The City of God, Volume IIAugustine, of Hippo, Saint
ReligionChristian
The City of God, Volume II
Augustine, of Hippo, Saint
Apologetics -- Early works to 1800; Kingdom of God -- Early works to 1800
And thus we may say of peace, as we have said of eternal life, that
it is the end of our good; and the rather because the Psalmist says
of the city of God, the subject of this laborious work, "Praise the
Lord, O Jerusalem; praise thy God, O Zion: for He hath strengthened
the bars of thy gates; He hath blessed thy children within thee;
who hath made thy borders peace."[638] For when the bars of her
gates shall be strengthened, none shall go in or come out from her;
consequently we ought to understand the peace of her borders as that
final peace we are wishing to declare. For even the mystical name of
the city itself, that is, _Jerusalem_, means, as I have already said,
"Vision of Peace." But as the word peace is employed in connection
with things in this world in which certainly life eternal has no
place, we have preferred to call the end or supreme good of this city
life eternal rather than peace. Of this end the apostle says, "But
now, being freed from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your
fruit unto holiness, and the end life eternal."[639] But, on the
other hand, as those who are not familiar with Scripture may suppose
that the life of the wicked is eternal life, either because of the
immortality of the soul, which some of the philosophers even have
recognised, or because of the endless punishment of the wicked, which
forms a part of our faith, and which seems impossible unless the
wicked live for ever, it may therefore be advisable, in order that
every one may readily understand what we mean, to say that the end or
supreme good of this city is either peace in eternal life, or eternal
life in peace. For peace is a good so great, that even in this
earthly and mortal life there is no word we hear with such pleasure,
nothing we desire with such zest, or find to be more thoroughly
gratifying. So that if we dwell for a little longer on this subject,
we shall not, in my opinion, be wearisome to our readers, who will
attend both for the sake of understanding what is the end of this
city of which we speak, and for the sake of the sweetness of peace
which is dear to all.
12. _That even the fierceness of war and all the disquietude of men
make towards this one end of peace, which every nature desires._
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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