Books That Matter: The City of God

By: Charles Mathewes, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Charles Mathewes

Augustine of Hippo's masterpiece The City of God is one of the greatest books ever written, yet its size - nearly 1,000 pages - too often intimidates even serious readers. Composed in the years after the sack of Rome in the fifth century, it ushers you on an astounding historical and theological journey through the final years of the ancient world. What made this book so powerful? What mysteries lie within it? What relevance does the 1,600-year-old text have for our world today? And how should contemporary readers approach this monumental text?

Now is your chance to answer these questions and more with this profound survey of one of the world's truly great books. Over the course of 24 in-depth lectures, Professor Mathewes guides you chapter by chapter through Augustine's magnum opus, introducing you not only to the book's key arguments but also to the historical context necessary to comprehend The City of God's true power.

Here, you'll discover that Augustine was a surprisingly modern man with a clear-eyed outlook on a world in transition - and whose ideas continue to influence us today. Witness how he wrestled with some of the thorniest philosophical challenges of any time, including the problem of evil, faith versus reason, fate versus free will, and the very nature of God. Although there are no easy answers, Augustine's approach is ultimately therapeutic, helping readers live "happy in hope", which, he argues, is the only true happiness in a fallen world.

Whether you come to this book as a Christian, a philosopher, a historian, a literature lover, or simply someone who wants fresh insight into our world today, Augustine will revolutionize the way you think about politics, religion, history, and our relationship to the divine. Professor Mathewes delivers a magnificent introduction to one of the world's truly great books.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2016 The Great Courses (P)2016 The Teaching Company, LLC

Great read

this is a great way to approach one of the more exhaustive and difficult books. approaching the City of God can be a little daunting, but the professor does a good job of both respecting Augustine's vast intellect while making him accessible to the average listener.

Listen to this while reading City of God

This lecture series is an essential companion to reading Augustine’s City of God. What was obscure has been made a little clearer. And the professor is a delight to listen to. He exegetes not only the book, but also the man. Sometimes I find the book hard to grasp and these lectures point to a path of understanding. Highly recommend this series.

Great lecture

Great work on a complicated and massive work. Listened to it over several months, so I’m hard-pressed to give it an even review. Som parts have faded from memory and the closing was not my favorite part.

informative and helpful

informative and helpful in reaching a deeper understanding of Augustine's work. I suggest reading or listening to City of God as it is sectioned here to understand this commentary.

Lovely

The lecturer is lovely; he has a masterful grasp of the subject matter. This isn't just some sparknotes summary -- this is like having a conversation with a friend. Some of the things Professor Matthewes highlights from this book have stuck with me for years.

Incredible presentation of an incredible work

Join in this pilgrimage through Augustine's City of God - it's well worth your time!

May Take a Few Listens

In short, the professor is obviously well versed in the material and seems excellent. The only tricky part is that he uses lots of 10-dollar words. They're the kind that are super precise and you kind of know the meaning of them, but when three or four are used in the same sentence, your mind just glazes. It's sort of like a rocket scientist explaining what he does with technical terms. He's certainly being more accurate than if he used layman terms, but it would be nice to throw in some more common words to assist the poor layman who is trying to wrap his head around the unfamiliar subject.
That being said, taking on the City of God is a huge task, and I know more than I did before I started. I like the professor and hope to listen someday again and see if I can glean a little more from this sophisticated lesson.

Superb! Highly recommended!

One of my favorites in the Great Courses. I don’t recommend it if you are not familiar with philosophical or theological jargon, but if you are, this course is worth three credits. Dense, deep, inspiring, so good!

Always excellent

As an armature Augustine scholar, I’ve come back to these lectures time and time again. Mathewes’ read is erudite, concise, and caring; looking beyond the plain words and simple meaning to the heart of the Bishop. He brings Augustine to life today and is always a necessary reminder of what it means to seek to walk with Augustine.

An Insightful Guide to an Essential Book

There is so much good stuff here. You will gain a solid understanding of the theological, philosophical, historical, and cultural soil out of which the City of God grew, the audiences for which it was written, the message St. Augustine intended to convey to those audiences, and the impact his book had at the time and in the centuries since—all essential background before embarking on the book itself. And these lectures provide a healthy mental reset, too. Even among those who take the Judeo-Christian story seriously, we tend to take it for granted, forgetting that it was then (and remains now) the only exit from the blind alley of pagan spiritualism. These are twelve and three-quarters hours very well spent.

Of course, the argot and attitudes of the contemporary academy are unavoidable. No point of view is “true”, just “privileged”. Christianity is an “ideology”. In a discussion of martyrdom, Professor Mathewes dockets Christ’s willing sacrifice as somehow “political”. And I wish I could share his bland confidence that Christianity is so “baked in” to our culture as to make any regression, even in our radically post-Christian age, unlikely.

However, Mathewes is a professor, not a priest. And, as the course proceeds, the academic argot and attitude tend to fall away as he lets Augustine speak for himself. Between the practical roadmap of the book’s structure and the historical and philosophical background that our good professor provides, you’ll walk away with a much clearer understanding of Augustine’s vision--along with salutary reminders to never think you'll have a lock on it. Especially helpful is the clarification of many popular misapprehensions. “If you manage to hear what he is trying to say”, Mathewes suggests, “[Augustine] is more fundamentally affirming…than condemning” than many of us (including myself) have been led to believe.

Admittedly, while discussing towering concepts and subtle connections, he tends to speak perhaps a shade too rapidly at times. But that’s what the rewind button is for.