GRO#24

BOK.ITA.AD1489

Auguftinus de Ciuitate Dei cum Commento

Augustine the City of God with Commentary

The City of God

Divi Aurelii de Civitate Dei

This book contains a later edition of Saint Augustine's foundational text, "The City of God" with accompanying commentary. Originally written around 413-426 AD, Augustine's work was a reaction against arguments that the barbarian sacking of Rome in 410 AD was a direct result of "the abolition of pagan worship by Christian emperors." He responded by saying that Rome fell due to "internal moral decay" and that "Christianity saved the city from complete destruction" (The Editors).

Additionally, the text theorized on two different cities, "The City of God" and "The City of Man," which justified the use of a unified church and state in order to keep another Roman fall from happening. Saint Augustine's work was used for years after its publication and became a seminal force in molding Western Christian thought ("The City of God").

The frontispiece of the manuscript contains an illustration of Augustine at the top writing with two angels to his side. The illustration below demonstrates a caricature of the two cities, showing angels in the City of God (surrounded by lush fields and livestock) and demons in the City of Man (surrounded by barren waste). The two cities are divided by a stream.

This book was printed by Ottaviano Scoto, a prominent printer who worked in Venice between 1479 and 1484. His printer's mark (shown on the last page of the text) contains the letters O.S.M., "the initials of Octavianus Scotus Modoetiensis (Ottaviano Scoto of Monza) ("1484, Venice").
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“The City of God.” Encyclopædia Britannica, October 20, 2020. https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-City-of-God.

"1484, Venice: OTTAVIANO SCOTO." Renaissance Dante in Print. https://www3.nd.edu/~italnet/Dante/text/1484.venice.html

1489 AD

Saint Augustine

Ottaviano Scoto (letterpress on recto side of last page)

Venice

Italy

5th Century

15th Century

Print

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English History of Writing Collection See all items with this value

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Latin

Ex libris of Lorenzo Maria Tettoni on the verso side of the front cover: "LAURENTII MARIAE TETTONI Canci Ordin. Novariensis."

"Tettoni, Lorenzo Maria." Digital Collections. Illinois LIbrary. https://digital.library.illinois.edu/items/5b9e67a0-3fcc-0134-1da0-0050569601ca-8

Loose ex libris "Kleins in the Pines"

Theology See all items with this value

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Apologetics See all items with this value

Theology

Christian Apologetic

Augustine, 354-430. Auguftinus de ciuitate dei cum commento. Venice: Ottaviano Scoto, 1489.