Signs on the Horizon

Augustine's On Christian Doctrine would perhaps be better titled On Biblical Exegesis, an observation also made by the translator of this volume, D.W. Robertson, in the book's Introduction: "Esssentially, On Christian Doctrine is an introduction to the interpretation and explanation of the Bible" (ix). It is a fairly short work, consisting of a Prologue and four books. Its brevity appears at odds with Augustine's warning at the beginning: "[The subject of this book] is a great and arduous work, and since it is difficult to sustain, I fear some temerity in undertaking it" (Book One, I.1, 7).

Augustine believed that Biblical interpretation was something for "students", and perhaps shows some pride when he announces that Biblical understanding is not a subjective undertaking of the hoi polloi: such "detractors...see, or think they see, that they are already equipped to expound the sacred books without having read any of the observations which I have set out to make, so that they will declare that these regulations are necessary to no one, but that everything which may laudably be revealed about the obscurities of those books can be revealed with divine assistance" (3).

Not only, however, is OCD a work of Biblical exegesis, and by proxy Christian Doctrine -- perhaps Augustine in his title was alluding to this distance between a sign and the thing signified -- but it is also an important work in the field of critical theory. His discussion of signs is a precursor to the semiological studies of Peirce and Eco some 1500 years later. Augustine begins Book Two:

Just as I began, when I was writing about things, by warning that no one should consider them except as they are, without reference to what they signify beyond themselves, now when I am discussing signs I wish it understood that no one should consider them for what they are but rather for their value as signs which signify something else. A sign is a thing which causes us to think of something beyond the impression the thing itself makes upon the senses (Book Two, I.1, 34).

For Augustine, correct doctrine can only be the product of correct interpretation, which is necessary because "There are two reasons why things written are not understood: they are obscured either by unknown or by ambiguous signs. For signs are either literal or figurative" (Book Two, X.15, 43). Thus a thorough understanding of signs is a necessity for the Biblical exegete.

Book Three aims to illustrate some examples of ambiguity in Scripture, and their correct interpretations. For example, regarding Luke 7:37-38, Augustine asserts the following: "Thus no reasonable person would believe under andy circumstances that the feet of the Lord were anointed with precious ointment by the woman in the manner of lecherous and dissolute men whose banquets we despise" (Book 3, XII.18, 90. Or Hosea 1:2: "Certainly union with a prostitute is one thing when morals are corrupted and quite another thing in the prophecy of the prophet Osee" (Book 3, XII.18, 90). Where a literal interoperation may offend, a figurative one is sought.

In Book Four, Augustine moves from "discovery" to the teaching of what has been discovered., Given his history as a teacher of rhetoric, he begins with an apophatic warning:

But first in these preliminary remarks I must thwart the expectation of those readers who think that I shall give the rules of rhetoric here which I learned and taught in the secular schools. And I admonish them not to expect such rules from me, not that they have no utility, but because, if they have any, it should be sought elsewhere if perhaps some good man has the opportunity to learn them. But he should not expect these rules from me, either in this work or in any other" (Book Four, I.2, 118).

Perhaps humorously, he then proceeds to discuss "teaching" (i.e., rhetoric) -- albeit not as rigorously as I'm sure he once did.

Five stars from me, for what it's worth.

As teacher of Christian doctrine and a teacher of such teachers, St. Augustine’s classic work by this name seemed like something I ought to read. And yet I didn’t want to approach it as a philosophy student being forced to study some dusty old textbook, but rather as the curious seeker wanting to discover what this ‘Christian doctrine’ was all about. I discovered St. Augustine is an excellent teacher!

He begins with the rules for the interpretation of Scripture, which he considers very serious, even to the mandate of becoming a teacher of such: ‘why does he himself undertake to interpret for others? Why does he not rather send them direct to God that they too may learn by the inward teaching of the Spirit without the help of man? The truth is, he fears to incur the reproach: You wicked and slothful servant, you ought to have put my money to the exchangers. Matthew 25:26-27 Seeing, then, that these men teach others, either through speech or writing, what they understand, surely they cannot blame me if I likewise teach not only what they understand, but also the rules of interpretation they follow. . . He who reads to an audience pronounces aloud the words he sees before him: he who teaches reading, does it that others may be able to read for themselves. Each, however, communicates to others what he has learned himself. Just so, the man who explains to an audience the passages of Scripture he understands is like one who reads aloud the words before him.’ The point being Scripture isn’t self-explanatory for the uninitiated, hence the need for Church and tradition.

Augustine continues with his very basic explanations of terms, leading the reader carefully through examples, illustrations and quotes from Scripture. I was impressed by the relevance of the text, the author’s insights into human character and how much of the text I highlighted. I listened to it, while following along on my Kindle. I stopped frequently to record my favorite quotes, some of which follow:

‘For to enjoy a thing is to rest with satisfaction in it for its own sake. To use, on the other hand, is to employ whatever means are at one's disposal to obtain what one desires.’

‘For it is not by change of place that we can come nearer to Him who is in every place, but by the cultivation of pure desires and virtuous habits.’

‘And in regard to all these laws, we derive more pleasure from them as exhibitions of truth, than assistance in arguing or forming opinions, except perhaps that they put the intellect in better training. We must take care, however that they do not at the same time make it more inclined to mischief or vanity—that is to say, that they do not give those who have learned them an inclination to lead people astray by plausible speech and catching questions, or make them think that they have attained some great thing that gives them an advantage over the good and innocent.’

‘To teach is a necessity, to delight is a beauty, to persuade is a triumph. Now of these three, the one first mentioned, the teaching, which is a matter of necessity, depends on what we say; the other two on the way we say it.’

‘The Christian teacher … when the hour has come that he must speak, he ought, before he opens his mouth, to lift up his thirsty soul to God, to drink in what he is about to pour forth, and to be himself filled with what he is about to distribute. For, as in regard to every matter of faith and love there are many things that may be said, and many ways of saying them, who knows what it is expedient at a given moment for us to say, or to be heard saying, except God who knows the hearts of all? And who can make us say what we ought, and in the way we ought, except Him in whose hand both we and our speeches are?’

‘The man who cannot speak both eloquently and wisely should speak wisely without eloquence, rather than eloquently without wisdom. If, however, he cannot do even this, let his life be such as shall not only secure a reward for himself, but afford an example to others; and let his manner of living be an eloquent sermon in itself.’

I also appreciated Augustine’s quotes from St. Ambrose on women’s’ ‘face painting’ – which were allegedly included to illustrate types of rhetorical arguments – but I suspect more than a little underlying agenda. Even so, from the vantage of more than 1600 years, I found them both humorous and apropos. In my preliminary review I made reference to his example of the ancient custom of practicing theatrical ‘favorites’ (to excess) not unlike our modern custom of Star Search, American Idol and other forms of athletic and film/music industry celebrity worship. I was reminded of the even older saying, “The eye is not satisfied by seeing nor has the ear enough of hearing. What has been, that will be; what has been done, that will be done. Nothing is new under the sun!” Ecclesiastes 1:8-9


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In chapter 29 I love St. Augustine's example of 'the man in the theatre who is fond of a particular actor, and enjoys his art as a great or even as the very greatest good, he is fond of all who join with him in admiration of his favorite, not for their own sakes, but for the sake of him whom they admire in common; and the more fervent he is in his admiration, the more he works in every way he can to secure new admirers for him, and the more anxious he becomes to show him to others; and if he find any one comparatively indifferent, he does all he can to excite his interest by urging his favorite's merits: if, however, he meet with any one who opposes him, he is exceedingly displeased by such a man's contempt of his favorite, and strives in every way he can to remove it. Now, if this be so, what does it become us to do who live in the fellowship of the love of God, the enjoyment of whom is true happiness of life, to whom all who love Him owe both their own existence and the love they bear Him, concerning whom we have no fear that any one who comes to know Him will be disappointed in Him, and who desires our love, not for any gain to Himself, but that those who love Him may obtain an eternal reward, even Himself whom they love?'

Nowadays of course, we have our college (or pro) football teams, movie and music stars. We wear their colors, follow their lives and think their every move worth reporting. Indeed, we live like human celebrities are the greatest good imaginable. Just envision giving to unchangeable, immutable and everlasting Truth the kind of celebrations we give to here-today-gone-tomorrow mortals like ourselves? Well, actually He doesn't want those kinds of spectacles. He's the be-still, small (childlike), and silent type.

“But whether a man is going to address the people or to dictate what others will deliver or read to the people, he ought to pray God to put into his mouth a suitable discourse. For if Queen Esther prayed, when she was about to speak to the king touching the temporal welfare of her race, that God would put fit words into her mouth, how much more ought he to pray for the same blessing who labors in word and doctrine for the eternal welfare of men? Those, again, who are to deliver what others compose for them ought, before they receive their discourse, to pray for those who are preparing it; and when they have received it, they ought to pray both that they themselves may deliver it well, and that those to whom they address it may give ear; and when the discourse has a happy issue, they ought to render thanks to Him from whom they know such blessings come, so that all the praise may be His ‘in whose hand are both we and our words.’ -Wisdom 7:16” (Book 4, Ch. 30)

“To speak eloquently, then, and wisely as well, is just to express truths which it is expedient to teach in fit and proper words — words which in the subdued style are adequate, in the temperate, elegant, and in the majestic, forcible. But the man who cannot speak both eloquently and wisely should speak wisely without eloquence, rather than eloquently without wisdom.” (Book 4, Ch. 28)

“For, when the readers and admirers of Plato dared calumniously to assert that our Lord Jesus Christ learned all those sayings of His, which they are compelled to admire and praise, from the books of Plato— because (they urged) it cannot be denied that Plato lived long before the coming of our Lord! — did not the illustrious bishop, when by his investigations into profane history he had discovered that Plato made a journey into Egypt at the time when Jeremiah the prophet was there, show that it is much more likely that Plato was through Jeremiah's means initiated into our literature, so as to be able to teach and write those views of his which are so justly praised? For not even Pythagoras himself, from whose successors these men assert Plato learned theology, lived at a date prior to the books of that Hebrew race, among whom the worship of one God sprang up, and of whom as concerning the flesh our Lord came. And thus, when we reflect upon the dates, it becomes much more probable that those philosophers learned whatever they said that was good and true from our literature, than that the Lord Jesus Christ learned from the writings of Plato — a thing which it is the height of folly to believe.” (Book 2, Ch. 28)

A theological text written by St. Augustine of Hippo, it consists of four books published between 397 and 426 AD that explain how to interpret and teach the Scriptures using rules he provides. I only read selections from book four. In this book Augustine focuses on the teaching of scripture, not on interpreting them. He argues that Christian teachers should use the art of rhetoric to teach the meaning of scriptures (since those who teach falsehoods use rhetoric, why shouldn't those who teach the truth do likewise?). The goal of the Christian teacher, he says, should be to teach wisdom (based on scripture) by the use of eloquence, and the teacher's lifestyle should be in harmony with scripture. That said, he admits that wisdom is more important for the Christian teacher to have than eloquence. But if you have both, he says, that's even better. He also exhorts teachers to memorize scripture as it is at the heart of understanding and interpreting scripture. That way, what the teacher says can be proven by the words of scripture.

While not exactly the easiest or most fun thing to read, Augustine's work is important to the history of Christian teaching. He looks at the theology behind teaching and then examines various aspects of study and eloquent speech.

"Of all the Christian authors I've read (such as St. Teresa of Avila, C.S.Lewis, G.K.Chesterton, Thomas Merton), St. Augustine is the one I find most approachable and enjoyable, although he lived more than 1600 years ago. His books at once stimulate the mind, warm the heart and uplift the spirit, instructional and yet delightful, deep and rich in meaning and yet eloquent in style.

It's been more than 4 months since I finished his masterpieces
Confessions of Saint Augustine and City of God. Now reading his book again is like visiting an old friend and mentor.

In this book, he taught me why Christian love is different from secular love, which things are essential to a life of "faith, hope and love" and which are mere signs and images referring to them, and perhaps more importantly, how to read, interpret and appreciate the eloquence and beauty of the Scriptures, and how to make influential speeches as a Christian using the techniques developed by Cicero, the great Roman orator and statesman.

Oh Augustine. He sure writes pretty words.

Augustine begins by exploring what it means to truly desire God above all else, and he ends by explaining the traits which must be sought by anyone who seeks to be an equipped teachers/communicators. LOTS to chew on here.

“This book has extended to a greater length than I expected or desired. But the reader or hearer who finds pleasure in it will not think it long.“

^^St. Augustine’s final thoughts at the end of this book. P.S. it’s really not that long haha

The first book is great. I found it super instructive and encouraging and I think it would be encouraging for anyone. It focuses mainly on “things” and how they are to be loved (used) not for themselves but ultimately only as far as they point us to the eternal things which we should love, ultimately God.
Book 2 and 3 were long and kind of “sloggy”. I felt like a lot of it was somewhat self evident. There were some good sections here and there but I felt like I was just reading to read it.
Book 4 was pretty good. It’s mainly for teachers/pastors since it’s so heavily rhetoric based. It’s less applicable for every day life of non-teachers but still interesting/informative.

This should be mandatory reading for all Christians. I understand it's usefulness to pastors, but this will aid laymen most to understand their need and their responsibility in expanding their intellectual horizons. However, I appreciate even more the devotional character of this book: if loving God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength - and to love our neighbor as ourself is the sum of all Scripture, then that is how we need to read Scripture. Letting this principle guide the way you read and study the Word will make the "easy" passages hit home harder, and will allow you to decipher the "difficult" passages.

St. Augustine's On Christian Doctrine provides historical insight into early church and medieval practices of Scriptural interpretation and rhetorical appropriateness - many of which are foreign to modern readers. It can be dry in portions, but it is also wise and spiritually rich. He champions the church's use of the world's knowledge for its own sake, using the image of the Israelites taking from the Egyptians as they begin their Exodus - "Every good and true Christian should understand that wherever he may find truth, it is the Lord's."


"If we love in faith what we have not seen, how much more will we love it when we begin to see it? And if we love in hope what we have not attained, how much more will we love it when we have attained it? Between temporal and eternal things there is this difference: a temporal thing is loved more before we have it, and it begins to grow worthless when we gain it, for it does not satisfy the soul, whose true and certain rest is eternity; but the eternal is more ardently loved when it is acquired that when it is merely desired."

Hardly an intro to the Christian faith, but instead, a guide for those who teach. Some interesting reflections on learning languages (not sure he follows his own advice on the value of Hebrew), exegesis, literal and spiritual interpretation, and rhetoric (overkill on that front).

I found a friend in this book. While I found him odd and strangely distant in many areas I also found him close and a great help to a climate of insanity in teaching and preaching. He provides clarity and cleverness that is simply timeless. In my opinion he has several limitations that many would point out. However, his upside is a healing to broken and strange set of preachers that this generation has been forced to endure. Modern sophistry and eloquence has horridly infected the church not only with limited understandings of scripture but with crass and silly devotion. Clearly his gifts have outlasted his days. I appreciate and have learned a great deal from this long ago friend and he has bettered and furthered my thoughts on declaring Christ. For that I am thankful.