St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD) was still battling the gods in the Roman minds toward the end of the Western Romans Empire.

On August 24, 410 AC, Aleric, King of the Visigoths and a Christian pillaged the city of Rome for three days leaving behind a mass of corpses and ruins. Aleric spared all those who took refuge in the Christian Churches even if they were pagans. The Romans blamed the Christians for these calamities because they refused to worship the Roman gods. St. Augustine came to their defense in the first ten books of the now classic, The City of God.

Augustine points out that some of the same people who were saved from the barbarians by pretending to be Christians now blame the Christians.

 

"As for the fact that fierce barbarians, contrary to the usage of war, generally spared their lives for Christ' sake, and in particular, in places dedicated to Christ's Name--which by merciful Providence were spacious enough to afford refuge to large numbers--this they should have credited to Christian culture." (Augustine, City of God, , Doubleday, NY, 1958, Book I, 1))

Were the gods really the saviors of the Romans Empire? Troy was the cradle of the Roman People where the Roman gods were worshiped, yet it was conquered, captured and destroyed by the Greeks. Further, the guardian of Minerva in the temple of Troy were slain and her statue taken away. Was it Minerva that guarded these men or was it men that guarded Minerva? The truth is that the gods of Rome would have disappeared long ago if Rome had not made every effort to save them. It was Divine Providence that willed that the Roman Empire should spread so wide and last so long and not irrational fate.

Augustine points out the inconsistencies, contradictions and nonsensical Roman beliefs concerning the gods. Here are some examples.

Jupiter was the king of the gods and according to the poets "Everything if full of Jove'." He ruled the ether or upper atmosphere while Juno, his wife, ruled the lower air. If the two rule different realms, how can everything be full of Jove'? And if they rule together both realms, why say :"Everything is full of Jove' "?

If everything is full of Jove, why worship the other gods? It was believed that the other gods were part of the totality of Jupiter and if not worshipped would get angry. Here Augustine points out many gods are not worshipped such as the numerous stars of the sky, so if the stars were angry, don't the Romans dread to live under such a wrathful sky?

Vesta was believed to be the fire that warms the hearth. Virgins were dedicated to her service because nothing is born of fire just as nothing is born of a virgin. They pay her honor due to chastity yet feel no shame in giving her the name Venus, goddess of love. Are there two Venuses, one a virgin and the other a wife?

Some believed that God was the soul of the world and that the world was his body. If that is the case, " When anyone tramples on anything, he tramples on God, when he kills any living thing, he kills God!" This, Augustine says is absurd.

To develop Christian Theology St. Augustine turned to Plato and Platonists because they "understood that no body could be a God and, therefore, in order to find Him, they rose beyond material things. Convinced that no mutable reality could be the Most High, they transcended every soul and spirit subject to change in their search for God." Ibid., , Book VIII, 6)