St. Augustine's Doctrine of the Two Cities and Temporal Peace

Augustine's Dual Cities: Earthly and Heavenly

This text is drawn from The City of God (De Civitate Dei), a foundational work that interprets world history from a Christian standpoint. It is crucial not to interpret these concepts as geographically localizable cities, but rather as allegorical examples illustrating the fundamental difference between those who follow Christ and those who are motivated solely by self-love.

The Nature of Peace on Earth

This specific discussion focuses on temporal peace—peace on earth—as it is appropriate to both the Earthly City and the Heavenly City (the Church) while it resides on earth. Both entities desire this peace to fulfill their respective needs (or bonds).

The Earthly City (Civitas Terrena)

The Earthly City is defined by its lack of faith; it does not project its life from a Christian perspective, redemption, or Christ. Nevertheless, peace is necessary for the Earthly City to meet its objectives, even though those objectives are often oriented toward selfishness and temporal, life-threatening concerns.

This earthly peace is born of harmony between those who govern and those governed, serving as an agreement to regulate aspects of life and avoid conflicts between them.

The Heavenly City Pilgrim (Civitas Dei)

The Heavenly City on earth is a pilgrim—the part of the Heavenly City that lives on earth to pass through mortality. It is not God's final home; that ultimate country is the goal of every Christian.

This city differs from the Earthly City in several key ways:

• It lives by faith.
• Its hope is centered on redemption and the fulfillment of God's promise.
• Its life is characterized by good works.

The Heavenly City requires peace on earth to carry out its duties as Christians and to make its way toward God's final home. The Christian is a traveler here on earth, not belonging to the Earthly City, because their ultimate destination is the Celestial City (the home of God).

Faith, Eternal Peace, and Historical Impact

Faith is the dividing line, separating people into Christians (who await a life after death) and pagans (who expect nothing beyond their temporal goods).

Although not explicitly detailed in this text, upon reaching the Heavenly City, the Christian no longer needs earthly peace. They will only need to fulfill the heavenly peace, which is perfect, grants human happiness, and signifies the achievement of immortality.

Furthermore, earthly peace serves as an agreement between Christians and non-Christians. This agreement implies a certain order, placing each person in their position, which historically resulted in the formation of a stratified society during the Middle Ages.

Consequences of the Augustinian Conception

This Augustinian conception heavily influenced the mentality throughout much of the Middle Ages, triggering significant historical events:

• Persecutions against those who differed with the Church (e.g., Lutherans, Muslims, heretics, and scientists).
• Religious wars.
• The Western Schism.
• A general closing off to new ideas.

Today, this view is largely outdated and would be considered extremist and uncompromising.