Watched Lecture 4 of 24: Augustine's Pagan and Christian Audience by Charles Mathewes from The City of God (Books That Matter) | The Great Courses
Before delving into the text of The City of God, Professor Mathewes sets the stage with some context about the many audiences that Augustine was writing for, as well as the arguments against Christians that he was confronting. See how Augustine co-opted Roman notions of city" and "glory" and applied them to his divine purpose."
A fascinating lecture about the word City of the title and the first word of the book with a tad about the rest of the first sentence!
Watched Lecture 3 of 24: The Sack of Rome, 410 A.D. by Charles Mathewes from The City of God (Books That Matter) | The Great Courses
While Roman elites viewed the sack of Rome as a turning point that changed the world forever, the event itself lasted only three days and served more as a catalyst for change than a cataclysm in its own right. In this lecture, you'll find out why the sack was so monumental, and how it inspired Augustine to write The City of God.
Sack of Rome as a context for the book.

Watched Lecture 2 of 24: Who Was Augustine of Hippo? by Charles Mathewes from The City of God (Books That Matter) | The Great Courses
Examine the paradoxical life of Augustine: Who was he? Why is he such an important historical figure? You'll be surprised that much of what we may associate with him, such as his metaphysical dualism and his antidemocratic adherence to Church law, is mistaken. Here, you'll uncover the real Augustine-and find a man not so unlike ourselves.
A bit of his life and times. Discussion of the Donatist controversy, and the Pelagian controversy. There’s also an interesting passage on thinking and fame around 22:30 in the lecture.

There’s some interesting subtext of the ideas of the “stream and the garden” here in thinking about Augustine in his own time versus what has crystalized for us now in the present.

Notes on my wiki.

Watched Lecture 1 of 24: Your Passport to The City of God by Charles Mathewes from The City of God (Books That Matter) | The Great Courses
The City of God is a monumental work-not just for its scale and structure, but for what it asks of us as readers. In this first lecture, dive into the many layers of this powerful book, surveying why Augustine wrote it, for whom, and what impact it still has on our world today.