SAINT AUGUSTINE’S CITY OF GOD

By Akin Ojumu

As the theological juggernaut who launched an enduring movement, Martin Luther is the recognized leader of the Protestant Reformation. On October 31, 1517, the day Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses on the door of Wittenberg’s Castle Church, the Protestant Reformation was born.

But what if I told you that the theological underpinnings and the doctrinal pillars of the Reformation and Protestantism were actually laid by St. Augustine (c. 354-430), Bishop of Hippo, more than a thousand year prior to Martin Luther?

Perhaps the most significant Christian thinker after St. Paul, Augustine’s adaptation of classical thought to Christian teaching created a theological system of great power and lasting influence. His numerous written works, the most important of which are Confessions (c. 400) and The City of God (c. 413-426), shaped the practice of biblical exegesis and helped lay the foundation for much of medieval and modern Christian thought. (Source: Encyclopedia Britannica).

In my opinion, the defining legacy of St. Augustine was his fierce conflict and polemic contention with Pelagius, a British-born ascetic monk and theologian known for advocating strict moral righteousness and free will. The disputations between Augustine and Pelagius were on the subject of original sin, human free will, grace, and salvation. By the time the dust settled, Augustine had prevailed and Pelagius was banished as a heretic, i.e., the Pelagian heresy. The debate served as the foundation stool for the Protestant Reformation.

Here’s how the good folks at the Gospel Coalition describe the elements of the Augustine-Pelagius dispute.

One of the most important debates in church history is that between Pelagianism and Augustinianism. As you might have guessed, these labels represent two figures: Pelagius and Augustine, both of whom lived in the fourth and fifth centuries. The debate was complex and, much like an onion, had layer upon layer. But its main facets concerned the nature of man and the necessity of divine grace.

Pelagius and Augustine were two of the first figures in early Christianity to debate the nature of the human will after the fall of Adam and Eve and the nature of the grace needed to allow humans to exercise faith. 

Pelagius argued that the sin of Adam, called original sin, was in no way passed down or imputed to the rest of the human race. Adam and Eve simply provided a bad example that was followed by all of their offspring. Because of this belief, Pelagius believed that grace simply helped humans to know what to do to live holy lives and that humans were completely capable of following these commands. 

Augustine, on the other hand, argued that the sin of Adam affected the will of every human who followed, rendering them incapable of following God’s commands or loving God. Because of this, the grace of God is not simply illuminatory but liberates the will and enables it to love and obey God.

Augustine’s writings reveal that the whole debate hinged on Pelagius’s rejection of original sin. For as long as man was considered free from sin’s grip, grace would never be necessary. Augustine put forward an extensive defense of original sin, exegeting passages like Psalm 51 and Romans 5. Augustine demonstrates that humankind has been affected by Adam’s guilt and corruption. The result? “There is none who seeks after God” (Rom. 3:11).

Furthermore, original sin is not limited to part of humanity but is universal in its reach. Nor did original sin only affect part of man, but its poison has spread to every aspect of man. No part of man’s nature has escaped. And that means man’s will, too, falls under sin’s curse.

Prior to the fall, man’s will was not in slavery to sin. It was capable of choosing that which was good. Sin was merely a possibility. But after the fall, man’s will changed. Polluted by sin, what was merely a possibility now became a necessity. Augustine described this shift with the following Latin phrases:

posse peccare – prior to the Fall man has the ability to sin

posse non peccare – prior to the Fall man has the ability not to sin

But after the Fall…

non posse non peccare – man is not able not to sin

Man still possesses moral agency after the fall (necessity to sin does not preclude his culpability), but after the fall his moral agency is necessarily inclined toward sin and evil. It’s not just that he cannot choose that which is pleasing to God, he will not. His bondage is a willful bondage. Or as Augustine put it, after the fall man possesses a captive free will (liberum arbitrium captivatum). It is only by God’s grace that he possesses a liberated free will (liberum arbitrium liberatum). Needed, then, is a grace so powerful and effective that it can set free a will enslaved to sin. Grace is necessary, and not just any grace but a grace that can set the enslaved will free.

For centuries, historical Christianity denounced the Pelagius’ view on salvation as a heresy. Unfortunately, it’s this same heresy to which the vast majority of the Christian world now subscribe. Much of what is taught with respect to the doctrine of salvation in the contemporary Church is that a human being who is, erstwhile, dead in his trespasses and sins is capable of his own volition to “surrender his life to Christ” after hearing the Gospel message preached. To obtain salvation, they insist, humans must partner with God…and that humans play a part, or have a role, in their own salvation.

Of course, such a notion is preposterous. And I’m sure that St. Augustine is rolling in his grave that such a thought is even contemplated at all after all he did to discard Pelagius’ idea into the garbage dump of heretical teachings. 

Catastrophically, the modern-day Church is made up of dumpster divers who rummage through the refuse dump of history or look through theological trash bins of the Church to find discarded heresies.

But I digress. 

This commentary is a synopsis of the City of God, one of the seminal books authored by St. Augustine. The book is a Christian classic that all serious believers should endeavor to read…or own. 

DISCLAIMER: I lay no intellectual property claim to this synopsis. It is all AI-Generated.

In The City of God, Saint Augustine argued that history is a profound struggle between two mystical cities formed by two distinct loves: the earthly city (love of self to the contempt of God) and the City of God (love of God to the contempt of self). He stated that all human history is ultimately driven by God's providence and progresses toward the final separation of these two cities—one destined for eternal punishment, the other for eternal peace.

Context

The Visigoths’ capture of Rome in 410 CE led pagans to claim traditional gods abandoned Rome due to the rise of Christianity. Augustine argues that the fall of Rome was a natural consequence of its inherent immorality and political decline, not a divine punishment for abandoning pagan gods.

Key arguments and concepts stated in The City of God include:

The Two Cities

Augustine argued that all humanity is divided into two communities: the City of God (Heavenly City) which is composed of those who love God and dedicate their lives to eternal truths, and the Earthly City (City of Man) composed of those who prioritize self-love and worldly pleasures.

Definition of Loves

The earthly city is formed by “love of self, even to the point of contempt for God,” while the heavenly city is formed by “love of God, even to the point of contempt for self.”

Response to Rome’s Sack

Written after the 410 AD sack of Rome, Augustine denied that Rome’s fall was due to abandoning pagan gods, arguing that earthly kingdoms are inherently unstable and destined to fall, regardless of their piety.

Role of History

Augustine presented a “theology of history,” viewing all world events as God directing history toward the triumph of the Church and ultimate judgment.

Augustine outlines a linear, rather than cyclical, view of history, starting from Creation and ending in the Last Judgment. Earthly powers like Rome are transient, while the City of God is eternal and populated by believers.

The Earthly City’s Conflict

The earthly city is marked by libido dominandi, or the “lust for dominating,” which brings conflict and insecurity to human life.

True Happiness

He argued that true peace and happiness cannot be found in the earthly, temporal city, but only in the afterlife through divine grace. True peace is found only in the City of God (the final, ultimate good), whereas the Earthly City only experiences temporary peace through conflict and temporal power.

Augustine’s work functions as an apology (defense) of Christianity, asserting that only the City of God is eternal and worthy of ultimate loyalty. It argues that Christians are merely “alien sojourners” in this world, and that while Christians can live within the earthly city, their true loyalty is to the divine realm.

Individual Salvation vs. State

Augustine argues that a person’s final destiny is not tied to the endurance of any earthly empire, including Rome.

Refutation of Paganism

In the first half of the City of God, Augustine argues that Roman pagan gods never provided safety or moral superiority. He emphasized that worldly disasters impact both the just and unjust.