Table of Contents
Introduction ix
The Text ix
The Sack of Rome and The City of God (Book I) x
Rome's Gods and Earthly Happiness (Books JI-V) xiv
Rome's Gods and Happiness in Life after-Death (Books VI-X) xvi
The Origins of the Two Cities (Books XI-XIV) xxii
The Course of the Two Cities through Time (Books XV-XVIII) xxxi
The Eternal Destinies of the Two Cities (Books XIX-XXII) xxxiv
The Translation xlvii
A Select Bibliography liv
Revisions II,43 (70) lv
Book I 1
Barbarian Respect for Christ's Churches as Places of Sanctuary 2
Rome's "Conquered Gods" 3
Neither the Greeks nor the Romans Respected the Temples of the Gods as Places of Sanctuary 5
Divine Providence, Human Suffering, and Temporal Goods and Evils 7
Why the Good also Suffered in the Sack of Rome: Failure to Correct the Evil 9
Forms of Christian Suffering: Loss of Riches 11
Forms of Christian Suffering: Torture and Famine 13
Forms of Christian Suffering: Dreadful Types of Death and Death without Burial 13
Forms of Christian Suffering: Captivity 16
Captivity: the Example of Regulus and His Loyalty to His Gods 17
Forms of Christian Suffering: Rape; Moral Purity and the Issue of Suicide 18
Rape and Suicide: the Example of Lucretia 21
Suicide: the Example of Cato 25
Is Suicide Permissible to Avoid Sin? 27
The Perils of Unfettered Prosperity: Scipio Nasica against Roman Extravagance 32
The Theaters and the Gods 33
The Intermingling of the Two Cities in this World 35
Points for Further Discussion 36
Book II 37
Summation of Book I 38
The Disasters that Afflicted Rome Prior to the Corning of Christ 39
The Failure of the Gods to Provide Moral Guidance: the Rites of the Mother of the Gods 40
Did the Gods Sponsor any Public Teaching of Virtue? 42
The Fables of the Poets and the Shows in the Theaters 43
The Greeks and the Romans on Poets and Actors 44
Plato on the Poets 48
The Natural "Justice and Goodness" of the Romans 51
Roman Morality, the Constraint of Fear, and the Destruction of Carthage 52
The Issue of Justice and Scipio's Definition of a Republic 56
Scipio's Definition of a Republic 57
Cicero: the Republic Has Perished 58
The Gods' Failure to Save the Republic 59
Had the Gods Withdrawn? 60
The Gods and the Civil Wars: Marius 61
The Gods and the Civil Wars: Sulla 63
The Example of the Gods: a Supposedly Divine Authority for Human Immorality 64
Did the Gods Provide a Secret Moral Teaching? 66
Christianity's Public Teaching 68
An Exhortation to the Romans to Abandon their False Gods 68
Book III 71
The Fall of Troy: the Gods and Laomedon's Perjury 72
The Fall of Troy: the Gods and Paris's Adultery 73
Troy and Adultery, Rome and Fratricide 75
The Sack of Troy by Fimbria 75
The Peace of Numa's Reign 77
Gods Brought in after Numa's Reign 80
The Seizing of the Sabine Women 81
The War with Alba 83
The Deaths of the Kings 85
From the Expulsion of the Kings to the Second Punic War: the First Consuls 88
From the Expulsion of the Kings to the Second Punic War: Conflict between Patricians and Plebeians 89
From the Expulsion of the Kings to the Second Punic War: Famines, Plagues, and Wars 91
The Second Punic War: Hannibal 95
The Second Punic War: the Destruction of Saguntum 96
From the Second to the Final Punic War: the Maltreatment of Scipio and the Cultivation of Luxury 98
From the Punic Wars to Augustus: the Massacre of the Romans under Mithridates 99
Evils Internal to the Republic: Civil Strife and Civil War 100
Civil War: Marius and Sulla 103
Civil Wars in the Time of Augustus 105
These Evils All Occurred Prior to Christianity, when the Gods Were Still Worshiped 106
Book IV 108
The Basis for Rome's Expansion 110
The Evaluation of Empire 111
The Revolt of the Gladiators 112
The Gods and the Rise and Fall of Assyrian Rule 113
Which of the Gods Aided the Expansion of Rome? 115
The Greater Gods: Jupiter and the Elements of the Universe 117
Jupiter as the One God in All 119
Why not Worship the One God Alone? 121
God as the Soul of the World, the World as the Body of God 122
Victory, Just War, and Foreign Iniquity 123
The Goddesses Felicity and Fortune 125
Virtue and the Virtues: not Goddesses but Gifts of God 126
Virtue and Felicity 127
Varro on the Functions of the Gods 129
Rome's Late Recognition of Felicity 129
The Naming of Gods for Their Gifts and the God Who Gives Happiness 132
The Gods and the Theatrical Shows 133
Three Views of the Gods 134
Rome's Gods Incapable of Extending or Preserving Rome's Empire 136
The Omen of Mars, Terminus, and Juventas 136
Cicero and Varro on Superstition, Images of the Gods, and the Religion of the Populace 138
The One True God Is the God Who Gives Earthly Kingdoms 141
Book V 143
Neither Chance nor Fate Caused Rome's Greatness 144
Against Astrological Fatalism: the Case of Twins 144
Against Astrological Fatalism: "Auspicious" Days 150
Fate as the Chain of Causes 151
Cicero's Argument on Foreknowledge and Free Will 152
Divine Foreknowledge and Human Freedom 154
The Giver of Empire is the True God 158
Roman Love of Glory and Roman Virtue 159
The Divine Gift of Empire to Rome: an Earthly Reward for Earthly Virtue 163
The Roman Example: an Antidote to Christian Pride 167
The Difference between the Desire for Glory and the Desire for Domination 171
The Proper End of Virtue: neither Pleasure nor Human Glory 173
God Is the One Who Grants Power both to Kingdoms and to Individuals 174
The Good Christian Emperor 177
The Emperor Theodosius 179
Book VI 183
The Issue: Are the Gods to Be Worshiped for the Sake of Eternal Life? 184
Varro and His Work on Roman Religion 186
Varro's Three Types of Theology 190
The Intertwining of the Mythical and Civic Theologies 193
The Natural Interpretation of Sacred Rites 197
The Implied Aim of Varro's Account of Civic Theology 197
Seneca's Boldness and Varro's Timidity 202
Seneca on the Jews 204
Neither the Mythical nor the Civic Theology Holds the Promise of Eternal Life 205
Book VII 206
The Select Gods and Their Functions 207
The Absurdities and Inconsistencies in Varro's Account of the Select Gods 208
The Indecent Acts Attributed to the Select Gods 211
Varro's Naturalistic Interpretations of the Select Gods 212
The Naturalistic Interpretation of Janus 214
Janus's Two Faces 214
The Naturalistic Interpretation of Jupiter 215
How Are the Naturalistic Interpretations of Jupiter and Janus to Be Reconciled? 216
Jupiter's Titles and Tasks 217
Jupiter and the Other Select Gods 219
The Cases of Mercury and Mars 220
The Astral Interpretation of the Select Gods 221
The Select Gods Interpreted as the World and Its Parts 222
Varro's Interpretation of Saturn 224
The Rites of Ceres and Liber 225
Neptune's Wives, Salacia and Venilia 226
The World's Soul and Its Permeation of the World 227
The Rites of Tellus/the Great Mother 230
Worship of the Select Gods Brings neither Purity in this Life nor Happiness in Life after Death 232
To Worship the World or the World's Soul Is not to Worship the True God 233
Further Inconsistencies in Varro's Naturalistic Interpretations of the Select Gods 234
The One True God and His Works 235
Numa's Explanations of the Rites that He Instituted 238
Book VIII 241
Plato's Predecessors 243
Socrates 244
Plato and the Platonic Division of Philosophy 245
The Superiority of the Platonists 247
The Closeness of the Platonists to Christianity 253
The Issue: the Worship of Many Gods 257
The Platonists on the Demons: Apuleius 258
Apuleius's Definition of the Demons 261
The Demons as Intermediaries between the Gods and Human Beings 265
Hermes Trismegistus on the Demons: the Art of Making Gods and the Coming Abolition of the Gods 268
Hermes Trismegistus: the Art of Making Gods Is Rooted in Error and Unbelief 271
Hermes's Lament and the Memorial Shrines of Christian Martyrs 274
Christians Do not Worship the Martyrs 277
Book IX 279
Apuleius on the Demons and the Passions 281
Philosophic Views of the Passions 281
Scripture on the Passions 284
The Demons' Mind, the Highest Part of the Soul, Is Subject to the Passions 285
All Demons Are Subject to the Passions 286
The Demons: Immortal Body, Vice-Ridden Soul 288
In What Sense Are the Demons Intermediate between Gods and Men? 290
Good Demons: a Logical Impossibility 292
Evil Mediators and the Good Mediator 293
God, the Gods, the Demons and the Issue of Contamination by Human Contact 295
Good Angels Are not Good Demons 298
The Pride of the Demons, the Humility of Christ, and the Good Angels 299
Good Angels and the Gods 301
Conclusion: neither Angels nor Demons Are Mediators to Be Worshiped for the Sake of Eternal Life 302
Book X 303
The Terminology of Religion and the Worship Due to God Alone 304
The One Source of Happiness, both Human and Angelic 306
Sacrifice Is Due to God Alone 308
The Significance of the Sacrifices Commanded under the Old Law: the Self Directed to God in Love 309
The Miracles that Confirm the Command to Sacrifice to God Alone 312
Porphyry on Theurgy and the Purification of the Soul 314
Porphyry's Letter to Anebo 317
The Visible Miracles and Visible Appearances of the Invisible God 319
Divine Providence, the Education of Humanity, and the Giving of the Law 321
Angels, Miracles, and the Worship of God 322
The Ark of Testimony and the Miracles Associated with It 325
Sacrifice, the Angels, and the Worship of God 327
Demons, Persecution, and the Martyrs 328
Porphyry on the Principles and the Purification of the Soul 330
Christ: the True Mediator and the True Principle of Our Purification 331
Psalm 73 and the True Good 332
Porphyry on the Angels and the Theurgic Arts 334
Porphyry's Failure to Recognize the Truth: Pride and Humility 337
Corrections of Plato 341
The Soul Has not Always Existed 343
The Universal Way of the Soul's Liberation 344
