Final answer:
Augustine would focus on themes in the Aeneid that align with his own theological views, such as the temporality of earthly kingdoms versus the eternity of the City of God, and the journey of the soul as portrayed in the underworld scenes.
Step-by-step explanation:
Augustine of Hippo would more likely obsess over parts of the Aeneid that relate to his own theological and philosophical concerns about the Roman Empire and its relation to Christianity. In particular, he might focus on the passages that discuss the fallibility and temporality of earthly cities and kingdoms, which are contrasted with the eternal nature of the City of God. This is exemplified in the narrative when Aeneas meets his father Anchises, who reviews the souls destined to return to the upper world and presents a Stoic cosmology that profoundly intersects with Christian beliefs about the soul and salvation. Augustine's City of God presents a vision of a Christian society that is eternal and unfazed by the collapse of worldly empires such as Rome, drawing a clear distinction between worldly and divine aspirations.
Furthermore, Augustine might be interested in Virgil's depiction of the underworld and the river Lethe, as it pertains to the themes of memory, forgetfulness, and the soul's liberation or entrapment in the body. This would resonate with Augustine's own conversion experience and his introspective spiritual journey, as detailed in his Confessions. The idea that the Rome of myth could fall would align with Augustine's message that the Earthly city is not as important as the spiritual City of God, which is an eternal kingdom founded on Christian faith.