For my Theology class this semester, Word of God: Scripture and Tradition, we had to read chapters 17 & 18 from St. Augustine's City of God. The first time I read it, I had no idea what was going on. I was completely overwhelmed with information. Likewise, with the second time. But I made an outline. Then, today, I went back and made an outline of the outline, and I looked for major themes in the text. I give you now a summary of my outline of the outline (an overview of salvation history):
God created Adam. Adam is then technically a son of God. Then, God put Adam to sleep and created Eve from his body. Satan comes along and, because he hates God, breaks his creation. This was the Fall. God says ok, I'll fix it. He calls Abraham. He makes promises to him, his son, his grandson, etc. Every major experience of Abraham and the Israelites prefigures Christ, but there's no time to get into that now. Anyway, after Moses brings the Israelites back from Egypt and gives them the Law, God fulfills the earthly promises he made to Abraham, namely a place to worship and a nation of his descendants. A royal kingdom is established under David. Satan likewise breaks this under Solomon's rule, after the earthly temple is built. By now you're probably thinking, when is God going to make something that Satan can't break? Oh, just wait. Under the royal kingdom, there are prophets that begin to witness the coming of Christ. After the break of the Davidic kingdom, the Roman Empire begins to rise (very slowly). Now there are prophets that are calling for the conversion of the Gentiles. God spoke through the mouth of the prophets this way because he was going to make the Roman Empire conquer the world (at least what was known to be the world at that time). There is the exile, the return, and the Maccabean revolt. Now, most of the world is relatively at peace. The Romans are rising, the Jews have their land back (although under the Roman rule) and there are no prophets among the Jewish people. Then comes Christ. He proclaims a heavenly kingdom under God the Father, through his Son (Jesus himself). Satan sees this and he thinks he can break the Messiah as well. And he does. He stirred up the wickedness in human hearts, and Jesus was crucified. Satan thought this his greatest victory - God tried to make something he couldn't break, and he broke it. But then something happened that Satan didn't quite expect. JESUS ROSE FROM THE DEAD. He put himself back together. Satan couldn't break him. What was worse for him, Christ, the Son of God, created a bride for himself, the Church. He made his bride from his own body. And he made her eternal too. She was persecuted; Satan tried to break her. But she conquered the Roman Empire, and through it, the world. Though nations rise and fall, Christ's bride is eternal. She awaits his second coming in expectant hope, because when he comes again Christ will be with her forever, in perfect love and unity.
Have a blessed Easter season, Church.
