Rome was sacked by Alaric and his Visigoths in 410. Afterward, some argued that the city had fallen because it had abandoned its devotion to powerful ancient gods to follow a meek and humble new one. By then Christianity had evolved from an eccentric, first-century offshoot of Judaism into a fast-spreading, often-persecuted religion of the masses, before it was adopted and endorsed by Roman emperors.

A couple of years after Christianized Rome was invaded, Augustine, a well-known bishop and writer, was asked to rebut the accusations against the faith. He agreed and, more than a decade later, produced a 22-volume masterwork about religion, power and politics.

“City of God” stands alongside classical works like Plato’s “Republic” and Aristotle’s “Politics.” Scholars contend it was second only to the Bible in influence during the Middle Ages, informing writings by Thomas Aquinas and others, who in turn gave way to Machiavelli and the moderns...READ the full article from the New York Times.