A Tale of Two Cities

             When growing up, do you remember playing the game Jacks? It involved a couple of bouncy balls and many non-descript "jack" pieces that were packaged together and sold in a small net bag. The first time my cousin introduced me to it, I questioned how a game could be played using such randomly opposite pieces. But nevertheless, their distinctions allowed for an enjoyable and often competitive pastime. Just as the jacks and balls were combined to form a game, Augustine writes of two peoples who are joined to live on Earth until Judgment passes. Although they share things necessary for mortal life, the way in which they live and the purposes they serve greatly differ. This creates a unique distinction between the two which is to proceed to the end of history.
             In The Essential Augustine, edited by Vernon Bourke, Augustine introduces the two peoples by describing their origins. God created man with the hope that they might "be bound together in harmony and peace..." (Bourke 200). However, in the Garden of Eden
             so great a sin was committed that by it human nature was altered for the worse and was...liable to sin and subject to death. And the kingdom of death so reigned over the men that the deserved penalty of sin would have hurled all headlong...had not the undeserved grace of God saved some therefrom. (Bourke 200-201)
             Those who were saved and those who were not saved make up the two groups "which we may justly call two cities..." (Bourke 201). According to Augustine, these cities are defined by their loves. The earthly city has a love of self whereas the heavenly city has a love of God (Bourke 202). Additionally, these cities are "held together by some law..." (Bourke 208). The law, in essence, is the values and ideals by which the cities live. It is practiced by an assemblage of people with a "community of interests..." (Bourke 211). The earthly city consists of people "who wish to live after the flesh", whereas the ...

More Essays:

APA     MLA     Chicago
A Tale of Two Cities. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 21:31, March 28, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/81671.html