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The City of God by Augustine of Hippo

When the Visigoths breached Rome’s walls in 410, the cultural shockwave rippled across the Mediterranean. Pagans blamed Christianity for the empire’s…

The City of God by Augustine of Hippo
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Runtime: 40 hr 27 min · Watch the full audiobook on YouTube · Subscribe to Ion Books

When the Visigoths breached Rome’s walls in 410, the cultural shockwave rippled across the Mediterranean. Pagans blamed Christianity for the empire’s collapse, arguing that abandoning traditional gods had removed divine protection from the city. Augustine of Hippo, writing from the relative safety of North Africa, responded not with political panic but with a profound theological meditation. The resulting work, The City of God, transcends its immediate historical moment to offer a sweeping vision of human history. Augustine introduces a dual framework: the Earthly City, driven by self-love and temporal ambition, and the City of God, defined by humility and divine grace. This is not merely a defense of faith but an exploration of where true peace resides. The text challenges readers to examine their own loyalties and the nature of justice in a fallen world. As you listen and follow the text, consider how Augustine redefines history not as a cycle of rise and fall, but as a linear journey toward ultimate truth. His dialectical style invites slow, careful engagement with complex ideas about sin, free will, and the transient nature of earthly power.

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Public domain & narration

The City of God was first published in 426. Works first published before 1931 are in the public domain in the United States, so the text is free to read, share and adapt. This English edition is the translation by Marcus Dods. The edition shown here comes from Project Gutenberg, which publishes only books that are in the US public domain.

The narration is the LibriVox recording read by Darren L. Slider. LibriVox volunteers dedicate their recordings to the public domain.

Ion Books adds the synchronized scrolling text and video, so you can read along while you listen, for free.

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Chapters

  1. Book I: Preface; Chapters 1-15 (47:06) · watch
  2. Book I: Chapters 16-36 (48:44) · watch
  3. Book II: Chapters 1-17 (40:51) · watch
  4. Book II: Chapters 18-29 (46:55) · watch
  5. Book III: Chapters 1-16 (43:15) · watch
  6. Book III: Chapters 17-31 (44:52) · watch
  7. Book IV: Chapters 1-18 (43:38) · watch
  8. Book IV: Chapters 19-34 (41:47) · watch
  9. Book V: Preface; Chapters 1-12 (54:07) · watch
  10. Book V: Chapters 13-26 (48:02) · watch
  11. Book VI: Preface; Chapters 1-6 (30:10) · watch
  12. Book VI: Chapters 7-12 (30:06) · watch
  13. Book VII: Preface; Chapters 1-17 (47:01) · watch
  14. Book VII: Chapters 18-35 (45:31) · watch
  15. Book VIII: Chapters 1-14 (45:45) · watch
  16. Book VIII: Chapters 15-27 (50:48) · watch
  17. Book IX: Chapters 1-12 (27:33) · watch
  18. Book IX: Chapters 13-23 (30:07) · watch
  19. Book X: Chapters 1-17 (55:30) · watch
  20. Book X: Chapters 18-32 (59:00) · watch
  21. Book XI: Chapters 1-9 (24:51) · watch
  22. Book XI: Chapters 10-22 (32:40) · watch
  23. Book XI: Chapters 23-34 (38:10) · watch
  24. Book XII: Chapters 1-9 (29:43) · watch
  25. Book XII: Chapters 10-18 (31:09) · watch
  26. Book XII: Chapters 19-27 (26:25) · watch
  27. Book XIII: Chapters 1-11 (27:29) · watch
  28. Book XIII: Chapters 12-21 (30:09) · watch
  29. Book XIII: Chapters 22-24 (25:09) · watch
  30. Book XIV: Chapters 1-7 (22:32) · watch
  31. Book XIV: Chapters 8-12 (29:42) · watch
  32. Book XIV: Chapters 13-21 (27:00) · watch
  33. Book XIV: Chapters 22-28 (23:48) · watch
  34. Book XV: Chapters 1-7 (27:40) · watch
  35. Book XV: Chapters 8-14 (30:41) · watch
  36. Book XV: Chapters 15-21 (34:31) · watch
  37. Book XV: Chapters 22-27 (28:04) · watch
  38. Book XVI: Chapters 1-8 (31:51) · watch
  39. Book XVI: Chapters 9-20 (32:27) · watch
  40. Book XVI: Chapters 21-31 (31:23) · watch
  41. Book XVI: Chapters 32-43 (38:44) · watch
  42. Book XVII: Chapters 1-4 (31:48) · watch
  43. Book XVII: Chapters 5-8 (29:14) · watch
  44. Book XVII: Chapters 9-16 (28:17) · watch
  45. Book XVII: Chapters 17-24 (27:53) · watch
  46. Book XVIII: Chapters 1-11 (28:21) · watch
  47. Book XVIII: Chapters 12-22 (29:59) · watch
  48. Book XVIII: Chapters 23-31 (25:01) · watch
  49. Book XVIII: Chapters 32-39 (31:44) · watch
  50. Book XVIII: Chapters 40-47 (31:33) · watch
  51. Book XVIII: Chapters 48-54 (28:18) · watch
  52. Book XIX: Chapters 1-4 (34:01) · watch
  53. Book XIX: Chapters 5-12 (28:30) · watch
  54. Book XIX: Chapters 13-21 (33:19) · watch
  55. Book XIX: Chapters 22-28 (26:39) · watch
  56. Book XX: Chapters 1-6 (26:54) · watch
  57. Book XX: Chapters 7-11 (34:23) · watch
  58. Book XX: Chapters 12-19 (32:52) · watch
  59. Book XX: Chapters 20-24 (36:37) · watch
  60. Book XX: Chapters 25-30 (30:40) · watch
  61. Book XXI: Chapters 1-6 (30:25) · watch
  62. Book XXI: Chapters 7-14 (37:11) · watch
  63. Book XXI: Chapters 15-24 (41:26) · watch
  64. Book XXI: Chapters 25-27 (39:05) · watch
  65. Book XXII: Chapters 1-7 (31:48) · watch
  66. Book XXII: Chapters 8-9 (42:06) · watch
  67. Book XXII: Chapters 10-19 (37:57) · watch
  68. Book XXII: Chapters 20-25 (45:05) · watch
  69. Book XXII: Chapters 26-30 (41:14) · watch

Full text

This work is too long to show on one page. Read it on Project Gutenberg · download ebook.txt

Sources

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