The City of God Against the Pagans

Outgrowing this initial purpose, the work evolved into a detailed critique of the political and moral tradition of Rome and a synthesis of Platonism and Christianity which must stand as one of the most significant achievements in Western intellectual history. Apart from its intrinsic interest the Christian account of social and political relations which Augustine gives was to furnish one of the most fertile sources of material for the controversial literature of the middle ages. R. W.