The Arrangement of Scripture In the same way, Augustine argues that the most advanced students of the scriptures begin by gaining a basic reading knowledge of the Bible. The purpose of this project is to extract Augustine’s principles for interpreting Scripture from De Doctrina Christiana, and to apply these, as viewed through a postliberal, cultural- linguistic lens, to questions of division within the Church. The new translation includes changes to nearly 60,000 words from the Revised Standard Version (RSV) and is the best combination of a literal translation written in smooth and readable English. Before we even begin to read any selections from the Bible, I start with a series of lectures that explain the history of the composition and formation of the Bible. Much of the paper is devoted to Augustine's explication and application of these principles in his conversion Augustine and Problems of Scriptural Interpretation Abstract In this paper, I examine Augustine's attempts to standardize Scriptural readings inOn Christian Doctrineand The Trinity,in which he painstakingly defines sign-theory and other technical aspects of literary production. Even so, perhaps it is better to recognize too many interpretations than too few. In Confessions 3.4.8 Augustine writes that he had the Gospels in his hands since childhood under his mother’s influence. Augustine was born in 354 in the city of Thagaste (Algeria) in Roman Africa. It seems fairly clear to me that passages of scripture can be interpreted in many different ways and that one interpretation would not necessarily have to conflict with another. ( Log Out /  – City of … Reading and interpreting the Bible is never meant to be a purely academic or intellectual exercise, although it certainly can be read in that fashion. On the one hand, Augustine values the literal sense and encourages readers to find value in it. True interpretations of varied complexity will ensure that any reader will derive spiritual profit from his or her interaction with scripture. By no means am I immune to misunderstanding a word or expression, overlooking the historical context, or projecting my own issues and baggage onto the text. If we are unable to agree on the author’s meaning, we at least should interpret Scripture according to the wider context of the Bible as a whole. [Both Suk Arras and Bona ar… That is why many people, relying on these three things, actually live in solitude without any texts of the scriptures.”11, If the goal of reading the Bible is to grow in love, what happens when one reaches the destination? In Augustine's view, the biblical interpreter should understand God's blend of spiritual and human means in communicating truth; cultivate a humble Christ-like character; have a working knowledge of the whole Bible; and respect the 'rule of faith' (the historical teaching of the Church). Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. A person who does not grow in love does not truly understand the scriptures, even if that person knows a lot about the scriptures. that their true perceptions were not left out of account” (266). “The most expert investigator of the divine scriptures will be the person who, first, has read them all and has a good knowledge–a reading knowledge, at least, if not yet a complete understanding–of those pronounced canonical.”4. As a pastor and teacher of the faithful, Augustine wrote On Christian Teaching as a simple guide to biblical interpretation. ).” Paul and Augustine are making the same point: the truths of the scriptures are meant to be lived out. He wanted to equip his congregation to read, interpret, understand, and apply the scriptures on their own. Like many pastors, Augustine was not simply content to teach the Bible to his congregation. Augustine’s City of God is not a treatise of politicalor social philosophy. (6) Ibid., 2.34 (7) Ibid., 2.44, 50 (8) Ibid., 3.20-34 (9) Ibid., 2.30 (10) Ibid., 1.88 (11) Ibid., 1.93. Those readers should be gently corrected and directed back to the right path. “Therefore a person strengthened by faith, hope, and love, and who steadfastly holds on to them, has no need of the scriptures except to instruct others. Is there, then, any further need of the scriptures? In Roman Catholicism he is formally recognized as a doctor of the church. “So anyone who thinks he has understood the divine scriptures or any part of them, but cannot by his understanding build up this double love of God and neighbour, has not yet succeeded in understanding them.”1. Eventually readers of the Bible have to learn how to differentiate between passages meant to be read literally and passages meant to be read figuratively, something that can challenge even the most advanced readers. The Interpretation of Scripture Depends on the Discovery and Enunciation of the Meaning, and is to Be Undertaken in Dependence on God's Aid. In book XII, Augustine presents his exegesis on the first two verses of Genesis 1. I explain how books are divided into chapters and verses, a topic tedious for my more experienced readers, I know. Is there, then, any further need of the scriptures? As the opening quote illustrates, for Augustine, biblical interpretation is always abundantly practical. Jarrett holds a bachelor of science degree in biology from Ohio Northern University and a master of divinity degree from Emory University, Candler School of Theology. Often times when I hear bad Bible interpretation, I do not know how to respond because I can see that the bad interpretation is bearing a measure of good fruit in the person’s life. There are two things on which all interpretation of Scripture depends: the mode of ascertaining the proper meaning, and the mode of making known the meaning when it is ascertained. Read More on This Topic While it opens up the possibility for various valid perspectives, my concern is that it might be difficult to discern when certain interpretations fail to match up to this standard. Here again, there is space for various interpretations of varying complexity. as a simple guide to biblical interpretation. The process of reading and understanding the Bible begins with baby steps–familiarizing one’s self with the content of the Bible–and grows from there. He informs us himself that he was born at Thagaste (Tagaste; now Suk Arras), in proconsular Numidia, Nov. 13, 354; he died at Hippo Regius (just south of the modern Bona) Aug. 28, 430. We should always be slow to divide the church over varying interpretations of non-essential doctrines and slow to call heresy over varying interpretations of distinctives: none of us has everything figured out perfectly, and it would be stupidly arrogant to say that we did. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. This suggests that Augustine also views scripture as a standard for truth, and if one can find support for other ideas within scripture (such as those of secular philosophy) and come up with an interpretation that conforms to the love commands, then such an interpretation is valid. At the risk of offending someone, I have to confess that I am routinely disturbed by the amount of bad Bible interpretation floating around. ( Log Out /  It is a wonderful and beneficial … I think we should always guard our interpretations of essential doctrine though, and I believe Augustine would agree with that too. glorfindel33, As many Bible teachers recommend, Augustine encourages readers to gain understanding of the original biblical languages. Nobody can say why God made the world. St. Augustine: The Literal Meaning of Genesis (Ancient Christian Writers Book 41) - Kindle edition by John Hammond Taylor. Of course, Augustine goes on to say that the person should be corrected and shown both the right path and the right destination, but, as far as it goes, the person’s wrong reading of the Bible has produced a good result. In On Christian Teaching, Augustine outlines his rules for biblical interpretation so that Christians can grow in the double love of God and neighbor. . On a basic level, one might argue that the journey toward love is never fully complete; therefore, the scriptures have continual relevance for the life of faith. His understanding of these verses incorporates secular philosophical ideas, shedding light on his view of proper biblical interpretation. Its emphasis on allegorical interpretation of Scripture, carried out within very loose parameters, was especially significant, and it remains of interest to philosophers for its subtle and influential discussion of Augustine’s theory of “signs” and how language represents reality. Jarrett married his high school sweetheart, Hannah, in 2005, and they now have four small children. Each semester I work with students who have either very little or no exposure to the Bible. Green (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997), vii-viii (3) Ibid., 1.59 (4) Ibid., 2.24 (5) I also work with adult students who have been reading the Bible for many years. 1. Conciliar Post promotes edifying dialogue that informs, encourages, and challenges people around the world. He wanted to equip his congregation to read, interpret, understand, and apply the scriptures on their own. As Paul says, “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work (2 Tim 3:16-17).” Paul and Augustine are making the same point: the truths of the scriptures are meant to be lived out. Anyone hearing or reading scripture should be able to understand its truths at a certain level, no matter how blessed they are for intellect. Those familiar with the biography of Augustine will know that after being ordained a presbyter in the African town of Hippo, reportedly against his own wishes and desires, he requested time off to study the scriptures intensely. Maybe the person has misunderstood an expression in one of Paul’s letters or has taken the prophets out of their historical context, but their reading of the scriptures has increased their double love of God and neighbor. Augustine’s final commentary on Genesis was undoubtedly his most concerted effort as it was written over a fifteen year period. The criterion of membership in the city of God(a metaphor Augustine takes from the Psalms, cf. Every Biblical text is influenced by a web of other scriptural texts that touch on it and expand its meaning, as Psalm 116 does for Genesis 1:2. As a pastor and member of a Christian church, I regularly teach my interpretation of the scriptures and listen to others offer their interpretations of the scriptures. The process of reading and understanding the Bible begins with baby steps–familiarizing one’s self with the content of the Bible–and grows from there. I was interested in this idea and how scriptural interpretation according to this principle might be accomplished. I also resonated with Augustine’s discussion of charity in biblical interpretation here. Augustine, John, and the Donatists: Reflections on the African Context, Biblical Interpretation, and Ecclesiological Polemics Boek - Dissertatie This project examines two major contributing factors to the genesis and development of Augustine's reception of John in … There is a particular emphasis on practicing charity toward those who hold different views or interpretations, even while holding a high view truth. Of course, as a student progresses on this path, other issues become relevant. If the goal of reading the Bible is to grow in love, what happens when one reaches the destination? I simply mean that where other interpretations differ from our own but do not contradict what the Bible says elsewhere and which rightly conform to the commandments to love God and others, it is better to recognize them as valid even when we have reason in our own eyes to believe the view we hold is better. Augustine states that the commands “[l]et us love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind, and our neighbor as ourselves (Matt. ( Log Out /  I agree with him that it is arrogant and foolish to hold that only one interpretation can be true and that all others are false. I teach a basic introductory course on the Bible as a great work of literature at my local community college. They know the arrangements of the books and can identify the various genres of literature. In the first chapter, a survey of the principles that Augustine … They know the arrangements of the books and can identify the various genres of literature. The person who is living the scriptures has made them a part of their being; at this point there is no longer a need for written texts. Translated by R.P.H. As a pastor and teacher of the faithful, Augustine wrote On Christian Teaching as a simple guide to biblical interpretation. We blog our way through Confessions, a book a week. His commentary against the Manichees and the commentary in his Confessions were based on allegorical interpretations. , Augustine outlines his rules for biblical interpretation so that Christians can grow in the double love of God and neighbor. ( Log Out /  As Paul says, “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work (. On Prestige in Ministry. However a person views Augustine, it must be acknowledged that Augustine was primarily a pastor and an interpreter of the Bible. For example, ideas from secular philosophy such as the notion of prime matter and the “heaven of heaven” (258) (or realm of ideal forms) are fair game according to Augustine for incorporation into a true interpretation of Genesis 1:1-2. This creates a challenging classroom dynamic! The Relationship Between the Testaments I do not think that charity of the “better too many than too few” interpretations sort has to extend to essential doctrines like the trinity, the divinity and humanity of Christ, the sovereignty of God, and others though (not that you said this in your post, I’m just expounding). When we love well, the text is written on our hearts. For Augustine, the Christian life is ultimately a life of correctly ordered loves–loving the things that ought to be loved in the appropriate measure. The literal sense for Augustine is the sense the words bear in their original historical-linguistic context. He gives much room to the typological interpretation of the Old Testament, which, as mentioned, contains and conceals the New Testament. For the great African Christian intellectual of the early 5th century, Augustine had other concerns. He suggests that scripture (though specifically the Genesis account) is such that those who are “unable to understand how God creates would not set aside the language as beyond their power to grasp; that those who had this ability and by reflection had attained to some true opinions would find . Augustine recognizes that becoming an expert interpreter is a “laborious task,” but it begins with the simple task of committing the Bible to memory or, if nothing else, becoming “not totally unfamiliar” with the content of the Bible. It was not necessary for him to do so, and although it was an act of love on his part, we do not know why he chose to express himself in this particular way. For Augustine, the Christian life is ultimately a life of correctly ordered loves–loving the things that ought to be loved in the appropriate measure.3 Therefore, one who truly understands the scriptures will live well and love well. I explain how books are divided into chapters and verses, a topic tedious for my more experienced readers, I know. As the opening quote illustrates, for Augustine, biblical interpretation is always abundantly practical. Then I make sure that my students have a general sense of the books of the Bible and their arrangement. His mother was a devout Christian; his father Patricius was a Pagan who converted to Christianity on his deathbed. 22:37-9)” (265) are the basis for any and all true interpretations of scripture. A person who does not grow in love does not truly understand the scriptures, even if that person knows a lot about the scriptures. On Christian Teaching. When a reader engages the Bible, the subject (Bible) scrutinizes, examines, and studies the object (reader), which results in … The authors hail from a variety of Christian traditions and use this website to host an intentional community in order to facilitate the true exchange of ideas and to encourage loving action. His rigorous study of the scriptures before embarking upon the journey of ordained ministry proves how central the scriptures were to Augustine’s thought and life. As you rightly point out, however, there are interpretations that we cannot agree to disagree over–but often I think Christians tend to overestimate these. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. If the purpose of the scriptures is to train a person to live a righteous life and to equip a person to do good works (2 Tim 3:16-17), then I suppose the scriptures cease to have a purpose once a person is living them out. That is, the Bible is the subject and the reader is the object. My reasons for starting this way are simple: you have to crawl before you can walk. Clergy and laity are both subject to hermeneutical errors, but this is not the main point I want to make about this issue. Augustine further taught that God created the world for a purpose. Eventually readers of the Bible have to learn how to differentiate between passages meant to be read literally and passages meant to be read figuratively, something that can challenge even the most advanced readers.8 Augustine recognizes that becoming an expert interpreter is a “laborious task,” but it begins with the simple task of committing the Bible to memory or, if nothing else, becoming “not totally unfamiliar” with the content of the Bible.9. As the opening quote illustrates, for Augustine, biblical interpretation is … In addition to teaching, Jarrett is the assistant pastor of a house church, where he helps with preaching, teaching, worship leading, and discipleship. But Augustine continues, “He is to be corrected, however, and to be shown how much better it is not to quit the straight road, lest, if he get into a habit of going astray, he may sometimes take cross roads, or even go in the wrong direction altogether” (Augustine, On Christian Doctrine, 1.36.41 [NPNF1, 2.533]). . How does one know if a particular interpretation measures up to this standard? We should absolutely have charity for other views of scripture in the nonessential doctrines category, and even in the distinctive doctrines category which will likely be a lot harder. I, Thou, and the Need for We: An Incarnational Reading of Martin Buber, Goals and Motivations for Presenting Sin in Church History, Happiness, Death, Anxiety, Resurrection – IV: The Apostle Paul, Breath of the Soul: Sustenance for Daily Strength, Why I Didn’t Convert to Eastern Orthodoxy. Along with John Chrysostom, Augustine was among the most prolific scholars of the early church by quantity. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading St. Augustine: The Literal Meaning of Genesis (Ancient Christian Writers Book 41). I agree with what you’re saying here and in no way intended to be taken as saying that Christians should countenance as valid any interpretation of scripture which they believe to be false and which cannot be reconciled with saving faith in Christ. The new ESV-CE Bible translation will make Bible reading more understandable and accessible yet retain the accuracy and reliability necessary for faithful Catholics when reading Sacred Scripture. In the above quote, Augustine offers a somewhat surprising response. “If, as I began by saying, he is misled by an idea of the kind that builds up love, which is the end of the commandment, he is misled in the same way as a walker who leaves his path by mistake but reaches the destination to which the path leads by going through a field. Before it sounds like I am only pointing fingers outward, I must admit that when I look at my old sermon notes I am often mortified by my own preaching. As many Bible teachers recommend, Augustine encourages readers to gain understanding of the original biblical languages.6 If this is not possible, it is best to either consult literal translations or to compare several translations.7 Of course, as a student progresses on this path, other issues become relevant. As the scriptures themselves prophesy, “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people (Jer 31:33b).”. How am I, as a teacher of the Bible, to respond? A correct understanding of the scriptures produces the double love of God and neighbor. He wanted to equip his congregation to read, interpret, understand, and apply the scriptures on their own. Since he had not finished his earlier literal commentary, he “See now how stupid it is, among so large a mass of entirely correct interpretations which can be elicited from those words, rashly to assert that a particular one has the best claim to be Moses’ view, and by destructive disputes to offend against charity itself, which is the principle of everything he said in the texts we are attempting to expound.” (Augustine, 265). On a basic level, one might argue that the journey toward love is never fully complete; therefore, the scriptures have continual relevance for the life of faith. However, I do not know if I can ALWAYS go all the way with you to say that it is “better to recognize too many interpretations than too few.” I have to make a distinction here between interpretations of nonessential and distinctive doctrines on one hand, and essential doctrines on the other. They have a working knowledge of the history of the Israelite people. If interpretations are true when they measure up to the standard of these two love commands, then a great range of perspectives and interpretations are open to the interpreter. If the purpose of the scriptures is to train a person to live a righteous life and to equip a person to do good works (2 Tim 3:16-17), then I suppose the scriptures cease to have a purpose once a person is living them out. When we love well, the text is written on our hearts. Augustine's method of exegesis is rich and multi-layered. Keeping in mind that the goal of the Christian life is to order one’s loves correctly, the person who has interpreted the Bible wrongly, but loves, has taken a side trail to the right destination. Ultimately, if a person grows in their ability to understand the Bible so much so that it becomes a part of the fabric of their being, they have no further need of written texts. St. Augustine answers the biblical literalists Posted on September 3, 2012 by David Gerald Fincham I recently came across the following quotation from St. Augustine of Hippo (354AD – 430AD) , one of the greatest Christian theologians, from his work De Genisi ad litteram (The Literal Meaning of … Augustine states that the intended meaning is that which “corresponds both to the light of truth and to the reader’s spiritual profit” (270). The story of his student days in Carthage, his discovery of Cicero's Hortensius, the enkindling of his … To a certain degree, I find this to be a rather generous attitude toward bad biblical interpretation. Sometimes readers of the Bible make interpretative mistakes, but it still produces love in their lives. there is no contradiction” (264). His numerous written works, the most important of which are Confessions (c. 400) and The City of God (c. 413–426), shaped the practice of biblical exegesis and helped lay the foundation for much of medieval and modern Christian thought. They can see how biblical law works, and they understand the purpose and symbolism of biblical ritual and worship. Please avoid sarcasm, rhetorical questions, ad hominem attacks, and general statements that do not contribute to dialogue. 22:37-9)” (265) are the basis for any and all true interpretations of scripture. St. Augustine, whom most consider the greatest of all the Church Fathers, spends the last three “books” of his Confessions interpreting the spare outline of the Creation recorded in Genesis. Such a view of biblical interpretation has the potential to be unifying and to ensure that division does not ensue needlessly. His rigorous study of the scriptures before embarking upon the journey of ordained ministry proves how central the scriptures were to Augustine’s thought and life. Scripture’s truth is such that it contains something for anyone. I think a good rule of thumb is: in essentials unity; in nonessentials liberty; in all things charity. Jarrett is a bi-vocational house church pastor and adjunct faculty member. His understanding of these verses incorporates secular philosophical ideas, shedding light on his view of proper biblical interpretation. It is an extended plea designed to persuadepeople “to enter the city of God or to persist in it”(Letter 2*.3). As the scriptures themselves prophesy, “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people (. Ultimately, if a person grows in their ability to understand the Bible so much so that it becomes a part of the fabric of their being, they have no further need of written texts. If this is not possible, it is best to either consult literal translations or to compare several translations. Then I make sure that my students have a general sense of the books of the Bible and their arrangement. He teaches classes at several local colleges in the areas of religion and humanities. Or maybe it would be better to look at it differently. “So anyone who thinks he has understood the divine scriptures or any part of them, but cannot by his understanding build up this double love of God and neighbour, has not yet succeeded in understanding them.”. Change ). Augustine is the first ecclesiastical author the whole course of whose development can be clearly traced, as well as the first in whose case we are able to determine the exact period covered by his career, to the very day. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. A correct understanding of the scriptures produces the double love of God and neighbor. In the second paragraph, since Leo XIII understands the truth of Scripture to be a settled principle, he simply quotes St. Augustine as saying that if something is conclusively proved to be true of the world, then we cannot interpret Scripture to contradict that; and if something is conclusively proved to be the meaning of Scripture, then we cannot understand the world to contradict that. Wit… Notable proponents of allegorical interpretation include the Christian theologian Augustine of Hippo, who in the 4th century, on theological grounds, argued that God created everything in the universe in the same instant, and not in six days as a plain reading of Genesis would require; and the even earlier 1st-century Jewish scholar Philo of Alexandria, who wrote that it would be a mistake to think that creation … The New Testament lies concealed in the Old, the Old lies revealed in the New. As a pastor and teacher of the faithful, Augustine wrote. The fact that he placed his own triune image in Adam—who was intended to be the crowning glory of his creation—teaches us that God’s otherwise mysterious act had a reason that we cannot fully understand or appreciate. These days too many exegetes, or interpreters of the Bible, are rationalists who deny Christ’s miracles; or skeptics who deny his divinity; or modernists who deny the historical truth of his birth, death, and resurrection. If my students do not grasp the basics of the Bible first, they will have a difficult time reading the oracles of the prophets, the poetry of the Psalms, or the parables of Jesus. Even so, he believes that the love command (to love God and to love one’s neighbor) provides a central principle that is useful for biblical interpretation. I teach a basic introductory course on the Bible as a great work of literature at my local community college. His hobbies include guitar, hiking, bird watching, crossword puzzles, sports, reading, and writing. 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