Aurelius Augustine

Saint Augustine is the most influential Christian outside of the apostles and "On the Trinity" (De Trinitate) is one of his greatest works.

Christian Classics Series

On the Trinity

The glorious city of God is my theme in this work, which you, my dearest son Marcellinus, [25] suggested, and which is due to you by my promise. I have undertaken its defence against those who prefer their own gods to the Founder of this city, -a city surpassingly glorious, whether we view it as it still lives by faith in this fleeting course of time, and sojourns as a stranger in the midst of the ungodly, or as it shall dwell in the fixed stability of its eternal seat, which it now with patience waits for, expecting until "righteousness shall return unto judgment,"[26] and it obtain, by virtue of its excellence, final victory and perfect peace. A great work this, and an arduous; but God is my helper. For I am aware what ability is requisite to persuade the proud how great is the virtue of humility, which raises us, not by a quite human arrogance, but by a divine grace, above all earthly dignities that totter on this shifting scene. For the King and Founder[Pg 2] of this city of which we speak, has in Scripture uttered to His people a dictum of the divine law in these words: "God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble."[27] But this, which is God's prerogative, the inflated ambition of a proud spirit also affects, and dearly loves that this be numbered among its attributes, to

Volume I

The City of God

Before converting to Christianity, Augustine was at one time a member of a group called the Manichaeans and this collection of works are his attempt to combat the growing threat that this religion caused to the rise and growth of the Christian church. The Manichaeans were a dualistic society that focused on the goodness of the spirit and the evil of the material. While basing their belief structure of Mesopotamian Gnosticism it is hard to say for certain that they were Gnostic themselves. Augustine shows sound arguments to counter the beliefs he reveals in this collection of writings even going so far as to have a verbal parley back and forth with a leading member of the religious movement Fortunatus. Now in larger print!

The Writings Against the Manichaeans and Against the Donatists: Part I - The Manichaeans Revised

Reproduction of the original: The City of God by Aurelius Augustine

One of Augustine's most famous works, this book tells of the fall of the Roman Empire and the rise of the holy and righteous City of God from the ashes. While building a utopia much like The Republic does, Augustine uses sound theology to build the foundations of the cities morals and lawful authority. Many theologies, especially within the Catholic tradition, owe their beginnings to the teachings of Augustine and this work is one of the starts of the field. This is a revised version of Devoted Publishing's 1st edition of this work.

Aurelius Augustine

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