Ch 1 - 5
Chapters one and two are summaries of the last two books. Chapter three argues that the happy and wise people can not truly say it is due to human action. Augustine argues that true happiness is not going to be accompanied by worries that one's wealth or livelyhood is going to be snatched away. Augustine contends that the true source of hapiness is faith, utter honesty, and love. All of these being a grace from God. Chapter four continues this argument. Augustine states that cravings and vices make men and nations miserable slaves.
Augustine compares these people to being theives. The fear of retribution and the loss of their gain clouds any joy they have. Augustine portrays nations as vast conferacy of theives and relates an interesting anecdote about Alexander the Great and a pirate (see pgs. 117-118). In chapter five, Augustine notes the general confusion of power won by terrorizing people (thieves?) and power won thru lawful conduct. Augustines describes the way that people of the former mode generally abused their people until they were overthrown. Also, how there was generally decadance and a lavacious life of license by these "thieves" in power. Again, this sounds disturbingly familiar.
Ch. 6 - 10
Chapter six gives an account of Ninus, who was reputed to be the father of empire building. An Assyrian, he broke the peace with his neighbor nations and built an empire. Augustine argues that all the motivations for empire building are some form of theivery. Augustine then proceeds to question the validity of the gods that permitted this in chapters seven thru eight. Augustine questions if the gods switched allegiances, there by allowing the conquest of the empires. He also asks what of the gods of the conquered. Augustine then looks from the empires that preceeded the Roman one to Rome. He asks the same question and then addresses a popular theory that the Romans truly worshipped one god, Jove, under an array of names and guises. In chapters nine and ten, he gives example of this theory and argues this is a self contradicting concept.
Ch. 11 - 15
Chapter eleven continues the arguments of chapter nine and ten. Augustine then relates the theory that all the world is God's body and the soul is God. He voices deep distress at the concept of comitting the murder of God by killing an animal or that one would literally be treading God underfoot. Augustine states this shames him to speak of it. Chapter thirteen continues this argument. He presents this as an irreconcilible paradox. Augustine questions in chapter fourteen if so many abstract concepts are deified, why is not soverignty. Augustine argues that the mere expansion of a kingdom due to no desire other then growth is commendable in the light of nations acting in accord with neighbors and are reluctant to war with those who have not wronged them. Augustine seems to argue in chapter fifteen that honest and upright people should not be empire building.
Ch 16 - 20
Chapter sixteen, Augustine argues that there was no obesayance to Quiet (goddess of Rest, as per his argument) by the Romans. He seems to state that this was due to ignorance of Christ. Augustine then argues Victory is not a goddess but a servant of God. He continues to say it is absurd to argue that Victory is a goddess. Chapter eighteen continues the premise of seventeen, but looking at Felicity and Fortuna. Felicity is argues as a servant like Victory. Fortuna's fickle nature is viewed as opposed to being a god in Augustine's eyes. Chapter ninteen continues the discussion of Fortuna as a goddess or not. Chapter twenty explains how these things, as well as virtue and faith are not gods. Augustine explains how they are gifts from God.
Ch 21 - 25
Chapter twenty one continues the arguments of chapter twenty. Chapter twenty two contends that Varro did the Romans a disservice by introducing multiple gods to them. Augustine contends in chapter twenty three that all beneficial things are a result of divine gift. Happiness is a result and a component of moral action. Augustine argues that if anything would be argued as a divinity, it would be felicity. Chapter twenty four is a serise of ruminations about why god's gifts are viewed as gods in themselves. Augustine seems to be arguing that it was confusing the gift with the giver. Chapter twenty-five is arguing that many worshipped God in advertantly, as the giver of felicity.
Ch. 26 - 30
Augustine argues that the plays performed by the Romas for their false gods were extorted. The account of Titus Latinus being afflicted with suffering to make the play happen. Chapter twenty seven is a discussion of the types of gods that the Roman philosopher Scaevola argued were taught by authors. This philosopher argued that the gods of the poets were fictitious. He argued the gods of the philosophers were self-contradictory and abstractions of the absurd. he stated that the gods of the princes of the cities (i.e. Varro) were political pandering and to be refuted as such. Scaevola, who was also a high priest, argues that the gods were beyond human attributes and hungers, and non-corporeal. He argues the worship of these gods by the common Latin/pagan are due to the delusion of these people by aforementioned figures. Chapter twenty eight questions if said worship was of any positive value. Such questioning concludes that it was useless. Chapter twenty nine focuses on the impact of this worship. Effectively, this chapter continues the argument that said worship was useless. Chapter thirty appears to continue and then conclude the earlier argument by stating (in effect) that Christians are wise, for the worship of God, not stones and christians are in a better state of affairs due to a firm rooting in truth.
Ch. 31 - 34
Chapter thirty one continues the first semi-positive statement re: Varro that I've seen. Augustine seems to argue that Varro held that the decadance and decay of society was due to the idol worship of the Romans rather then the worship of the Gods. Varro also contended that the Gods were part of a soul that governed the world. Varro is praised for these statements and the exhortion of the romans to adore their gods religeously. Augustine says that Varro was quite close to the truth and he regrets that social forces in Rome prohibited the dissemination of those ideas. Chapter thirty-two states that the continuance of native religions/sublimation of them into Roman faith was a political trick. Chapter thirty three argues that God has determined how long a nation will last. (Augustine is a predetermined?) Chapter thirty four upholds the Jews as a nation of example to follow (when they adhered to God's laws). Augustines states all that they had from God with out a need for a multitude of other item specific gods. Augustien notes that it was only the breaking from God's laws that they suffered. Augustine argues that the Jewish diaspora is fulfilling God's promice to the Jews of the destruction of false Gods.
Originally published: 8/25/2006
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