Chapter 10 of
City of God Book 1 deals with the distinction between 'possessions of the outer man' vs. 'possessions of the inner man'. In this chapter Augustine makes the claim the Christians "who loose their earthly riches in disaster" really loose nothing because they had in fact already "possessed them [riches] in the spirit" . However if people did love "goods from this world" more than 'spiritual goods' then, states Augustine, God uses trials or 'the barbarian invasions' to "
convey the lesson that what is to be loved is the incorruptible good".
The larger scheme of
City of God is to take up "the task of defending the glorious City of God". It is a polemic whose purpose is to show "those who prefer their own [Roman] gods" that Christ is not at fault for the sacking of Rome. Chapter 10 fits into this 'larger scheme' because it proves how the sacking of Rome or the barbaric invasions really did not rob any people of true and 'incorruptible' possessions, but rather the invasions taught people a valuable lesson.
An accurate summary, Ben, and by the way I LOVE the picture!!!! It is astonishing to witness Augustine's almost exhaustive argumentation in his refutation. This, I believe, is a testimony to his classical philosophical inheritance and the urgency of the call he feels to defend the Christian faith.
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