Saint Augustines Reference to Lucretias Suicide in City of God - Book Report/Review Example

Saint Augustine’s Reference to Lucretia’s Suicide in of God Saint Augustine of Hippo is considered to be one of the most influential philosophers and theologians, who played a significant role in the “development of Western Christianity” (Church 7). Although Augustine was first driven by the ideals set by Manicheanism, he later on was influenced dramatically by Neoplatonism and thus his former works were aimed at formulating concepts regarding “original sin and just war” (7). However, as the Roman Empire began to fall prey to invaders, the pagan believers held Christianity to be responsible for weakening the glorious state. However, in his work the ‘City of God,’ Augustine makes it a point to refute such claims and, furthermore, asserts that misfortune does not occur on a selective basis, rather it takes a toll on everyone’s life, thus, implying that Rome is not a unique example which epitomizes misfortune. In order to prove his point, he uses several examples throughout his work and sheds light on them, thereby providing an overall support to his main argument. One such example is the suicide of Lucretia, which he utilizes to help support his claim that Christianity was not to blame for the fall of Rome, and furthermore, it also shows his understanding of the relationship between faith and reason. The City of God is an extensive work, which stretches over Book I to Book XXII, thus communicating Augustine’s philosophy and theology regarding the concept of Church as a “spiritual City of God” that is distinguished from the “material City of Man” (Church 7). The paper at hand focuses on Book 1, where Augustine gives a background about his work, thus introducing the readers to his philosophy as well as the circumstances that led to its development. The Emperor Honorius summons Marcellinus, who was an “intimate disciple” of St Augustine, in order to resolve the disagreement that surfaces between the Catholics and Donatists (Augustine 5). As much as Marcellinus is keen to convert the proconsul of Africa, Volusianus, the main reason for hesitation the latter shows to submit to this conversion arises from the general misconception that Christianity was responsible for undermining the Roman Empire (5). Thus, in response to Marcellinus’ cry for help, Augustine decides to write the City of God, which would not only straighten out the misguided thoughts of Volusianus but also the citizens of Rome at large. Therefore, St Augustine holds himself responsible for defending the “glorious City of God,” that is, the church, against the pagans, who are people that worship other gods, and prefer those gods instead of the “Founder of that City” (5). In order to understand how Lucretia’s suicide serves the purpose of the argument put forth by Augustine, one must first know in detail the main argument as well as the supporting claims Augustine makes throughout the book. As mentioned earlier, the main argument Augustine promotes in Book I is that as opposed to the claims of pagans, Christ is not responsible for the sack of Rome, instead it is him who saves the lives of the citizens in his name. In other words, Augustine starts with his first supporting argument against Christ being held responsible for the downfall of Rome, by stating that if it were not for Christ, the enemies of the City of God would have been killed mercilessly at the hands of the invaders. However, it was due to the fact that these people found refugee in churches, that the barbarians spared them their lives. Whereas, on the other hand, had it been the Romans, in place of the barbarians they would not have spared a single soul, as history stands testimony to people being killed even as they reside within a holy place, for instance, the merciless “slaughter” of Priam at the “altar” (Augustine 8) as well as Romans not sparing the conquered in the “temples of captured cities” (11). Therefore, Augustine rightfully states that the victors sparing the “vanquished out of respect for their gods” was a spectacle which was “unexampled in history,” until the sacking of Rome (7). Therefore, it shows how in the name of Christ, so many Roman citizens were spared, be it real Christians or citizens who faked to be Christians in order to escape their immediate deaths at the hands of the enemy. Thus, Augustine wants that the people who escaped death in the name of Christ, instead of blaming Christianity to be responsible for “disasters” which the “city endured,” should be thankful to Christ for having been able to see another day. Even if they radiate nothing but ingratitude towards Christ, they should at least make it a point not to blame the real source, which was responsible for them having gotten their lives spared. Thus, through this argument, Augustine shows that previously no people in any part of the world were spared at the hands of their enemy, but in case of the sack of Rome, citizens were spared in the name of Christ. Therefore, he proves that Christ is not responsible for Rome’s fall as opposed to the general notion held by the Roman pagans. The next main supporting claim made by Augustine is that “blessings and disasters” are often shared both by “good and bad” (Augustine 13). This means that irrespective of the nature of a person or the innate qualities of a person, he or she has to suffer both the evils of the world and at the same time reap the benefits provided by it too. Augustine argues that the sufferings of both the good and the bad may be the same, that is the sufferings they have to undergo may be identical, however, throughout the suffering, the “sufferers remain different” (14). Augustine also explains that each sin committed by a particular person is not punished right there and then in this life, as then nothing would be left at the day of final judgement. However, at the same time, if God did not punish even a single sin or reveal at least one sin and punish it openly in front of the world, then no one would have belief in the divine providence. Thus, this is the reason for both punishment that results from a sin as well as the reason for misfortune despite any wrongdoing. It is in the same light that Rome fell, that is, the fall of Rome was a grave misfortune upon the citizens. However, it cannot be seen as a particular punishment brought down due to the wrongdoing of a particular person. Furthermore, Augustine also propagated that man can never understand the eternal plan of God, which implies that a person can never reason why a particular suffering has been brought upon. Therefore, irrespective of the various reasons that may be provided for the fall of Rome, none can really be selected as the very reason God chose to let it happen. This is evidenced in Augustine’s assertion that if anyone asks why God allowed a particular suffering, it is due to the fact that God, the “Creator and Governor of the universe” is a “profound mystery,” and that his “judgements are inscrutable, and his ways cannot be traced” (39). Thus, it is true when Augustine argues that misfortune falls upon both the good and bad, and therefore, is not a thing to be alarmed about. Furthermore, the misfortune of Rome being sacked is not unique in this light, thus meaning that everyone has to suffer misfortune, and Rome is no exception to this. However, on the other hand, the exile of the last King of Rome due to the rape of Lucretia, led to the upheaval in the state, thereby leading to overthrow the monarchy as well as select a republican to rule over the state. Thus, it can be argued that Lucretia’s misfortune did not go in vain, or that it served a higher purpose for the city, which would in the coming years prove to be beneficial to all of mankind. The reference that Augustine makes to Lucretia’s rape as well as suicide and how this reference serves the purpose of the former’s overall argument can be understood from the following. Lucretia, who came to be renowned as one of the most important contributing factors that led to the development of the Roman Republic, was an aristocratic young lady filled with qualities of virtue. However, she is unfortunately raped by “Tarquin,” who was the son of Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, the “last king of Rome,” while her husband, Collatinus, was away (Stivala 3). Albeit the support as well as comfort extended to her by Collatinus and her father, Spurius Lucretius, she surrenders her life to death and thus chooses not to live a life of disgrace. Therefore, in the Book I of City of God, Augustine deftly uses Lucretia’s story as a “powerful idiom” in order to respond to “pagan recriminations,” thereby critiquing the prevailing “conceptions of honour” held by the pagans as well as refuting Christian claims regarding “sexual purity” and the “nobility of volitional death” (Trout 53). Augustine, by reassessing the suicide of Lucretia, which was first considered an honourable deed, he subversively poses a “direct challenge” to generally held “cultural assumptions” at the time (53). Thus, by making reference to Lucretia’s rape as well as her action of killing herself, Augustine questions the actual concept of honour and chastity as well as he makes the connection of faith and reason here as well. Before one understands how Lucretia’s tale was used in order to change the misconception of honour prevailing at the time, it is first important to understand what the widely held conceptions of those times were. Romans often considered death to be the right choice rather than living a life of disgrace, thus, they found nobility in death rather than living in disgrace. Although it has nowhere been evidenced that Romans encouraged suicide or death in case of women who were victims of rape, neither “suicide nor attempted suicide infringed Roman law,” thus making it okay for females to take life if they felt it necessary under the prevailing circumstances (Stivala 1). Romans always believed in free will and thought that a particular person could take any decision according to his or her own free will. On the other hand, Christian leaders of the time expected a raped woman to commit suicide, as they thought that the victim should “choose death in preference to living a life of dishonour” (2). In order to support this thought or expectation, Lucretia’s tale was always used as an apt example in order to make people better understand about the philosophies of these leaders. However, it is to be noted that despite the fact that Romans truly honoured Lucretia for having chosen suicide to living a disgraceful life, they never propagated that other pagan women should follow in her footsteps. Augustine, on the other hand, believed that women who were assaulted did not require to take their lives in order to “prove their virtue” to their fellowmen (1). Although many Christians did not hold and encourage his thinking, it was Augustine’s prohibition of suicide that later became the pillar stone of Christian law, which now states that Christians under no circumstances are they allowed to commit the act of suicide. Augustine not only brings his fellow Christian leaders to understand that suicide cannot be tolerated under any circumstance, but furthermore, he uses this very argument to prove the chastity of Christian women who were victims of rape and had not committed suicide. Augustine provides several supporting evidences to his assertion that raped women need not commit suicide and furthermore, his reappraisal of Lucretia’s death serves as a good example to validate the chastity and purity of Christian women who had been violated and still did not commit suicide. Augustine starts of by asserting that the guild is merely on the ravisher and is “not at all” attached to the woman who was “forcibly ravished” without her consent (28). He further states that even if the body of the victim has been assaulted and may lose its chastity, the soul of the person is still full of virtue and is left unharmed, and this is what matters. However, Lucretia commits suicide and thus tries to “escape another’s criminal act” by her own “misdeed,” thereby being more guilty than she is innocent (27). Thus, Augustine proves that Christian women who have been raped, and have not committed suicide, fully understand that their chastity is still intact and furthermore, they do not try to escape their misfortune by committing a misdeed of their own free will. Therefore, through the “testimony of their conscience,” Christian women have the “glory of chastity within” them, therefore, they will never stray from the “authority of God’s law” by engaging in unlawful steps in order to avoid suspicions of men (31). Therefore, Augustine proves that Christianity is a religion that brings stability to people, and it especially offers comfort to victims who have been assaulted against their will. Christianity, as opposed other religion, proves the chance for penitence to people, thereby giving them a chance to correct their wrongs. However, since Lucretia was not a Christian she had to take her life in order to prove her chastity, however, by committing the act she only opens place for more suspicion, as a person who has not committed crime, need not run away. However, despite facing her problem, Lucretia decides to run away, thereby hinting that maybe in some part of her conscience she had a role in her rape, may be by secretly consenting her rape. However, the Christian women have no such reason to run away from their problems, and furthermore, they need not prove their chastity as well. Therefore, it is proved that by not committing suicide, as opposed to Lucretia, they have indeed proved their chastity, as it still exists within them. Therefore, this is how reference to Lucretia’s suicide serves to the overall argument placed by Augustine in Book I of City of Gods. Reference Augustine. The City Of God: Book I. Church, Bonnie. The City Of God. Christian Book Summaries 4.24 (2008): n. pag. Web. 26 May. 2014. Stivala, Joan. Death Before Dishonour! Suicide Of Christian Victims Of Rape. Eras 13.1 (2011): n. pag. Web. 26 May. 2014. Trout, Dennis. Re-Textualizing Lucretia: Cultural Subversion In The City Of God. Journal of Early Christian Studies 2.1 (1994): 53--70. Print. Read More