The Emperor’s Two Cities: Augustine’s Image of the Good Christian Ruler in De civitate Dei 5.24

Abstract

When talking about Augustine’s image of the good Christian ruler, we should not airily assume that the nature of our subject is understood. While the concept of an image seems to imply a descriptive approach towards reality, the good – if not the Christian – ruler points to a normative perspective on the political phenomenon of the ruler. The image becomes the reflection of a reality hoped for rather than one at hand. Even so, it is not quite clear whether it is the ruler that is supposed to be good or if it is the Christian – if one should even make such a distinction. Questions like these arise in view of a text widely taken as Augustine’s most prominent image of a good Christian ruler, chapter twenty-four in the fifth book of his De civitate Dei. What we can find here is a characterisation – not quite extensive, but very influential1 – of what an ideal ruler should be like, what he should do and, of course, what he should refrain from. Because of this, it is sometimes referred to as a mirror for princes. In the German translation by Wilhelm Thimme, “Fürstenspiegel” has even been chosen as the chapter’s heading.2 While this is an anachronistic denotation for antique literature in general,3 there are several reasons to make at least cautious use of the term, particularly when it comes to this chapter of Augustine’s De civitate Dei. Although the metaphor of the mirror4 is widely used in Augustine’s writings and even in his correspondence with political agents,5 he himself did not call his descrip-