City of God

Written by Saint Augustine

Narrated by Mark Meadows

Written after the capture of Rome in 410 by Alaric, King of the Visigoths, St Augustine’s City of God was intended as a response to pagan critics who blamed Christianity for this brutal defeat. Augustine attacks ancient pagan beliefs and relates the corruption and immorality that led to Rome’s downfall, which began before Christ, before reaching his main argument: that the City of Man is perishing and only the Heavenly City of God will endure. Members of the City of Man, misled by vanities and futile laws, will suffer the same fate as the Romans, while those of the City of God, who act in harmony with God’s will, will reach salvation and paradise. Monumental in its scope, City of God is a theological and philosophical treasure trove that offers fascinating insights into the perennial problems of Christian philosophy, such as free will and the problem of evil, as well as the long-standing conflict between church and state.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Naxos Audiobooks
• Release date: May 1, 2020
• ISBN: 9781781983232

Saint Augustine

Saint Augustine (354-430) was a Catholic theologian, philosopher, and writer. Born to a Catholic mother and pagan father—Berbers living in Numidia, Roman North Africa (modern day Algeria)—Augustine’s lifelong commitment to faith and deeply personal writings make him an important figure for religion, literature, and Western philosophy. He is considered influential for developing the Catholic doctrines of original sin and predestination, though he also made contributions to philosophy that extend beyond religion, including general ethics, just war theory, and the concept of free will. Augustine is also recognized today as an early and significant memoirist and autobiographer, adapting these literary forms in order to blend religious teaching with personal stories and anecdotes.

Reviews for City of God

[Edmund Saley · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is an amazing book which I read in part in my youth and am now listening to in audio. The narrator is wonderful! He really brings out the beauty, power and passion of the arguments of Augustine. However, there is really something wrong with the order of the chapters and there seem to be be long sections which are repeated. This is a technical problem which could and should be cleaned up for such a worthy book.

[Joy Med · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow. Long. Winded. Some really good insights worth wading through. Mostly after the middle part. I do recommend this given that many Catholic beliefs were derived from St. Augustine’s writings

[james starr · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

An excellent reader but there were extreme technical problems so that chapters weren’t read in order. With such a long book it’s dizzying to have chapters from all sections of a 46-hour book turning up at random.

[benny_resendez_71624 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Order is messed up. Such a shame scribd don't do anything about it.