Customer Reviews

On Christian Teaching (Oxford World's Classics)

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One author has said that Augustine can be "easier to read than many modern books about him." Nowhere in his writings have I found this to be more true than "On Christian Doctrine." This little text was so compelling that I literally could not put it down (though that may reveal more about me than it). It essentially outlines Augustine's program of Hermeneutics which often contrasts strongly with standard methods of the periods before and after him, while remaining reminiscent of both eras. Some particular points of interest:

-He insists that the author's intent should be the arbiter of meaning unless the text seems to be in contrast to what is clearly taught throughout scripture, at which point allegory is to be employed
-He suggests that mistaken interpretation of a particular passage is not too grievous an error as long as the interpretation remains true to the general testimony of Scripture
-He suggests that interpretation is difficult but that the best way to progress is to read and memorize as much of it as possible until it is intimately familiar
-There is a theologically interesting chapter in which he uses the passage about the bread as Christ's body as an example of the sort of passage that cannot be taken literally

A 1700 year old text obviously isn't going to work as a contemporary manual of interpretation, but for its value in historical theology, understanding the development of Biblical interpretation and insight into the mind of one of the Christianity's greatest pastoral minds this is well worth the money and 100 or so pages.

This is Augustine's classic text on the interpretation of scripture. Love is the answer, according to Augustine.