The earthly city will not be everlasting; for when it is condemned to the final punishment it will no longer be a city. It has its good in this world, and rejoices to participate in it with such gladness as can be derived from things of such a kind”.
Augustine, The City of God, Book XV, (Reader p.3)
“One part of the earthly city has been made into an image of the Heavenly City, by symbolizing something other than itself…For it was established not for its own sake but in order to symbolize another City”
Augustine The City of God, Book XV (Reader p.2)
In Augustine’s view, even though the earthly city is corrupted by sin, and follows in the legacy of Cain, it is not simply ‘evil’. Rather, Augustine believes the earthly city “has its good in this world”. He also believes (see City of God Book II) that the pagan Romans, for all their sins of pride and glory-hunting, achieved great things. Discuss the different aspects of Augustine’s conception of the earthly city. What does he means when he says that the City of God can be seen in the world as an ‘image’, or symbol? How does Augustine use Rome and Jerusalem as symbols for the human condition?
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