The City of God stands as Augustine's masterwork of theological defense and construction, written over thirteen years in response to accusations that Christianity brought ruin upon Rome. This first volume contains the first ten books of sustained refutation—demolishing pagan claims that traditional worship secured either temporal prosperity or eternal happiness—followed by the beginning of his positive vision in Books Eleven through Thirteen, where he traces the origin of two societal orders to the primordial division among the angels. What emerges is not merely an apology for Christianity but a philosophy of history that subordinate the fate of empires to the hidden providence of the one true God, whose sovereignty extends from creation through the fall to the final judgment.
Augustine then scrutinizes Apuleius’s description of the manners and actions of demons. Apuleius states that demons are agitated by the same perturbations of mind as men; they are provoked by injuries, propitiated by gifts, rejoice in honours, and are delighted with sacred rites. He defines demons as “animal in nature, passive in soul, rational in mind, aerial in body, eternal in time.” Augustine analyzes this definition, noting that being animal is common to beasts; being rational is common to men; being eternal is common to gods but is no advantage if the being is not blessed, for temporal happiness is better than eternal misery. Being passive in soul—subject to perturbations—is common to men and signifies misery. Being aerial in body is unique to them, but since any soul is superior to any body, this physical trait does not justify religious worship. Augustine argues that if Apuleius had attributed virtue, wisdom, and happiness to demons, they might have been worthy of some esteem, though still not worship, as these would be gifts received from God. However, as they are merely rational animals capable of misery, passive in soul, and eternal in their misery, they are utterly unworthy of divine honour.
Focusing on the “passive” nature of the demonic soul, Augustine asks why demons are agitated by the whirlwinds of passions when beasts are not. In beasts, such movements are not contrary to reason, as beasts lack reason; in demons, however, these passions are contrary to reason and thus constitute perturbation. In men, these perturbations arise from misery and the lack of perfect wisdom. The gods are free from them because they are blessed. Therefore, demons, like men, are subject to perturbations because they are miserable animals. Augustine argues that it is madness to submit oneself religiously to demons when the true religion aims to deliver men from the very depravity that makes them like demons. He contrasts the commands of true religion—which forbid anger, partiality for gifts, and hatred of enemies—with the behavior of demons as described by Apuleius. It is the height of folly to worship beings one desires to be unlike in life, for the highest duty of religion is to imitate the one worshipped.
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