The sack of Rome prompts Augustine's City of God
About this date: 413 anchors the beginning of the work; its twenty-two books were composed over many years. The military sack belongs to 410.
Augustine answers charges that Christianity caused Rome's disaster. He begins by considering suffering, refuge in sacred places, and the different meanings people assign to calamity.
Historical context
The work develops into a broad account of earthly and heavenly cities. Its immediate occasion illustrates how political shocks generated theological argument and pastoral questions.
Key points
- The opening discusses both Christian and non-Christian survivors.
- Shared suffering challenges simple claims that outward prosperity proves righteousness.
- The whole work extends well beyond an account of one city's capture.
People
- Augustine of Hippo
- Alaric
Sources and further reading
- City of God, Book I
The sack as occasion, asylum, and the interpretation of suffering.