Book excerpt: "The Council of Nicaea in 325 AD marked the beginning of a new era in Christianity. For the first time, doctrines were organized into a single creed. The Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers did most of their writing during and after this important event in Church history. Unlike the previous era of Christian writing, the Nicene and Post-Nicene era is dominated by a few very important and prolific writers. In Volume II of the 14-volume collected writings of the Nicenes and Post-Nicenes (first published between 1886 and 1889), readers will discover one of Augustines masterworks: City of God. In this groundbreaking work, Augustine proposes a philosophy that sees history as having a purpose and direction. Coming at a time when Roman civilization was failing, this work argued that Romans could find comfort in Christianity because all of history was merely a struggle between the City of God (believers) and the City of Man (nonbelievers). Should Romans put their faith in the City of God, even their declining civilization should cause them no grief. Even though it was written at a very particular time in history, City of God appeals to all Christians seeking inspiration to continue their religious practice."