The City of God

Written as the Roman Empire crumbled, Saint Augustine’s monumental work defends Christianity against the charge that abandoning the old gods had caused Rome’s fall, and in doing so builds a sweeping vision of history as the struggle between two cities—the earthly city of self-love and the City of God founded on love of the divine. Ranging across philosophy, theology, politics, and history, it shaped Western thought for over a thousand years and remains one of the most influential books ever written. This first volume opens Augustine’s vast argument. Profound and far-reaching, The City of God is a foundational text of Christian philosophy and a towering meditation on faith, society, and the meaning of history.