Introduction
One might say that studying the biography and writings of theologians is a more exciting and practical process than exploring the life and work of fiction authors. The reason is that when one learns about thinkers of theology, they gain knowledge of three different academic disciplines, which are literature and religious studies, and history. This work will discuss Augustine of Hippo and one of his best literary works, The City of God.
Augustine of Hippo
The best description of Augustine is that he was a person of his time. He lived in the fourth and fifth centuries, born of a pagan father and a Roman Catholic mother (Cunningham et al. 188). The first half of his life was hedonistic, and the second was righteous (Cunningham et al. 189).
Historians consider the year 387 to be a life-changing year for Augustine as it is when he became a Catholic and started to write his works that determined the course of the development of Christianity for the following centuries (Cunningham et al. 189). His life path is the ideal manifestation of the life of the peoples and states of the Mediterranean in the fourth and fifth centuries when societies and nations left their heathen faiths and beliefs, adopted Christianity, and changed the social order.
The City of God
Many literary experts, historians, and theologians regard The City of God as the critical work of Augustine of Hippo. It is the fundamental and ultimate Christian worldview in written form that describes and explains the social structure, socio-ethnic relations, the structure of the universe, and the course of history.
The central point of this story, its primary idea, is the concept of linear time. It was innovative and revolutionary for the ancient Pagan perspective, according to which time is cyclical (Cunningham et al. 190). One should note that the discussed character wrote The City of God while shocked by the barbarians’ sacking of Rome (Cunningham et al. 190). This city was the ancient world’s cultural, commercial, and ideological capital.
Conclusion
This short paper describes important facts about Augustine of Hippo and his critical work, The City of God. It is theological writing that framed Christianity as a religion, institution, ideology, and worldview. The life of Augustine of Hippo is an encapsulation of the transforming world of the ancient Mediterranean from its polytheistic to monotheistic state. His colossal philosophical impact can be identified even in today’s secular cultures.
Work Cited
Cunningham, Lawrence S., et al. Culture and Values: A Survey of the Humanities, Volume I. 9th ed., Cengage Learning, 2017.