Written between 413 and 426 A.D., The City of God is one of the great cornerstones in the history of Christian thought, a book which is vital to the understanding of modern Western society. Augustine originally itended it to be an apology for Christianity against the accusation that the Church was responsible for the decline of the Roman Empire, an event which occurred just three years earlier. Indeed, Augustine produced a great amount of evidence to prove that paganism was directly responsible. However, by the time the work was finished, the book had taken on a larger theme: a cosmic interpretation of history in terms of the conflict between the good (the City of God) and evil (the Earthly City). Augustine forsees that through the will of God, the people of the City of God will eventualy win immortality, and those in the Earthly City destruction. Part Two. Unabridged. Readby Bernard Mayes. 16 cassettes. 24 hours.