The City of God · Chapter
XIV explained
Augustine analyzes the Lord's statement about the devil not abiding in the truth because the truth was not in him, explaining the unusual phrasing as a cause-and-effect reversal similar to a psalm where the effect demonstrates the cause.
What happens
Augustine analyzes the Lord's statement about the devil not abiding in the truth because the truth was not in him, explaining the unusual phrasing as a cause-and-effect reversal similar to a psalm where the effect demonstrates the cause.
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 Rising action.
- 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
- Sin, Grace, and Redemption
Discusses the devil's failure to abide in truth as a cause of his fall, highlighting the nature of sin.
Characters to notice
- Augustine
Author and commentator, explaining the scriptural phrasing about the devil.
- Jesus Christ
Quoted as the source of the statement about the devil not abiding in the truth.
Key passages
“He abode not in the truth, because the truth is not in him.”
He did not remain in the truth because the truth was not within him.
Augustine explains the reversed cause-and-effect in this scriptural phrasing.
“I have called upon Thee, for Thou hast heard me, O God.”
I have prayed to You, because You have answered me, O God.
Augustine cites this psalm to illustrate a similar rhetorical reversal where the effect proves the cause.
