This is the first new renddition for a generation of The City of God.the first major intelectual achievement of Latin Christianity and one of the classic texts of Western civilisation.When he began to write The City of God in 413,St Augustine`s intention was to defendthe Christian Church against the charge of having brought about the Sack of Rome in 410.Ourgrowing this initial purpose,the word evolved into a detailed critique of the political and moral tradition of Rome and a synthesis of Platonism and Christianity which musy stand as one of the most significant achievements in Western intellectual history.Apart from its intrinsic interest ,the Christian account of social and political relations which Augustine gives was to furnish one of the most fertile sources of material for the controversial literanture in the Middle Ages.R.W.Dyson has produced a complete,accurate,authoritative and fluent translation of The City of God,edited together with full biographical notes,a concise introduction, bibliographical note and chronogy of Augustine`s life.The result is one of the most important single contributions to the Cambridge Texts series yet published,of interest to students of ecclesiastical history,the history of political thought,theology,philosophy and late antiquity.

Preface

Introduction

A brief chronology of Augustine`s life

Bibliographical note

THE CITY OF GOD against the Pagans

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book4

book5

book6

book7

book8

book9

book10

book11

book12

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book14

book15

book16

book17

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book19

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book21

book22

Biographical notes

Index

奥古斯丁 Aurelius Augustin

奥里留·奥古斯丁生于罗马帝国北非努米底亚省的塔加斯特镇（现位于阿尔及利亚）。幼年时曾从母亲加入基督教,但19岁在修辞学校读书时成为摩尼教追随者。从修辞学校毕业后,先在迦太基城,后到罗马和米兰教授修辞和演讲术。其时受米兰主教安布罗斯影响,脱离摩尼教,一度醉心于柏拉图主义和怀疑派的著作。他最后皈依基督教的契机是“花园里的奇迹”。据他的自传《忏悔录》记述,某日正当他在住所花园里为信仰而彷徨之际,耳边响起清脆的童声：“拿起,读吧！拿起,读吧！”他急忙翻开手边的《圣经》,恰是圣保罗的教诲赫然在目：“不可荒宴醉酒,不可好色邪荡,不可争竞嫉妒,总要披戴主耶稣基督,不要为肉体安排,去放纵私欲。”奥古斯丁年轻时生活放荡,他感到这段话击中要害,“顿觉有一道恬静的光射到中心,驱散了阴霾笼罩的疑云”。387年复活节,他接受安布罗斯洗礼,正式加入基督教。此后回到北非的家乡,隐居三年之后被教徒推选为省城希波教会执事,395年升任主教。在任职期间,他以极大的精力从事著述、讲经布道、组织修会、反驳异端异教。他在晚年目睹了汪达尔人的入侵,死于希波城沦陷之前。他去世之后,汪达尔人控制的北非脱离了罗马帝国,从此不再受罗马教会的管辖。但奥古斯丁的著作流传到西方,成为公教会和16世纪之后的新教的精神财富。

奥古斯丁是教父思想的集大成者。他的著作堪称神学百科全书。在这些卷帙浩繁的著作中,《忏悔录》、《论三位一体》、《上帝之城》可算作代表作,包含不少哲学论述。

在他写得这本书中还包含着一种完整的历史观,一种后来对欧洲发展有巨大影响的历史观。