, 19ff.
36
. Bp. of Nola in Campania,
A.D
. 409–31.
37
. Luke 16, 19ff.
38
. Matt. 10, 28.
39
. Luke 12, 4.
40
. Ps. 79, 2f.
41
. Ps. 115, 16.
42
. Luc., Phars., 7, 819.
43
. Tob. 2, 9; 12, 12.
44
. Matt. 26, 10ff.
45
. John 19, 38ff.
46
. Gen. 49, 29; 50, 25.
47
. Dan. 4.
48
. Dan. 1, 6.
49
. Jon. 2, 1.
50
. Hdt., 1, 23; Ov., Fast., 2, 113.
51
. M. Atilius Regulus commanded the Roman forces in Africa in the Hrst Punic War, in 256
B.C
. When Carthage suggested peace talks he proposed intolerable terms; the war was renewed and Regulus was defeated and captured. After the Carthaginian defeat at Fanormus in 250 Regulus was sent with an embassy to Rome. He advised the senate to continue the war; then he returned to Carthage, to be tortured to death. (Livy, Epit., 16; Cic, De Off., 1, 13; Hor., Carm., 3, 5). Recent historians are sceptical about this hallowed tale.
52
. Liv. 1, 58.
53
. Virg., Aen., 6, 434ff.
54
. Virg., Aen., 438f.
55
. Exod. 20, 13.
56
. Exod. 16.
57
. Matt 22, 39.
58
. 1 Cor. 15, 36.
59
. Ps. 78,47.
60
. Judg. 1l, 29ff.
61
. Tudg. 16,28ff.
62
. Suicide was much debated by pagan philosophers. Plato (
Legg.
873c) and Aristotle (
Eth.
Nic., 3, 1116A) condemned it. The Cynics approved it unreservedly (Diog. Laert. 4, 3; 6, 18; 24 etc.) The Neo-platonists generally disapproved. (Plot, Enn., 1, 4, 7).
63
. Cic., Tusc. Disp., 1, 34, 84 (The story of Cleombrotus).
