The City of God · Chapter
V explained
Augustine cites Caesar's own testimony, as recorded by Sallust, describing the universal horrors of sacking a city—including the violation of virgins, slaughter, and plunder of temples—to argue that such atrocities are not unique to the sac
What happens
Augustine cites Caesar's own testimony, as recorded by Sallust, describing the universal horrors of sacking a city—including the violation of virgins, slaughter, and plunder of temples—to argue that such atrocities are not unique to the sack of Rome by the Goths but are common in war, even perpetrated by Romans against their own city.
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Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This chapter is the dramatic climax because it marks the irreversible psychological and spiritual turning poin…
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Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- The Two Cities
Augustine contrasts the earthly city's universal cruelty in war with the heavenly city's hope for mercy, using Caesar's testimony to show that no earthly city is immune to such horrors.
- Sin, Grace, and Redemption
The description of atrocities in war highlights the sinfulness of human societies, setting the stage for the need for divine grace and redemption.
Characters to notice
Key passages
“that virgins and boys are violated, children torn from the embrace of their parents, matrons subjected to whatever should be the pleasure of the conquerors, temples and houses plundered, slaughter and burning rife; in fine, all things filled with arms, corpses, blood, and wailing.”
Caesar described the universal horrors of a city being sacked: rape of virgins and boys, children torn from parents, women abused, temples and homes looted, and widespread killing and fire, leaving everything covered in weapons, bodies, blood, and cries.
Augustine uses Caesar's own words to show that such atrocities are common in war, not unique to the Goths.
