The entirety of Augustine's Book 21 is devoted to defending the reality and the justice of eternal punishment. This book roughly breaks down into two parts: the first part addresses the objections of unbelievers to the doctrine of eternal punishment (ch. 2-16) and the second part addresses errors of "compassionate Christians who refuse to believe … Continue reading City of God, Book 21: Eternal Punishment
Augustine
City of God, Book 20: Final Judgment
Augustine sets out in Book 20 to instruct the reader on the day of God's final judgment from Scripture. In large part, the book is a series of expositions on relevant passages from both the New and Old Testaments. I will not, in the summary, rehash all of Augustine's exposition, simply highlight the main points … Continue reading City of God, Book 20: Final Judgment
City of God, Book 19: The Supreme Good.
Book 19, while one of my favorites so far, is long. Augustine begins this book by probing into the philosophical debates related to the Supreme Good and the Supreme Evil. "Our Final Good," Augustine defines, "is that for which other things are to be desired, while it is itself to be desired for its own … Continue reading City of God, Book 19: The Supreme Good.
City of God, Book 18: A Brief History of Nearly Everything
In Book 18, Augustine takes up a history of "the earthly city" with was growing alongside the heavenly city. This society of mortal men, though men share a common nature, is divided against itself as "one part of it oppresses another." In the providence of God, some nations have "been entrusted with empire, while others … Continue reading City of God, Book 18: A Brief History of Nearly Everything
City of God, Book 17: The Era of the Prophets
In Book 16, Augustine traced the development of the City of God from Noah to David. The bulk of Book 16 was devoted to Abraham with about two pages covering the entire history of the City of God from the birth of Moses up to the reign of David. Book 17 traces the history of … Continue reading City of God, Book 17: The Era of the Prophets
God Entranced 