Challenging, but worth it - Rated 
City of God is a very challenging piece of work with incredible depth and insight. Metaphysical is a very apt description, as St Augustine turns his attention to very profound subject matters ranging from the nature of the soul, the nature of Angels, to the issue of good and evil and how evil is ultimately non existent.
The first part of the work requires a degree of patience, as it mainly concentrates on the debauchery of Ancient Rome and how it led to its fall from grace. The latter part of the novel considers the metaphysical discussions.
Consummation of the Classical Tradition!! - Rated
I read this book for the sake of pleasure, and nothing more. What a surprise I was in for! I've always admired classical texts, and the tradition of rhetoric which has influenced even the greatest speakers of our own times, such as Martin Luther King Jr., and John F. Kennedy. However, I was totally unprepared for the moving experience of St. Augustine's written words. Had I not been a Christian before I read this book, I believe I would have been compelled to convert! The most interesting aspect of this work seems to me, to be that the utilization of such an ingrained, classical tradition as rhetoric was being applied (and rather effectively so) toward what was to become the new paradigm of Western Heritage. All things classical would be replaced by all things Christian, but thus so by the influence of powerful speakers--who were trained in the Classical tradition! This book is an enjoyable read; both for aspiring religious scholars AND lovers of classical culture.
The Antithesis between the City of God and City of Man - Rated
Since the beginning, the Seeds of the Woman and of the Serpent have been at war. Augustine, in this defense of the early Christian Church, tells the story of God's people through history and it's glorious conclusion. The two cities will be in conflict throughout history, but the gates of hell will not prevail against the onslaught of the victorious Church of God. In the end the Word of the Lord will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. Read Augustine for this theme and for excellent groundwork in Theology.
The hardest book I've ever read...And one of the best. - Rated
St. Augustine's immortal classic is incredibly long and very, very hard to follow at times. When I set out to read this a few years ago, I had no idea what I was getting into. I read it because a professor I had in college that I greatly respected told me he'd never been able to read it all the way through, and I thought my reading it would impress him, or something. It took me forever, but I read it from cover to cover, and it was a rewarding experience. The book is essentially a very long examination of Christian theology, contrasted sharply with Roman paganism. There are very few theological questions that aren't at least touched upon; many of the ideas that would vex Christian philosophers for centuries are first addressed here. Augustine brings a fine, lucid mind and good instinct for argument and rhetoric to the discussion. This book is a must-read for anyone who takes the intellectual component of their Christian faith seriously. Highly recommended.
Reasons to read The City of God - Rated
Any thinking Christian is daunted by this three-pound monster, but he owes it to himself to read it, front to back. The Great Doctor of the Latin Church here set forth the tenets for the entire Church to come, based on diligent studies of Scripture. Augustine is surprisingly readable when discussing history and even rises to humor when he discusses ancient Roman religious practices. He anticipates many of the great existentialists by over a millenium and a half in his treatments of the Old Testament. At the end of an exhausting journey, one is left with a reaffirmed faith and renewed strength in the promise of our Savior. No man should be deprived of the nourishment of the mind and spirit contained in this book. Happy reading!
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