Augustine: De Civitate Dei The City of God Book X

Author(s):  
P. G. Walsh

This edition of St. Augustine's The City of God (De Civitate Dei) is the only one in English to provide a text and translation as well as a detailed commentary of this most influential document in the history of western Christianity. In these books, written in the aftermath of the sack of Rome in AD 410 by the Goths, Augustine replies to the pagans, who attributed the fall of Rome to the Christian religion and its prohibition of the worship of the pagan gods. Following on from Book IX, this book discusses the issue of demons and their role in Platonism as being partly identical with the lesser gods. Having previously argued that in order to achieve the blessed life, we must worship one true God alone, Augustine now continues his discussion using the celebrated Neoplatonist Porphyry as his main source. Whilst applauding aspects of Porphyry's views, Augustine's main concern is to deliver his message that the sole path to blessedness after death is acknowledgement of the Incarnation and Christ as Mediator. Increasingly concerned with promoting the Christian message, Augustine cites the Bible frequently in Book X. The edition presents Latin text with facing-page translation, introduction and commentary.

Author(s):  
P. G. Walsh

This edition of books I and II of St. Augustine's The City of God (De Civitate Dei) is the only edition in English to provide a text and translation as well as a detailed commentary of this most influential document in the history of western Christianity. In these books, written in the aftermath of the sack of Rome in AD 410 by the Goths, Augustine replies to the pagans, who attributed the fall of Rome to the Christian religion and its prohibition of the worship of the pagan gods. Latin text with facing-page English translation, introduction and commentary.


Author(s):  
P. G. Walsh

This edition of St. Augustine's The City of God (De Civitate Dei) is the only one in English to provide a text and translation as well as a detailed commentary of this most influential document in the history of western Christianity. In these books, written in the aftermath of the sack of Rome in AD 410 by the Goths, Augustine replies to the pagans, who attributed the fall of Rome to the Christian religion and its prohibition of the worship of the pagan gods. Before his conversion to Christianity in 386, Augustine had devoted himself to the study of Platonism. In books VIII and IX of De Civitate Dei, Augustine renews his acquaintance with this philosophy, which had played such a fundamental role in his conversion. The main topic of these books is demonology, with Augustine using the De Deo Socratis of Apuleius, which places demons as the intermediaries between gods and men, as the foundation of his exploration into this theme. Augustine is keen to point out the similarities between Platonism and Christianity and therefore puts forward the theory that the ideal mediator between God and man is Christ — he who shares temporary mortality with humans and permanent blessedness with God and can therefore lead men from wretchedness to eternal bliss. The volume presents Latin text with facing-page English translation, introduction and commentary.


Author(s):  
P. G. Walsh

This edition of St. Augustine's The City of God (De Civitate Dei) is the only one in English to provide a text and translation as well as a detailed commentary of this most influential document in the history of western Christianity. In these books, written in the aftermath of the sack of Rome in AD 410 by the Goths, Augustine replies to the pagans, who attributed the fall of Rome to the Christian religion and its prohibition of the worship of the pagan gods. Books VI and VII focus on the figure of Terentius Varro, a man revered by Augustine's pagan contemporaries. By exploiting Varro's learned researches on Roman religion, Augustine condemns Roman religious practices and beliefs in order to refute pagan claims that the Roman deities had guaranteed a blessed life in the hereafter for their devotees. These books are therefore not only an invaluable source for the study of early Christianity but also for any student of Classical Rome, who is provided here with a detailed account of one of the most learned figures of Roman antiquity, whose own works have not survived in the same state. The volume presents Latin text with facing-page English translation, introduction and commentary.


Author(s):  
Augustine

This edition of St. Augustine's The City of God (De Civitate Dei) is the only one in English to provide a text and translation as well as a detailed commentary of this most influential document in the history of western Christianity. In these books, Augustine offers a Christian perspective on the growth of Rome, which its pagan apologists attribute to the providential protection of its gods. Book III spotlights both the injustices inflicted and the privations endured by the Romans, thus rebutting such claims. Book IV offers a withering account of the Roman deities, basing its analysis on the researches of Terentius Varro. This section of The City of God is a vital document for students of Roman history, and especially of Roman religion, for it provides the most detailed evidence of Varro's learned works. The volume presents Latin text with facing-page English translation, introduction and commentary.


Author(s):  
P. G. Walsh

In books I–V of De Civitate Dei, St. Augustine rejects the claim that worship of the pagan gods had brought success in this life, and in books VI–X, the prospect of a happy afterlife. In books XI–XII, Augustine turns from attack to defence, for at this point he initiates his apology for the Christian faith. Books XI and XII document the initial phase of the rise of the two cities, the city of God and the city of this world, beginning with the Creation of the world and the human race. In Book XI, Augustine rejects the theories of Aristotle, Plato and the Epicureans on the creation of the universe and addresses the creation of angels, Satan, the role of the holy Trinity and the importance of numerology in the Genesis account. In Book XII, Augustine is chiefly concerned with refuting standard objections to the Christian tradition, returning to discussion of the Creation, including his calculation, based on the scriptures, that the world was created less than 6,000 years ago. This book is the only edition in English to provide not only a text but also a detailed commentary on one of the most influential documents in the history of western Christianity. It presents Latin text, with facing-page English translation, introduction, notes and commentary.


Author(s):  
P. G. Walsh

This edition of St. Augustine's The City of God (De Civitate Dei) is the only one in English to provide a text and translation as well as a detailed commentary of this most influential document in the history of western Christianity. In Book V, Augustine searches out and presents an answer to the question which lies behind the earlier books. In spite of the moral bankruptcy of the Roman state, and in spite of the disasters and injustices which have marked her history since the foundation, Rome has extended her imperial sway throughout Europe and the Near East. If the pagan gods have not guided her to this terrestrial eminence, how has this success been achieved? Augustine divides his response into four main sections: addressing the pagan notion of fate; arguing that God aided the Romans to imperial glory because a minority of them were virtuous even though they did not worship him; stating explicitly that the Roman Empire was set in place by God and is governed by his providence; and devoting the final section to the advent of Christian Emperors. The edition presents Latin text with facing-page English translation, introduction and commentary.


2019 ◽  
Vol 135 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-35
Author(s):  
Judit Lauf

One of the few copies of a Pauline missal printed in 1514 (National Széchényi Library, shelfmark: RMK III, 196/2) has preserved mixed Hungarian and Latin inscriptions entered above the pericopes (approx. 400 Hungarian words). The paper discusses the publication history and the binding of the missal, as well as the corrections made on the Latin text. However, first of all, it presents the newly discovered Hungarian-language texts. This finding is an important source for the history of the Hungarian language on due to the great number of words and phrases and to the age of the notes, which can be dated to the first half of the 16th century. Its importance is enhanced by the fact that it furnishes new data on the process of translating the Bible into Hungarian. This is only the first stage of the research, but we can already state that the writer of the glosses probably followed that branch of the textual tradition (presumably shaped in orality) which was recorded in the Döbrentei Codex. The two translation are closely related. Our hypothesis is that they follow the Pauline tradition. According to the owner’s note, the book belonged to a cleric named Albert, who entered his name into it backwards (mutrebla). It is probably that this denomination hid Albert of Csanád, the famous Pauline preacher. As the interlinear glosses may have served as an aid to preaching, it can be inferred that it was he who glossed the biblical passages to help him with his sermons. This hypothesis has to be confirmed or contradicted by future analyses of the texts’ forma and content.


Author(s):  
Graeme Murdock

John Calvin left his native France in fear of persecution because of his association with a circle of reform-minded intellectuals. He found refuge in Geneva in 1536, in the wake of the city’s revolt against the authority of Catholic Savoy. Calvin was employed by the city council to preach, but his relationship with the Genevan authorities broke down in 1538. Calvin moved to work in Strasbourg but returned to Geneva in 1541 and remained in the city until his death in 1564. On Calvin’s return, the council agreed to his plans for reforms to the structure of the Genevan church. They agreed to establish a consistory of clergy and lay elders who were charged to monitor religious orthodoxy and moral conduct in Geneva. Calvin became the dominant figure among the town’s clergy. His authority was based above all on his scholarship. Calvin’s abilities as a writer and speaker are clear from surviving sermons, polemic tracts, commentaries on the Bible, and most notably from the Institutes of the Christian Religion. His intellectual authority was matched by his relentless energy, single-minded determination, and excellent organizational abilities. Calvin had a certain personal charisma, at least for his friends and admirers. At the same time, he was dismissive of opponents and ready to oppose anyone who disagreed with his vision of church life. Calvin’s influence extended well beyond Geneva’s walls. To build Reformed religion beyond Geneva, he engaged with church leaders in southern German and Swiss towns and territories. Indeed, it would be a profound mistake to see Calvin alone as responsible for the dynamic spread of Calvinism or Reformed Protestantism across Europe (see the article Calvinism). Reformed religion developed as Calvin worked with other reformers to come to a consensus on key points of theology. Much of Calvin’s attention was devoted to efforts to achieve the conversion of his homeland. Toward the end of his life, an academy opened in Geneva to train ministers to be sent into France as civil war spread across the kingdom. Since his death, Calvin has held the attention of many, theologians and historians alike. They have analyzed Calvin’s published work, his sermons, and his correspondence to try to understand his impact on Reformation Europe.


2000 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 56-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreola Rossi

In a recent article Christina Kraus shows how Livy, in the first decade, creates an overlap between the text that he is writing and the subject he is writing about: the city of Rome.1 ‘Like the city it describes and constitutes, then, the Ab urbe condita is a growing physical object through which the writer and the reader move together’ she observes. As a result the foundation and fall of the city, the two most dynamic moments of this space-entity, create parallel junctures both in the development of the city and in the development of the text. Kraus offers an apposite example. In book 5 of Ab urbecondita, Rome comes close to disaster not once but twice. The exordium of book 6, the beginning of the new pentad, refounds both the city and its history, creating a perfect analogy between the text and the city. Most importantly, by means of assimilation to other cities that have endured a similar fate, Livy is able to shape further the significance of the event. By construing the near fall of Rome in book 5 through the filter of the fall of Troy, Rome at the end of the first pentad symbolically moves beyond its Trojan past and refounds itself for good.


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