CEVAP:

The work of Augustine’s most likely to be known to modern students of political thought is The City of God. Although this work was often copied in the middle ages (382 manuscripts are said to survive), a reading of the whole work was never part of the university curriculum; nevertheless, extracts from it were included in influential anthologies.

Two cities, the city of God and the earthly city, are distinguished by two loves, love of God and (misdirected) love of self, which are destined to end up in heaven and hell, respectively. Augustine’s most famous contribution to theology had been the doctrine of predestination, a position that only became pronounced later in life (ibid). God has decreed from all eternity that to some he will give the grace (special help) needed to attain eternal salvation, while the rest of mankind (the majority) will go to eternal damnation-the massa damnata (The City of God, XXI.12: 1070).

Although the members of the two cities have different ultimate values, they may have intermediate ends in common-for instance, they all desire peace on earth. Insofar as any particular state serves such common ends it will have the cooperation of members of the city of God. As a Neoplatonist, Augustine thought in terms of a hierarchy of levels of reality, in which lower levels imitate or reflect the higher levels. Within such a perspective, then, it would be misleading to attribute an absoluteness for evil; because according to Augustine the evil something/someone consists in disorder or misdirection, in its failing to attain all the goodness appropriate to it.