John von Heyking, in his introduction to Augustine and the Politics of Longing, begins with an interesting thesis. "Instead of arguing that politics is based on sin, [Augustine] actually considered political life a substantive good that fulfills human beings’ longings for a kind of wholeness...Instead of basing his politics on a natural law ethic or on one whereby authority is conferred by direct revelation, Augustine actually held to an understanding of political ethics that emphasizes practical wisdom and judgment in a mode that resembles that of Aristotle and Cicero rather than of Machiavelli."
This introduces a unique perspective on Augustine, as many have used his view of original sin as the lens through which he viewed politics. To a point that is true, but I've questioned to what degree. We must be leery of removing Augustine from his particular time in history - the transitory period from the ancient to medieval eras - and projecting our post-Reformation perspective onto his vision.
I don't know how well Heyking will prove his thesis, but on the surface it makes more sense to me than most modern interpretations I've read because it keeps him as a man of his time, receiving the best wisdom of the ancients rather than turning him into a pre-Renaissance political philosopher.
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