On Christian Doctrine

I loved this book. I love Augustine's mind, and it is so exciting to see how identical the ancients were to modern man. Augustine shows in this book that he was a true scholar and lover of truth. Modern man has so much to learn from the men of old; to think otherwise is madness.

His advice and directions on learning various disciplines, such as logic, mathematics, art, animal science, history, etc. are excellent and should be read by young people, which would stimulate them and help them see why they should learn these things. Augustine gives his reader a true foundation for education, and shows us the ultimate reason for learning: to know, love and glorify God.

The fourth book on rhetoric is also outstanding and should be read by all pastors and preachers. Not only will it prove enlightening, but it is also good for the heart and soul to read ancient literature and realize that we are not alone in our work, and that many before us have faced the very same issues we face. Augustine encouraged me and really helped me understand the role of rhetoric in Christian teaching. It was absolutely wonderful observing Augustine--who was a teacher of rhetoric before his conversion--analyzing the Scriptures and pointing out their natural and uncoerced beauty. This was a huge treat.

There were, however, several things Augustine touched upon where I found myself disagreeing with him. Thankfully these were not dwelt upon by him, but they are enough for me not to give the book five stars and not to recommend it to others without reservation. Augustine's soteriology is, I believe, deficient. He follows the typical Catholic teaching of his day and seems to think that we obtain the hope of salvation through our good works and changed lives. Of course, the foundation for this, to Augustine, is faith. But as Augustine seems to think, we must believe in Christ so that, by God's grace, we become righteous people in our behavior, thereby enabling our souls to be saved. I need to read more of Augustine's soteriology to finalize my convictions about him, but this is the impression I keep getting when I read him, and it is unfortunate. However, Augustine's theology was moving in the right direction, and I believe that had Augustine lived in the days of Luther, he would have sided with the German monk. Luther took Augustine's theology to its proper conclusion. Augustine aimed the gun at the target, Luther pulled the trigger.

I also took issue with Augustine's Neo-Platonism, which makes him despise the earthly too much, in favor of the ethereal and eternal. Some of this, of course, is good and Biblical, but I think Augustine can start sounding more like Plato than Paul sometimes. This approach to Scripture also brings him to reject the literal, earthly salvation of Israel and to embrace a more exclusively non-physical and spiritual interpretation of salvation. His comments on Ezekiel 36 are revealing on this matter. He states that while Ezekiel was talking about physical Israel, he suddenly and without any warning changes to talk, not about physical Israel, but about the spiritual Israel (i.e. the Church). Augustine justifies this by remarkably stating that, while it is completely unexpected, it isn't wrong: it's God giving us a happy and healthy challenge for our minds, which is good for us. I'm not at all convinced.

This same Neo-Platonism causes Augustine to misunderstand Paul's statement in 2 Corinthians 3:6, "the letter kills, but the spirit gives life." Instead of seeing Paul's point that it is the law (Old Covenant) that kills and it is the gospel (New Covenant) that gives life, Augustine interprets this to mean that the literal interpretation of Scripture, or the physical things of the Hebrew religion, is what kills, and that is the freedom from such things that gives life. This all leads to further consequences, in which marital sex is said to be solely and exclusively for procreation, and that women should not wear any makeup (which, according to Augustine and others, is actually worse than adultery!). These things are the results of error, of taking one truth and not integrating it with all truth.

But besides these criticisms, "On Christian Doctrine" is really an excellent book, profitable for all times, an ancient work of timeless value. I recommend the first two books for everyone, especially young people, and the last two book for pastors and preachers. There is much profit here. Thank you, Lord, for Augustine.

Book 1 is excellent, as he lays out the order of loves as the interpretive key of the Scriptures. Book 2 and 3 are a strange mixed bag, and book 4 is an extended application of rhetoric to Christian preaching.

A classic work in a smooth translation.

I did not read all the introductory essays, but I especially appreciated the publishers including the section of Augustine’s retractions that addressed this work.

Incredibly meaningful and relevant, particular for Christian educators. His famous discourse on joy vs. use remains timelessly crucial in our western context obsessed with 'practical' application or usability.

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.

This is a slow and dense read, but man! St. Augustine is clever and funny. This is something to read academically, or at least to talk about with someone with expertise.

Excellent!
The bandage must fit the wound. Because the fall happened by the deception speech of the serpent, so our salvation happens by the foolishness of preaching. Through words were were damned, through words we are saved. Thus Augustine explores the vast oceans of speech and all that is them is. There are some dull parts (grammar and punctuation), but that happens when classical mind moves from the great leviathans of this ocean to a detailed biopsy of the troglodytes at this oceans bottom. But as a whole it is marvelous.
Point of interest. In book one is Anselm's ontological argument. All the greatest writers are Plagiarists. Ad fontes eh.

St. Augustine, in On Christian Doctrine, excellently compiles a remarkably interesting and insightful guide to the understanding and interpretation of Scripture. His goal, in these four books, is to aid the reader in ascertaining the meaning of Scripture and the mode of making known the ascertained meaning. Within the first three books, he works through basic biblical hermeneutics in his goal to assist us in our understanding of Scripture. Although the fourth book is not meant as a treatise on Rhetoric, he practically defends the use of Rhetoric by Christians, noting that it is our Christian duty to teach right and refute wrong; and although wisdom is more important than eloquence, we are to make use of it wherever we can. He uses examples of true eloquence from Scripture, drawing from the prophets and the epistles of Paul, arguing for the application of the Bible to every area of life.

Admirably connecting biblical orthodoxy and orthopraxy, Augustine skillfully accomplished what he had set out to do in this work — to help Christians discover what we need to learn, and then be able to present to others what we have learnt.