How Long Does It Take To Read The City Of God?

2026-01-23 01:45:46
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Reading 'The City of God' by Augustine is like embarking on a philosophical pilgrimage—it’s not just about the time it takes, but the depth you’re willing to explore. I tackled it over two months, savoring 10-15 pages a day. The text is dense, weaving theology, history, and metaphysics, so rushing feels like doing it a disservice. Some sections, like the critique of Roman gods, flew by, while others, like the nature of eternal peace, demanded rereading.

If you’re a fast reader with a philosophy background, maybe three weeks? But for most, I’d say a month or two, with breaks to digest. It’s one of those books where the journey matters more than the destination—I still flip back to my highlighted passages when existential questions pop up.
2026-01-26 03:19:34
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My book club took three months to finish 'The City of God,' meeting weekly to unpack 50-page chunks. We’d debate Augustine’s views on lust while snacking—surprisingly lively! Solo readers might marathon it faster, but the text rewards slow reading. The allegories on Babylon and Jerusalem still spark heated group chats years later. If you’re pressed for time, focus on Books VIII–XXII; they hold the meaty bits about grace and predestination that haunted Luther. Personally, I cherish how Augustine’s musings on time (‘What then is time?’) still feel fresh 1,600 years later. A timeless slog, in the best way.
2026-01-27 18:53:30
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Rachel
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Favorite read: City of Longing
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As a literature grad student, I clocked 'The City of God' at 42 hours spread across six weeks—but that included scribbling marginalia and cross-referencing Plotinus. The Penguin edition runs 1,096 pages; if you average 30 pages/hour (generous for its archaic prose), that’s ~36 hours straight. Realistically? Life interrupts. I paired it with lighter reads as palate cleansers. The first half, dissecting pagan Rome, reads faster than the theological labyrinths later.

Pro tip: Skip the latin quotes unless you’re a masochist. Augustine’s tangents on free will alone could derail schedules—I lost a weekend to Book XIV. Worth every minute, though.
2026-01-29 00:37:39
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