The City of God

Saint Augustine of Hippo (354 - 430)
Translated by Marcus Dods (1834 - 1909)

Rome having been stormed and sacked by the Goths under Alaric their king, the worshippers of false gods, or pagans, as we commonly call them, made an attempt to attribute this calamity to the Christian religion, and began to blaspheme the true God with even more than their wonted bitterness and acerbity. It was this which kindled my zeal for the house of God, and prompted me to undertake the defence of the city of God against the charges and misrepresentations of its assailants. This work was in my hands for several years, owing to the interruptions occasioned by many other affairs which had a prior claim on my attention, and which I could not defer.

However, this great undertaking was at last completed in twenty-two books. Of these, the first five refute those who fancy that the polytheistic worship is necessary in order to secure worldly prosperity, and that all these overwhelming calamities have befallen us in consequence of its prohibition. In the following five books I address myself to those who admit that such calamities have at all times attended, and will at all times attend, the human race, and that they constantly recur in forms more or less disastrous, varying only in the scenes, occasions, and persons on whom they light, but, while admitting this, maintain that the worship of the gods is advantageous for the life to come. In these ten books, then, I refute these two opinions, which are as groundless as they are antagonistic to the Christian religion.

But that no one might have occasion to say, that though I had refuted the tenets of other men, I had omitted to establish my own, I devote to this object the second part of this work, which comprises twelve books, although I have not scrupled, as occasion offered, either to advance my own opinions in the first ten books, or to demolish the arguments of my opponents in the last twelve. Of these twelve books, the first four contain an account of the origin of these two cities—the city of God, and the city of the world. The second four treat of their history or progress; the third and last four, of their deserved destinies. And so, though all these twenty-two books refer to both cities, yet I have named them after the better city, and called them The City of God. (Summary by the author in his Retractationes (ii. 43) as translated by Marcus Dods)

Genre(s): Religion, Ancient, Christianity - Other

Language: English

Section Chapter Reader Time
Play 01 Book I: Preface; Chapters 1-15 Darren L. Slider
00:47:06
Play 02 Book I: Chapters 16-36 Darren L. Slider
00:48:44
Play 03 Book II: Chapters 1-17 Darren L. Slider
00:40:51
Play 04 Book II: Chapters 18-29 Darren L. Slider
00:46:55
Play 05 Book III: Chapters 1-16 Darren L. Slider
00:43:15
Play 06 Book III: Chapters 17-31 Darren L. Slider
00:44:52
Play 07 Book IV: Chapters 1-18 Darren L. Slider
00:43:38
Play 08 Book IV: Chapters 19-34 Darren L. Slider
00:41:47
Play 09 Book V: Preface; Chapters 1-12 Darren L. Slider
00:54:07
Play 10 Book V: Chapters 13-26 Darren L. Slider
00:48:02
Play 11 Book VI: Preface; Chapters 1-6 Darren L. Slider
00:30:10
Play 12 Book VI: Chapters 7-12 Darren L. Slider
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Play 13 Book VII: Preface; Chapters 1-17 Darren L. Slider
00:47:01
Play 14 Book VII: Chapters 18-35 Darren L. Slider
00:45:31
Play 15 Book VIII: Chapters 1-14 Darren L. Slider
00:45:45
Play 16 Book VIII: Chapters 15-27 Darren L. Slider
00:50:48
Play 17 Book IX: Chapters 1-12 Darren L. Slider
00:27:33
Play 18 Book IX: Chapters 13-23 Darren L. Slider
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Play 19 Book X: Chapters 1-17 Darren L. Slider
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Play 20 Book X: Chapters 18-32 Darren L. Slider
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Play 21 Book XI: Chapters 1-9 Darren L. Slider
00:24:51
Play 22 Book XI: Chapters 10-22 Darren L. Slider
00:32:40
Play 23 Book XI: Chapters 23-34 Darren L. Slider
00:38:10
Play 24 Book XII: Chapters 1-9 Darren L. Slider
00:29:43
Play 25 Book XII: Chapters 10-18 Darren L. Slider
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Play 26 Book XII: Chapters 19-27 Darren L. Slider
00:26:25
Play 27 Book XIII: Chapters 1-11 Darren L. Slider
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Play 28 Book XIII: Chapters 12-21 Darren L. Slider
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Play 29 Book XIII: Chapters 22-24 Darren L. Slider
00:25:09
Play 30 Book XIV: Chapters 1-7 Darren L. Slider
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Play 31 Book XIV: Chapters 8-12 Darren L. Slider
00:29:42
Play 32 Book XIV: Chapters 13-21 Darren L. Slider
00:27:00
Play 33 Book XIV: Chapters 22-28 Darren L. Slider
00:23:48
Play 34 Book XV: Chapters 1-7 Darren L. Slider
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Play 35 Book XV: Chapters 8-14 Darren L. Slider
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Play 36 Book XV: Chapters 15-21 Darren L. Slider
00:34:31
Play 37 Book XV: Chapters 22-27 Darren L. Slider
00:28:04
Play 38 Book XVI: Chapters 1-8 Darren L. Slider
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Play 39 Book XVI: Chapters 9-20 Darren L. Slider
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Play 40 Book XVI: Chapters 21-31 Darren L. Slider
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Play 41 Book XVI: Chapters 32-43 Darren L. Slider
00:38:44
Play 42 Book XVII: Chapters 1-4 Darren L. Slider
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Play 43 Book XVII: Chapters 5-8 Darren L. Slider
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Play 44 Book XVII: Chapters 9-16 Darren L. Slider
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Play 45 Book XVII: Chapters 17-24 Darren L. Slider
00:27:53
Play 46 Book XVIII: Chapters 1-11 Darren L. Slider
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Play 47 Book XVIII: Chapters 12-22 Darren L. Slider
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Play 48 Book XVIII: Chapters 23-31 Darren L. Slider
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Play 49 Book XVIII: Chapters 32-39 Darren L. Slider
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Play 50 Book XVIII: Chapters 40-47 Darren L. Slider
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Play 51 Book XVIII: Chapters 48-54 Darren L. Slider
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Play 52 Book XIX: Chapters 1-4 Darren L. Slider
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Play 53 Book XIX: Chapters 5-12 Darren L. Slider
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Play 54 Book XIX: Chapters 13-21 Darren L. Slider
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Play 55 Book XIX: Chapters 22-28 Darren L. Slider
00:26:39
Play 56 Book XX: Chapters 1-6 Darren L. Slider
00:26:54
Play 57 Book XX: Chapters 7-11 Darren L. Slider
00:34:23
Play 58 Book XX: Chapters 12-19 Darren L. Slider
00:32:52
Play 59 Book XX: Chapters 20-24 Darren L. Slider
00:36:37
Play 60 Book XX: Chapters 25-30 Darren L. Slider
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Play 61 Book XXI: Chapters 1-6 Darren L. Slider
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Play 62 Book XXI: Chapters 7-14 Darren L. Slider
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Play 63 Book XXI: Chapters 15-24 Darren L. Slider
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Play 64 Book XXI: Chapters 25-27 Darren L. Slider
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Play 65 Book XXII: Chapters 1-7 Darren L. Slider
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Play 66 Book XXII: Chapters 8-9 Darren L. Slider
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Play 67 Book XXII: Chapters 10-19 Darren L. Slider
00:37:57
Play 68 Book XXII: Chapters 20-25 Darren L. Slider
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Play 69 Book XXII: Chapters 26-30 Darren L. Slider
00:41:14