The City of God · Chapter
XXXIII explained
Augustine rebukes the Romans for their continued indulgence in vice and theatrical entertainments even after the sack of Rome, contrasting their moral decay with the wisdom of Scipio who forbade theatres to preserve virtue.
What happens
Augustine rebukes the Romans for their continued indulgence in vice and theatrical entertainments even after the sack of Rome, contrasting their moral decay with the wisdom of Scipio who forbade theatres to preserve virtue. He argues that adversity has not corrected their depravity, and they unjustly blame Christianity for their sufferings while refusing to reform their own conduct.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
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…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Morality and Virtue vs. Pagan Corruption
Augustine contrasts the virtuous foresight of Scipio with the Romans' persistent vice and luxury, blaming their moral ruin on pagan corruption.
- Sin, Grace, and Redemption
The chapter highlights the Romans' refusal to repent despite calamity, showing how sin persists without grace.
Characters to notice
- Augustine
Author of the chapter, delivering a moral rebuke to the Romans.
- Scipio Nasica
Cited as a prudent leader who prohibited theatres to preserve virtue and warned against the corrupting influence of prosperity.
Key passages
“Oh infatuated men, what is this blindness, or rather madness, which possesses you?”
Augustine expresses astonishment at the Romans' irrational behavior.
He condemns their continued pursuit of pleasure despite disaster.
“This was the foul plague-spot, this the wreck of virtue and honour that Scipio sought to preserve you from when he prohibited the construction of theatres;”
Augustine identifies theatres as a source of moral corruption that Scipio wisely forbade.
He uses Scipio's example to argue that the Romans' love of entertainment is a root cause of their decline.
“Depraved by good fortune, and not chastened by adversity, what you desire in the restoration of a peaceful and secure state, is not the tranquillity of the commonwealth, but the impunity of your own vicious luxury.”
The Romans seek not peace but license to continue their immoral lifestyle.
Augustine accuses them of misusing prosperity and failing to learn from hardship.
