City of God by Augustine (available from Amazon or free on the internet, here for example)
Firstly he focuses on the ridiculous practice of making gifts from God into gods. For example, felicity, virtue, faith and modesty were all given altars. He spends a fair amount of time building a compelling argument that if felicity is a godess, then she alone should be worshipped alone. After all, Augustine concludes, happiness is what man should be content with and seek alone: 'man has nothing which he should desire beyond that [happiness]'.
To finish Book Four Augustine shows how the pagans writers and leaders by their own admission know that their gods are false.
What grabbed me
Like last week, I continue to enjoy the many examples of Augustine's penetrating use of reason to dismantle the Roman gods. One example from today concerned the goddess of Fortune: 'What is the point of worshipping her is she is so blind that she blunders into people at random, so that she often passes by her worshippers and attaches herself to those who disregard her? Otherwise, if her worshippers receive any advantage, if they are noticed and favoured by her, then she comes in consequence of merit and not fortuitously. So what has happened to the definition of Fortune? What about the derivation of her name from fortuitous events? If she really is fortune (i.e. luck) there is no advantage in worshipping her. If she discriminates in favour of her worshippers she is not fortune.'
Nice argument. It makes no sense to worship luck, as then it wouldn't be luck!
Next week's reading
Begin Book 5 (Chapters 1-12)
Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.
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