The World as a City and Its Laws: Note on Augustine’s Interpretation of the First Chapters of Genesis

The chapter focuses on Augustine’s of Hippo doctrine of creation, with special reference to the content of his major commentary on the first three chapters of Genesis, the De Genesi ad litteram. The following topics are considered: (1) the simultaneous foundation of the cosmos and its phases; (2) the representation of the divine action towards the natural world; (3) the definition of the natural order and the validity of the laws of nature. The aim is to highlight that, in what terms and with what purpose Augustine applies the urban metaphor on a cosmic scale, on the one hand following a broad and pervasive tradition, on the other hand transposing its elements into a specific and peculiar context of thought.