Hey everybody, and welcome back to my personal reading of the City of God, part 4! Today, we’re going to be reading points 6,7 and 8 of Book 1! If you haven’t read the previous parts, fear not! You can always go back and read them! Or, better yet, go out and buy the book yourself and read along with me!
Point 6: The Romans did not spare conquered temples or cities.
Augustine continues his rhetorical rampage against Roman paganism by citing the brutality of Roman conquest.
Surely the same mercy that the Romans handed out to their conquered foes temples was the reason that Christian churches were spared in the sacking of Rome?
Not so. He claims that no one could cite an example of Roman generals sparing servants of one temple or other. He states that historians are often the recorders of praiseworthy deeds, and thus it should be easy to find such acts of mercy in the chronicles and histories of the time.
He bolsters this claim by quoting Livy, who writes Marcus Marcellus weeping over the destruction of the people of Syracuse. He orders that no violence be done to free people, but renders no protection to any temple, group of worshipers, or pagan gods.
He continues to point out that Fabius Maximus Cunctator (heck of a name), after crushing Tarentum, spared the idols and deities of that city more out of good humor than respect for its people.
Point 7: In the Sack of Rome, Clemency was due to Christ
Augustine points out that again that while wartime custom was followed, it was only Christian churches that were spared. He claims that anyone who fails to see this is blind, and that anyone who does not give thanks for it is ungrateful.
He states that this can in no way be attributed to standard barbarian behaviors, due to the fact that their mode of operation was traditionally brutal and untamed.
He states that they were terrified and restrained by God, quoting Psalm 89:32-33:
“then I will punish their transgression with the rod and their iniquity with stripes, but I will not remove from him my steadfast love or be false to my faithfulness.”
Point 8: Blessings and disasters often shine on both good and bad.
Augustine continues, asking the question:
“Why does divine mercy extend to even the godless and ungrateful?”
Only to reply with the perfect scripture for such a question, Matthew 5:45:
“so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”
He points out that through God’s mercy, some may be led to penitence, while others will be hardened from God. He also makes it clear that our hardship is meant to strengthen us in patient endurance, which brings to mind James 1.
Augustine then moves on to say that God pours out both goodness and hardship on us, that we would not covet good, because the evil enjoy it as well, nor that the evils be “discreditably shunned” as it is apparent the good are also afflicted by them.
He continues that a good man will not be exalted by the goods of the world, nor crushed by the bad, but an evil man will suffer the bad of this world even as (and because) he receives the good.
Augustine also points out that if God ALWAYS punished bad behavior in this life, people might begin to believe there was no punishment reserved after death; and that if sins were never punished, we would cease to believe in His providence.
He points out that the presence of one same suffering, does not the same sufferer make. Though you and are afflicted by the same disaster, one of us may have caused it while the other did not, and one of us may respond differently to it than another.
Thoughts on the Text
Augustine continues to do an extremely good job breaking down his argument. Points 6 and 8 are both exceptional, and I am intentionally leaving parts out to encourage you to read the book.
Point 7 is by far the weakest argument from a strictly logical standpoint. While he reinforces his point with Scripture, he leaves few detailed examples of the extraordinary mercy of the barbarians, or them being afflicted by terror from God.
Ultimately, it’s another great day of investigation into this legendary work, with more on the way tomorrow! Next week, the post schedule will slow some, down to twice a week. Stay tuned for points 9, 10, and 11 tomorrow!
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