The main idea was to prove that the decline of the Roman Empire
was not caused by the conversion to Christianity, and point out the difference
between the earthly city and the heavenly city. However, at times I lost the
main points of St. Augustine’s The City
of God within the smaller messages in the chapters. But, I liked how the
chapter titles gave a brief description of what the chapters were about. It
helped me decipher some of the more complex ideas that were trying to be
conveyed. Overall, I was surprised that I understood as much as I did, because I was slightly intimidated when Dr. MB said it was one of the hardest books she has ever read.
The chapter that I found most odd was Book XIX, Chapter 5.
St. Augustine has a fairly negative perspective on human beings and their
nature as whole, but this chapter stood out to me. The title is, “Social Life;
its value and its dangers;” but the case for the values of social life were
hardly
stated. I interpreted this chapter as St. Augustine saying, “You can’t
trust anyone.” He was calling everybody out on their trustworthiness—family,
friends, spouses. He says, “The story of mankind is full of them at every
point; for in that story we are aware of wrongs, suspicions, enmities and war –
undoubted evils, these. And even peace is a doubtful good.” Personally, I do
not agree with him. I know that you will meet people in your life time that
will betray your trust, but I have friends that I would trust with my life.
These friends have always been there for me during good and bad times.
I found Book XIX, Chapter 6 interesting as well. While
reading this chapter, I could not help comparing it to the motto of our current
judicial system, “Innocent until proven guilty.” For even the most severe of
crimes, everyone is entitled to certain rights and is not harmed prior to their
ruling. From what St. Augustine was describing, it seems like their justice
system’s motto is “Punish until someone admits to being guilty.” This leads to
injustice because innocent people admit to committing crimes that they did not
commit to end their suffering. In addition, there were no rules, regulations or
processes that must be completed for a sentence to be given. It was all based
on the judgment of the judge, who could possibly be ignorant and misinformed.
As St. Augustine is making his argument he has an air of
confidence and supremacy. He is very sure of his beliefs and has no problem
condemning others’ behavior. It is one thing to support and promote your belief and lifestyle, but in my opinion, he comes off as slightly arrogant. Does anyone
else feel that way?
*Addition: After attending class today and having Dr. MB clarify St. Augustine's stance. I have a better understanding of where St. Augustine was coming from. I understand that he wasn't really trying to be pessimistic. He was trying to make the point that in the earthly city there are many vices, but in the heavenly city there is only Supreme Good.
Originally, I shared the opinion of St. Augustine’s views being pessimistic and negative in regards to interactions with friends and family. However, class has allowed me to reevaluate what we read. Extending my more informed ideas from class, I do think St. Augustine is speaking with a voice of blunt realism informing others of the realization that the social life that brings us joy can bring us greater heartbreak. He comes off as especially assertive with this opinion because he has accepted it as the truth while others choose to sugar-coat their lives and believe things so heinous only rarely occur. One thing I believe we can attribute to this brute honesty is the fact that St. Augustine has seen the nation that he and history alike have always known as one of the greatest, be brought to its knees. As a witness to this calamity, I think St. Augustine understood that nothing is guaranteed or too awful to imagine because in reality the unimaginable did indeed occur.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Augustine’s chapter titles served a lot of good within his writing. In fact, I’d go as far as saying that they were completely necessary in order to complete his writing.
ReplyDeleteChapter 5 was talked a lot about in class. I also disagree with Augustine’s approach on trustworthiness. Although he was right in pointing out the “danger” in having close relationships –that “danger” being the possibility to be hurt—I also believe that when it comes to having friends and other intimate relationships, it’s all worth it in the end.
I especially like that you added your thoughts after class on Tuesday. You definitely weren’t alone in thinking that he originally came across as a bit of a pessimist. And even after realizing that he is only trying to support his ideas, I still think you were correct in pointing out his arrogant way of writing. He did, indeed, come off as a “know it all.” Augustine made a good argument for his beliefs (even touching on some aspects of society that apply today), but I still don’t think I’d ever willingly spend time in his company.