Augustine's City Of God + Other Spiritual Readings

[AugustineA]

I am currently reading St. Augustine's City of God. This thing is a tome, written over a number of years, over 1000 pages, intended to be a multi-volume work, sometimes it comes off as a journal of ideas more than a unified work. St. Augustine writes with such zeal that I suspect he would have received some criticism from more conciliar-minded contemporary Catholics. I am enjoying it, though I'm only past the lengthy introduction, bibliography and forty pages in. Please share your opinions on this work, which I'm not sure any of us could do justice to.  :saint2:

 

Following a brief pause after Augustine's work in which I am reading the writings of St. Francis, I want to study St. Ambrose and St. Gregory. Together, all three (I hear) theorize the position of the Church in society from three major angles. 

 

Also, I'm about 50 pages into Theophilus by Michael O'Brien after reading his Father Elijah. I cannot recommend Father Elijah enough. It tells the story of a Carmelite monk and professor who find his unwitting self becoming groomed as God's instrument in the pending apocalypse. The way angels and prophets reappear (no spoilers) throughout the plot is a masterful exercise in literature, which really sets it apart from other apocalyptic fiction. It's also unabashedly Catholic (Saints, relics, Mary, stigmata, the Pope, magisterium, religious). 

 

Be forewarned through, I often had to put the book down because it was getting all too real. It will make you laugh, cry, and generally feel like a crazy person. 

 

 

Edited May 21, 2014 by AugustineA

[Poiesis]

Why are you reading City of God? It's one of Augustine's least accessible texts, and most people start with confessions. I was in an advanced theology seminar on Augustine's theological development and City was one of the texts we read. As you said, the thing is huge, and not easy to get through. One of the reasons being is that ancient writers (especially Augustine !) really felt no need to present their arguments in an orderly fashion. So while you might expect something along these lines from an argument in a contemporary text: a --->b--->c--->d and so in and so forth, ancient writers tend to do something more along these lines: d...OH YEAH A I NEED A--->b.........Q....definitely Q...and while we're at it X...but back to b, oh and, cdefghi QQQ SEE HOW THE Q APPLIES AND THE A!

Which St. Gregory are you reading?

[chrysostom]

Why are you reading City of God? It's one of Augustine's least accessible texts