Augustine’s Two Cities

“The founder of the earthly city was a fratricide. Overcome with envy he slew his brother, a citizen of the eternal city, and a sojourner on earth. So that we cannot be surprised that this first specimen, or, as the Greeks say, archetype of crimes, should long afterwards, find a corresponding crime at the foundations of that city which was destined to reign over so many nations, and be the head of this earthly city of which we speak.”

Augustine
City of God

1.) Conflict is endemic in the human race as it is fallen in Adam. The city of man seen as emblematic in Cain always destroy the city of God seen as emblematic in Abel. Christ’s blood answers Abel’s blood and guarantees that the city of God in this conflict will triumph over the city of Man.

2.) That conflict expresses itself in time and space.

3.) That conflict will be resolved by the Victory of the Heavenly city over the earthly city and that in time and space. We are not waiting for a cataclysmic Advent in-breaking wherein the impact of Christ’s finished work will finally be expressed.

4.) As the earthly city was established in blood so the Heavenly city was established in blood.

5.) The Heavenly city and the earthly city are not a two Kingdoms model in the vain of R2K where the earthly city is everything on planet earth and the Heavenly city is comprised of the Church only.

6.) Instead the Augustinian model finds the Heavenly city in every earthly Institution where love of God is the primary motive for all actions and would insist that the Church is the earthly city where the Church is animated by love for self over love for God.

7.) This means that Augustine embraced an early form of postmillennialism.

Author: jetbrane

I am a Pastor of a small Church in Mid-Michigan who delights in my family, my congregation and my calling. I am postmillennial in my eschatology. Paedo-Calvinist Covenantal in my Christianity Reformed in my Soteriology Presuppositional in my apologetics Familialist in my family theology Agrarian in my regional community social order belief Christianity creates culture and so Christendom in my national social order belief Mythic-Poetic / Grammatical Historical in my Hermeneutic Pre-modern, Medieval, & Feudal before Enlightenment, modernity, & postmodern Reconstructionist / Theonomic in my Worldview One part paleo-conservative / one part micro Libertarian in my politics Systematic and Biblical theology need one another but Systematics has pride of place Some of my favorite authors, Augustine, Turretin, Calvin, Tolkien, Chesterton, Nock, Tozer, Dabney, Bavinck, Wodehouse, Rushdoony, Bahnsen, Schaeffer, C. Van Til, H. Van Til, G. H. Clark, C. Dawson, H. Berman, R. Nash, C. G. Singer, R. Kipling, G. North, J. Edwards, S. Foote, F. Hayek, O. Guiness, J. Witte, M. Rothbard, Clyde Wilson, Mencken, Lasch, Postman, Gatto, T. Boston, Thomas Brooks, Terry Brooks, C. Hodge, J. Calhoun, Llyod-Jones, T. Sowell, A. McClaren, M. Muggeridge, C. F. H. Henry, F. Swarz, M. Henry, G. Marten, P. Schaff, T. S. Elliott, K. Van Hoozer, K. Gentry, etc. My passion is to write in such a way that the Lord Christ might be pleased. It is my hope that people will be challenged to reconsider what are considered the givens of the current culture. Your biggest help to me dear reader will be to often remind me that God is Sovereign and that all that is, is because it pleases him.

2 thoughts on “Augustine’s Two Cities”

  1. 6.) Instead the Augustinian model finds the Heavenly city in every earthly Institution where love of God is the primary motive for all actions and would insist that the Church is the earthly city where the Church is animated by love for “self” over love for “God.”

    Don’t you mean animated by love for God over love for self?

    Reply

    1. Hello Hector

      No… my point is that a Church where love of self is the animating principle for action is a Church that is part of the earthly city.

      Reply

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