Agostino 2.0. Politica, religione e sfera pubblica nella società post-secolare

The major aim of this paper is to review some contemporary works which stress the present relevance of Augustine's The City of God to understand the peculiar contribution of the Christian faith to post-secular societies. Augustine's doctrine of the two cities (the divine and the human) is still helpful as on one side it avoids any sacralization of social and political entities, while on the other side it recognizes their own autonomy and value. To preserve this healthy dualism it is necessary for the divine city to be present in the public realm not only through its single members but also as a community with its own juridical institutions. This is of course controversial in the liberal secular state.