City of God - Book III

City of God

 

AS IN THE FOREGOING BOOK AUGUSTINE HAS PROVED REGARDING MORAL AND SPIRITUAL CALAMITIES, SO IN THIS BOOK HE PROVES REGARDING EXTERNAL AND BODILY DISASTERS, THAT SINCE THE FOUNDATION OF THE CITY THE ROMANS HAVE BEEN CONTINUALLY SUBJECT TO THEM; AND THAT EVEN WHEN THE FALSE GODS WERE WORSHIPPED WITHOUT A RIVAL, BEFORE THE ADVENT OF CHRIST, THEY AFFORDED NO RELIEF FROM SUCH CALAMITIES.

 

In this book Augustine continues his point from the previous book considering the Roman gods.  In this book Augustine ask a series of questions regarding the respone of the gods during the many tagic events that occured before the times of the Christians.  Where were these gods during the times of famine, pestilense, riots, military defeats, fires, desolations, plagues, infections, deseases, deaths caused by weather, and violance amungst the nobles?

Again, if all these tragedies before the Christians even existed how could they be attributed to them now?