Outline given in chapter 5: Gerard O'Daly's Augustine's City of God: Reader's Edition
(2020: second edition)
De Civitate Dei
The two cities: their origins (chs. 11 - 14) their history (chs. 15 - 18) their
ends (chs. 19 - 22)
Creation, the Fall, and the Regime of the Passions
Principal themes are the
Creation of the universe
The nature of the angels
The rebellion of some angels
The fall of Adam and Eve
History of the two cities
The course (Latin excursus, procursus)
De Civ. Dei shadows the books of the Bible
through ch. 18 which concludes with
the last prophets & the books of Maccabees
Cain, the fratricide, is the first founder of
an earthly city (Book 15. 1,5); his murdered
brother Abel belongs to the city of God,
but founds no earthly city.
Both Cain and Abel -- hence all humans --
derive from the same clay condemned by
God at Adam's fall: but from the same clay
were made "one vessel for honor, another
for dishonor." Thus Cain and Abel represent
both the same individual who, by grace,
aspires to become "spiritual," and different
individuals, evil and good, members of
two cities (Book 15).
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