Books That Matter: The Analects of Confucius

Augustine of Hippo’s magnum opus The City of God is one of the greatest works of the Western intellectual tradition—so powerful, in fact, that one could argue all of Christian theology has been a series of footnotes to Augustine. Written during the transition from antiquity to the rise of Christianity, it is one of the key texts in defining our ethical framework into the 21st century. Yet even serious readers can be intimidated by a book that spans over 1,000 pages.

Augustine started writing The City of God in 411 A.D. as a defense of Christianity after the sack of Rome—indeed, as a critique of the depravity of Rome itself. Yet by the time he completed the book more than 15 years later, he’d taken the offense, arguing in favor of a radical new relationship between humanity and the world. Modern readers, warily eyeing the book’s imposing scale, may wonder: What made this book so influential over the years? What mysteries lie between its pages? What relevance does the 1,600-year-old text have for our world today? How should contemporary readers approach this monumental text?

Take the plunge with this profound survey of one of the world’s truly great books. Books That Matter: The City of God ushers you on a historical and theological journey through the final years of the ancient world. Taught by Professor Charles Mathewes of the University of Virginia, these 24 in-depth lectures guide you chapter by chapter through Augustine’s masterpiece, introducing you not only to the book’s key arguments but also to the historical context necessary to comprehend The City of God‘s true power.

Augustine began the book as an apologetic when Romans began to blame Christians for the sack of their city. But his audience was hardly a homogenous group of skeptics that he could win over by linear argument. Rather, he faced multiple audiences with myriad motivations. Trained as a rhetorician, he employed a different kind of argument, filled with digressions and stories and historical accounts, to make his case for a new Christian worldview.

The result was a wide-ranging philosophical treatise whose ultimate strategy was conversion—to transform Rome from a brutally immoral society to a city where Christ’s love provided the guiding star. As you’ll discover in Books That Matter: The City of God, Augustine’s argument was so powerful that his book became one of the most influential texts on politics, humanity, divinity, and the long and ultimate destiny of the world.

Introduction to the Study of Religion

Religion in the Ancient Mediterranean World

Great World Religions: Christianity

Religions of the Axial Age: An Approach to the World's Religions

Great World Religions: Hinduism

Great World Religions: Islam

Great World Religions: Buddhism

Great World Religions: Judaism

Sex & God: How Religion Distorts Sexuality

Exploring the Roots of Religion

From Jesus to Constantine: A History of Early Christianity

Historical Jesus

History of Christianity in the Reformation Era

The World of Biblical Israel

Popes and the Papacy: A History

Early Christianity the Experience of the Divine

Introduction to Judaism

Beginnings of Judaism

Fall of the Pagans and the Origins of Medieval Christianity

Book of Genesis

Biblical Wisdom Literature

Lives of Great Christians

Buddhism and Modern Psychology

Lost Christianities: Christian...he Battles over Authentication

Comparative Religion

Cultural Literacy for Religion...ll-Educated Person Should Know

Jesus and His Jewish Influences

God and Mankind: Comparative Religions

Reading Biblical Literature: Genesis to Revelation