City of God

City of God is Augustine of Hippo's extended Christian response to arguments that the abandonment of traditional Roman worship had caused the empire's disasters. He examines Roman history, philosophical traditions and biblical narrative through a distinction between two communities shaped by different ultimate loves. These cities are not simply equivalent to particular earthly governments. Their histories remain interwoven while their final ends differ. Augustine's treatment of justice, peace and human pride places political achievement within a larger spiritual horizon, denying that military success or civic prestige can alone establish a community's moral worth.