The City of God · Chapter
Of the Perfection of the Number Six explained
Augustine explains the significance of the number six as a perfect number, composed of its aliquot parts (1, 2, and 3), and argues that God completed creation in six days not out of necessity but to signify the perfection of His works throu
What happens
Augustine explains the significance of the number six as a perfect number, composed of its aliquot parts (1, 2, and 3), and argues that God completed creation in six days not out of necessity but to signify the perfection of His works through this number. He also defends the study of numbers as valuable for interpreting Holy Scripture.
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
- Divine Providence and History
The six-day creation is presented as a deliberate act of divine order, with the number six symbolizing perfection and God's providential design.
Characters to notice
- Augustine
Author of the chapter, expounding on the perfection of the number six and its relation to God's creation.
- Holy Scripture
Referenced as the source of the six-day creation account and as containing numbers that require careful interpretation.
Key passages
“These works are recorded to have been completed in six days (the same day being six times repeated), because six is a perfect number—not because God required a protracted time, as if He could not at once create all things, which then should mark the course of time by the movements proper to them, but because the perfection of the works was signified by the number six.”
The six days of creation are not due to any limitation in God's power, but because the number six symbolizes perfection, representing the completeness of His work.
Augustine clarifies that the six-day duration is symbolic, not a constraint on divine omnipotence.
