On Christian Doctrine
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On Christian Doctrine (Latin: De Doctrina Christiana) is the primary theological text written by St. Augustine of Hippo. It consists of four books which describe how to interpret and teach the Scriptures, the first three of which were published in 397 and the fourth added in 426. By writing this text, St. Augustine set three tasks on Christian teachers and preachers: to discover the truth in the contents of the Scriptures, to teach the truth from the Scriptures, and to defend scriptural truth when it was attacked.
During the time of St. Augustine, religions other than Christianity were declared illegal, and rhetoric along with them. Rhetoric was considered a tool of the pagans who populated Rome and Greece before Christianity; it was for the fickle imaginations of philosophers, not steady Christian teachers. Augustine changed this opinion and was able to convince the Church that rhetoric was needed in order to defend Christianity against those who would attack it, and should not be banned. He used rhetoric in order to do this, but entangled it in scripture with the use of scholasticism, and incorporated the techniques of the Greek and Roman philosophers, Plato and Cicero, in the form he was trained in as a young man.
Contents |
[edit] Book One
Book One of On Christian Doctrine discusses the Platonic notion that there are things and signs. Signs are used to symbolize things, but are considered things themselves because they too represent meaning. They are given meaning through their repetition and then consiquential propigation throughout society. Take this modern world example: when a stoplight turns red, drivers understand that it means they are supposed to stop (whether they do so or not is more about free will). The meaning of the red light is an agreed upon representation of a rule in modern society. So, given Plato's definition, the stop sign is a 'thing' that is also a sign.
Augustine classifies things and signs in two ways: things we enjoy and things that we use. The distinction between the two is a bit uncertain.
In Book One, Augustine also claims that those who think they understand the Scriptures, but do not interpret them to reflect charity and love, do not really understand them.
[edit] Book Two
Book Two discusses the types of unknown signs present in the world and defines each. These signs include unknown literal signs and unknown figurative signs. Unknown signs are those that have meanings which are unknown. Augustine says that a feature of the Scriptures is obscurity and that obscurity is the result of sin. Then he tries to instruct the reader how to interpret obscure Scripture.
To do so, Augustine sets up seven steps to wisdom: fear of God, loyal obedience (or faith), scientia (or knowledge), strength, good counsel, purity of heart, and then wisdom.
In Book Two, Augustine had also memorized what he considered significant sections of the Scriptures. Because he had absorbed the sections that he considered clear, he was then able to try to untangle the sections that were obscure.
He also declares that it's better to have truth than logic, and emphasized studying the Scriptures in their original languages to better determine the truth.
[edit] Book Three
Book Three discusses ambiguous literal and ambiguous figurative signs. Ambiguous signs are those whose meaning is unclear or confused. He suggests first determining things from signs. Then, once the distinction is made, understand the literal meaning of the text (things as things, nothing more). Determining if there is a deeper meaning in the text can be done by recognizing a different, more figurative, mode of writing. This may show that the things are also signs of something else. Such as, an aged tree could be a tree (a thing that grows, which is a home to birds and animals), or it could also be a symbol of long life (sign or allegory).
Augustine emphasizes right motives when interpreting scripture, and claims that it is more important to get the general message than to get one small answer correct.
Later, another section was added to Book Three. This was the seven rules for interpreting scripture: The Lord and His Body, The Twofold Division of the Body of the Lord, The Promises and the Law (or The Spirit and the Letter), Species and Genus, Times, Recapitulation, and The Devil and His Body.
[edit] Book Four
Book Four discusses the relationship between Christian truth and eloquence. It also shows how the Christian preacher can use precepts from classical rhetoric to teach the truth of the Scriptures to his congregation. Augustine uses rhetoric to try to convince the reader that rhetoric charm should not be used if it is used for falsehood. He uses Bible passages (known as sententiae) to make points or to illustrate examples of styles to be used as teaching tools. This is a tool of scholasticism. Augustine also encouraged teachers to mix rhetorical styles to achieve the most success.
