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Summary: The foundations of Christianity
Review: Saint Augustine (354 - 430 AD), was born at a time when the Roman Empire was in its nadir, a situation quite antipodal to the heydays of the glorious times of the philosopher emperor Julius Caesar and a few others that, for the glory of Rome, spread the wings of the Roman conquest to the borders of almost all the civilized world, from Britain in the West to the occidental limits of the Persian Empire in the East. The barbarians hordes were already knocking at the gates of Rome and many other important cities and eventually got there invadind Rome trough the auspices of the Germanic barbarian Alaric, who, along with Atila the Hun, was one of the cruelest of his kind. The "Civitatis Dei" was written a few years after the first sack of Rome, a thrilling background to and the starting point of many of Saint Augustine ideas concerning God's attitude toward the city and its citizens. Despite the impending fall of the Western Empire, Christianism was steadily gaining ground as the official religion vis-Ã -vis Paganinsm, which began to suffer all the burden of (unofficial) persecuted by some Roman emperors. But Paganinsm still had strong adherents in many important places, specially in the Senate, and the purpose of Saint Augustine was to counterpoise the ascending fortunes of Christianity. Augustine, born in the north of Africa in the city of Hippo, was one of the most important theoreticians of Christian doctrine of all times, a great thinker in his own right, who could be compared to great Catholic thinkers as Saint Thomas Aquina and Saint Paul, being one of the true founding fathers of the Catholic tradition and religion along with the Gospel four Evangelists. His written output is impressive, even outstanding, both from the point of view of its quantity as from the point of view of its inner quality. His most important works, written in Latin as usual at the time, are "The City of God" (Civitatis Dei) and "Confessions", the former an impressive book of 1,100+ pages of teachings concerning various aspects of the lives of Christians and pagans in the V century he lived. The book's lenght notwithstanding, it is a very pleasant and easy reading, not losing the elegance it should have in Latin, with all the quotations necessary for the full understanding concerning some allusion of Augustine to the recent or remote history of Rome, ROman and Greek mythology and philosophical citations from authors renowned at the time but almost unknown today. A good introduction to the life and work of Saint Augustine is also provided. TO sum it up, the book is a very good one and an essential reading to anyone interested in the importance of the philosophical thinking before the Middle Ages, most certainly influenced by Plato instead of Aristotle. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Rating:
Summary: "An Invaluable Study Aid"
Review: Shepherd's Notes is an exemplary force acting as a quick and easy systematic approach to venture into the key literary and theological themes manifested by the greatest Christian thinkers the world has known. The scripture indexes, historical and cultural passages, quotes and key persons, critical commentary and summaries, further the value of this already resourceful and compact study aid. Use it before, during, or after reading the classic at hand...any way you use Shepherd's Notes will pay off.
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Summary: The Antithesis between the City of God and City of Man
Review: Since the beginning, the Seeds of the Woman and of the Serpent have been at war. Augustine, in this defense of the early Christian Church, tells the story of God's people through history and it's glorious conclusion. The two cities will be in conflict throughout history, but the gates of hell will not prevail against the onslaught of the victorious Church of God. In the end the Word of the Lord will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. Read Augustine for this theme and for excellent groundwork in Theology.
Rating: 
Summary: For the ages...
Review: St Augustine's City of God is a work for the ages. It was not only a great apologetic to the Christian faith of the 5th century; it is an apologetic to Christian faith for all centuries. It is the story of history unfolded in two exact opposite cities. It is the struggle between the two cities against one another. It is the story of the fall, grace, redemption, and salvation of man for those who live in the city of God. For those of the other city, it is the exact opposite. It is the story of the fall, judgment, damnation and ultimate destruction of those who loved themselves more than they loved God. This was the story of love, by one of the greatest saints of the Catholic Church, Saint Augustine, Bishop of Hippo. The reason I give 4 stars out of 5 is because of the amazing difficulty that comes with reading this book. This is a VERY VERY heavy read, and one should be familiar with the prevailing Roman philosophies of the day, as well as Roman history. Augustine talks of Plato, Cicero, Virgil and others frequently through the book. He also talks of the history of Rome, and these factors play a heavy note in his book. An few survey classes of Philosophy, and a World Civics class as well as a decent understanding of Christian history at this time, and theology is also a must. You should be familiar with the scriptures. Because of all these factors, you cannot just pickup and read this book. You'll have to know what Augustine is talking about to some level before you read this. Other than that, this book is brilliance, and while some parts will be a little dry, it is very inspiring. You see Augustine write, sign, and stamp the doctrine of Original Sin, Amillinialism, and doctrines concerning Grace, the Trinity, and various "problems" concerning the Canon of Scripture. He setup Christianity for the next 1000 years, and is still felt strongly today in Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox circles.
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Summary: The hardest book I've ever read...And one of the best.
Review: St. Augustine's immortal classic is incredibly long and very, very hard to follow at times. When I set out to read this a few years ago, I had no idea what I was getting into. I read it because a professor I had in college that I greatly respected told me he'd never been able to read it all the way through, and I thought my reading it would impress him, or something. It took me forever, but I read it from cover to cover, and it was a rewarding experience. The book is essentially a very long examination of Christian theology, contrasted sharply with Roman paganism. There are very few theological questions that aren't at least touched upon; many of the ideas that would vex Christian philosophers for centuries are first addressed here. Augustine brings a fine, lucid mind and good instinct for argument and rhetoric to the discussion. This book is a must-read for anyone who takes the intellectual component of their Christian faith seriously. Highly recommended.
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Summary: Augustine: A man of thought and of God
Review: The City of God is a work for both the scholar and the Christian; it pours light, not only on the struggle between the early Church, but also on the bases of the faith and Augustine's belief's concerning God, man, heaven, hell, angels, law, sexual behaviour, and the practise of the faith.
Laid out in articles within chapters, this excellent translation of Augustine's monumental work flows from sentence to sentence, giving each word and phrase the flavor of the original. It draws from both Augustine's lively prose and his spontaneous poetic sense which is always built upon his prodigous knowledge of scripture. For the academic, the student, the priest, or the fellow-man; this is a work worth reading and cherishing. St. Augustine, bishop of Hippo around Carthage, was not always the revered father of the Church as we know him today. First, a liberal youth, then a believer in and defender of the Manicheans, and finally a staunch catholic, he searched for truth wherever he could. Here, in his City, he lays out the difference between the world of faith and the world of mammon, i.e., those who live by worldly standards and those who live as if they were not true citizens of this world but only pilgrims on their way to the great city.
The book is a beautiful exegesis on the scriptures, a treatise on many theological points, and a manual of moral guidelines. St. Augustine addresses the world and ideas of his time, and yet his work remains timeless, for the same truths apply today.
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Summary: Along with his Confessions, this book is his best
Review: The Roman Empire was on the verge of being destroy, and pagans blamed Constantine the Emperor for the Christianization of the Roman Empire (because the Pagan gods protected the Empire.)Hence, Saint Agustine wrote this wonderful masterpiece.
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Summary: Righteous Defense of Christ, Strong Refutation of Paganism
Review: The venerable St. Augustine is to be ordained as the best Christain Apologist ever. The way in which he explains the flaws of Paganism and reveals the truths of Christianity will give wings to your rational mind and set forth new horizons of thought. This masterpiece is essential for any Christian who wishes to grasp a higher concept of Theology. Augustine begins with a refutation of pagan worship, thus proving the ignorance that reflected in their system of delusive beliefs. Later on in this work he explains many prohecies that were fulfilled in relation to Christ and the Church. After laying a sound foundation based on scriptural facts and Theological truths, he then incorporates a splendid picture of heaven and hell along with the resurrection of the body adjoined in felicity with the spirit for eternity with God the Father. Many words may be used to describe this text, but none of mine are credible enough to express the eminence of this work.
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Summary: A fair alternative for casual study and reading
Review: This abridged version of St. Augustine's work is great for casual readers who are looking to brush up on their classics or, as in my case, for students who either don't have time to read and decipher the text in its entirety or need help doing so. If you want to truly study "The City of God," you should probably stick with the Modern Library edition (ISBN 0679783199) which provides better explanatory footnotes, one sentence chapter summaries, a collection of commentaries, and a much more comprehensive subject index. This Image abridged version, however, benefits from simpler and more fluid prose. After reading a chapter of the Modern Library edition, I often found myself referring back to this edition to reinforce and/or clarify what I had just read. I also appreciated the better biblical footnotes found in this version. Certainly the existing chapters are condensed and those that the editors have omitted are given brief summaries. Overall, this edition does not take away the essence of Augustine's original but it does make it slightly more digestible to the average reader.
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Summary: History and Theology in One Rich Volume
Review: This is a difficult read. It is worth the effort because it is highly educational and very enjoyable. Some familiarity with Roman history and mythology would be helpful but is not necessary. Augustine shows his reader the superiority of the City of God over the city of man. With Biblical and historical examples, Augustine shows that citizens of the City of God have characters and hopes that set them apart from the ungodly. He exposes the ugliness of paganism and the folly of men outside of the City of God. Today's reader will see that these differences between the two cities manifest themselves as clearly in our day.
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