"CIVITAS DEI" WAY TO ETERNAL PEACE AND HAPPINESS IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD Cover Image

„CIVITAS DEI” DROGĄ DO WIECZNEGO SZCZĘŚCIA I POKOJU W KRÓLESTWIE BOŻYM
"CIVITAS DEI" WAY TO ETERNAL PEACE AND HAPPINESS IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD

Author(s): Mateusz Szpyrka
Subject(s): Christian Theology and Religion, Theology and Religion, Systematic Theology
Published by: Instytut Teologiczno-Pastoralny im. św. Józefa Sebastiana Pelczara w Rzeszowie
Keywords: Saint Augustine; The City of God; pilgrimaging nation (city, country); The Final Judgement; salvation; Kingdom of Heaven (Heavenly Kingdom); earthly city (country); terrestrial city

Summary/Abstract: Saint Augustine calls civitas Dei a civitas peregrina (pilgrimaging nation), which during pilgrimage in terrestial temporality, expects final God’s Son’s arrival. It means, it will change not only a human but also the Universe. It will be the moment of salvation, when God’s Country triumphs by turning from ‘the time of collapse’ into ‘the time of ‘God’s grace and redemption’, where the citizen of Civitas Dei will enjoy everlasting living in Heavenly Motherland.In the capture of Bishop from Hippon ‘Heavenly Kingdom’, eternal peace and happiness are reward for effort of pilgrimaging. This is why, saint Augustyn, in his philosophically-theological consideration to believing Christians, emphasizes the future vision as eternal living in God’s Kingdom, which is the last stage of historic procession of God’s Country – the place of eternal rest and fulfilment in God.However, one needs to remember that that era will come just after reaching an end of life, which is Final Judgement. This is a moment, when civitas Dei reaches his apogee, becoming The Saints Community, which has always been the goal of both the universe and the history. This is an ideal reality, space in which excellent, imperturbable peace determining the real happinness reigns.

  • Issue Year: 2013
  • Issue No: 18-20
  • Page Range: 267-283
  • Page Count: 17
  • Language: Polish