Augustine The City Of God Analysis

Picture, for a moment, two cities. One is glorious and filled with songs to the Lord while the other is bursting with praises of its own splendor. One city seeks to discover glory in humankind; the other strives to name God as the only glorious one. These are the two cities that Augustine of Hippo terms in The City of God or De Civitate Dei. Augustine was born on 13 November 354 A.D. in Tagaste, Numidia which is in North Africa. Monica, his mother, was a sincere Christian. His father remained stubborn in his pagan ways until he was on his deathbed. At a point in his life, he traveled to Milan, Italy where he taken under the wing of Ambrose who was also a student of rhetoric. Ambrose was more experienced than Augustine in the art and study of rhetoric. He was then renewed in God and returned to Africa where he eventually became the Bishop of Hippo. Once he became a follower of God, he wrote one of his most powerful works, The City of God.
As labeled, one is the City of God and the other is the City of Man. Individually, they have their own notions and principles, but collectively, they make up the world and its citizens. The main variance between the two cities is noted, “The one delights in its own strength, represented in the persons of its rulers; the other says to its own God, ‘I will love Thee, O Lord, my strength.’” (Augustine, 477) To one with any shred of reason, the City of Man is easily identifiable from the preceding line. In short, The City of Man is consumed in its lust for power and glory. It is blinded by libido dominandi—the desire for control and domination. The City of God offers up all to Christ in a selfless sacrifice of love for the King and for each