This edition of the City of God, St. Augustine's classic work, is the abridged version of the original that totalled 22 books in 3 volumes. This volume captures the major themes of Augustine---such as the self-destruction of paganism, the cosmic interpretation of history in terms of God's providence and the stress between empire and church which led to the triumph of Christianity. The original City of God was the first serious attempt at a philosophy of history, and had an incalculable influence in forming the Western mind on the relations of the Church and State. One of antiquity's greatest theologians, Augustine of Hippo lived from 354-430 A.D.
