IPromisedto write of therise, progress, and appointed end of the two
cities, one of which isGod's, the other this world's, in which, so far
as mankindis concerned, the former is now a stranger. But first of all
I undertook, so far as His graceshould enable me, to refute the
enemies of the city of God, whoprefer their gods toChristits founder,
and fiercely hate Christianswith the most deadly malice. And this I
have done in the first ten books. Then, as regards mythreefoldpromise
which I havejustmentioned, I have treated distinctly,in the four books
which follow the tenth, of theriseof both cities. After that, I have
proceeded from the first man down to the flood in one book, which is
the fifteenth of this work; and from that again downto Abrahamour work
has followed both inchronologicalorder. From thepatriarch Abrahamdown
to thetimeof theIsraelitekings, at which we close our sixteenth book,
and thence down to theadventofChristHimself in the flesh, to which
period the seventeenth book reaches, the city ofGodappears from my way
of writing to have run its course alone; whereas it did not run its
course alone in this age, for both cities, in their course amid
mankind,certainlyexperiencedchequeredtimes togetherjustas from the
beginning. But I did this in order that, first of all, from
thetimewhen the promises ofGodbegan to be more clear, down to the
virgin birthof Him in whom those things promised from the first were
to be fulfilled, the course of that city which isGod'smight be made
more distinctly apparent, without interpolation of foreignmatterfrom
the history of the other city, although down to therevelationof the
new covenant it ran its course, not in light, but in shadow. Now,
therefore, I think fit to do what I passed by, and show, so far as
seemsnecessary, how that other city ran its course from the times of
Abraham, so that attentive readers may compare the two.
Chapter 2.— Of the Kings and Times of the Earthly City Which Were
Synchronous with the Times of the Saints, Reckoning from the Rise of
Abraham.
Thesocietyof mortals spread abroad through the earth everywhere, and
in the most diverseplaces, although bound together by
acertainfellowship of our commonnature, is yet for the most part
divided against itself, and the strongest oppress the others, because
all follow after their own interests and lusts, while what is longed
for either suffices for none, or not for all, because it is not the
very thing. For the vanquished succumb to the victorious, preferring
any sort of peace and safety to freedom itself; so that they who chose
to die rather than beslaveshave been greatly wondered at. For in
almost all nations the very voice ofnaturesomehow proclaims, that
those who happen to be conquered should choose rather to be subject
totheir conquerors than to bekilledby all kinds of warlike
destruction. This does not take place without the providenceof God, in
whose power itliesthat any one either subdues or is subdued in war;
that some are endowed with kingdoms, others made subject to kings.
Now, among the very many kingdoms of the earth into which, by
earthlyinterestor lust,societyis divided (which we call by the general
name of the city of this world), we see that two, settled and kept
distinct from each other both intimeand place, have grown far more
famous than the rest, first that of the Assyrians, then that of
theRomans. First came the one, then the other. The former arose in the
east, and, immediately on its close, the latter in the west. I may
speak of other kingdoms and other kings as appendages of these.
Ninus, then, who succeeded his fatherBelus, the first king ofAssyria,
was already the second king of thatkingdomwhen Abrahamwas born in the
land of theChaldees. There was also at thattimea very
smallkingdomofSicyon, with which, as from an ancientdate, that most
universally learned manMarcusVarro begins, in writing of theRomanrace.
For from these kings ofSicyonhe passes to the Athenians, from them to
theLatins, and from these to theRomans. Yet very little is related
about these kingdoms, before the foundation ofRome, in comparison with
that ofAssyria. For although evenSallust, theRomanhistorian, admits
that the Athenianswere veryfamous inGreece, yet he thinks they were
greater in fame than in fact. For in speaking of them he says,The
deedsof the Athenians, as I think, were very great and magnificent,
but yet somewhat lessthan reported by fame. But becausewriters of
great genius arose amongthem, the deeds of Flying Nun.
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