Before investigating the four commentaries, it must be noted that Augustine was commenting on the Vetus Latina, the Old Latin text of the Bible, which would soon be replaced by Jerome’s Vulgate. Once again, his philosophical presuppositions and the Vetus Latina would hinder him from properly exegeting the passage. J. E. Rotelle O.S.A. Also, the big bang proposes that earth originally formed as a hot molten ball, while the Bible states that earth was originally created as covered by water. Systematic theology: Volume II. The final three books in this work are often considered to be a commentary, although this may be an inaccurate term for what Augustine has written. In The Cambridge companion to Augustine, ed. Ellingsen, M. 2005. These are living souls that have been regenerated and no longer need baptism as they once did while sunk beneath the waters.10. Humphreys, D. R. 1994. Green Forest, Arkansas: Master Books. Augustine was concerned that Christians might make fools of themselves by confidently declaring that Scripture taught something that was proven incorrect by the sciences. Browntown, Wisconsin: Midwest Apologetics. Revisions. . A hyper-literal interpretation takes everything in a strictly literal fashion. High-quality papers for Answers Research Journal, sponsored by Answers in Genesis, are invited for submission. Michael Fiedrowicz revealed that Augustine also dealt with the subject of creation in many of his other works, including Answer to an Enemy of the Law and the Prophets, Faith and the Creed, and Answer to Julian (Fiedrowicz 2002, p. 14). Finally, Augustine occasionally ignored or missed an obvious answer to his questions. Westminster Theological Journal 39, no. 1976. He explained. Humphreys has proposed what he calls a white hole cosmology (Humphreys 1994). Modern translations have corrected the text to indicate that the “plant of the field” and the “herb of the field” had not yet grown because it had not rained and there was no man to till the ground. He wanted to know why God said certain phrases in some instances but not others. comment. This points up the wisdom which Augustine displayed in utilizing the Bible’s first book in his apologetic approach. It is a question of age, which is actually a history question. The first two - On Genesis: A Refutation of the Manichees and his Unfinished Literal Commentary on Genesis - are early works. This led him to conclude that insects were not a part of the Creation Week, except possibly in seed form. Theistic evolutionists claim Augustine as an ally of their view that God used evolutionary processes to create the universe (Young 1988). Internet Explorer is no longer supported. Genesis 1 is clear that God created everything over the course of six consecutive normal-length days. Of course, many of these animals are now carnivorous so it is a fair question to ask. As such, even though he seemed to display humility in this conclusion, he was actually refusing to allow the author’s intended meaning to prevail and opted for a multiple subjective meanings instead. This commentary is particularly important for many reasons and, as such, it requires much more attention than the others. He never finished this commentary, but would spend 15 years working on a second literal commentary. The stars are likened to the gifts of the Spirit given to individuals, while the sun and moon shine brighter and represent the meatier teachings of God’s word which babes in the faith cannot handle. Old-earth creationists often cite Augustine as a supporter of their view. Much of the misuse is due to a failure to recognize his context and his changing interpretive approaches throughout the commentaries. Age of the earth: Why it does and doesn’t matter. The arguments resonate in a time where Genesis is attacked on all sides on a daily basis. The Manichees did not allow for non-literal interpretations, so Augustine likely reacted strongly against anyone adopting their particular hermeneutic. The first three books are dedicated to discussing the first chapter of Genesis. He sought an answer as to when plants with thorns and thistles, as well as non-fruit bearing trees were created.19 The book concludes with a discussion of why God did not say that the creation of man was good as He said about many of the other things He created. J. E. Rotelle O.S.A. 2009. Despite his occasional foray into more of a literal hermeneutic, the majority of Genesis 1 is interpreted in allegorical fashion. The problem is that the text does not say that they did conceive, carry, and give birth before the end of the day. The Christian view of science and Scripture. In his Revisions he added a few more paragraphs (Fiedrowicz 2002, p. 106) and then stopped. When Scripture clearly teaches something, science should never be used to overrule it. . The problem is that an astrologist would predict similar lives for the twins because their lives would have been directed by the stars based on the time of their births (Augustine 2002b, II.17.35). The next six books deal with the second chapter of Genesis and the creation of angels and man’s soul. If a modern critical text was available to him, his commentaries would have been less problematic. For example, a person interpreting this way would believe that Jesus taught He was a physical door when he claimed, “I am the door” (John 10:9). Augustine himself believed he was literally interpreting Genesis as evidenced by the fact that the titles of two of his commentaries on Genesis contain the word “literal”. As shown in the sections about his two literal commentaries, Augustine frequently avoided the literal interpretation of a passage if it did not mesh with his understanding of the science or philosophy of his day. As was mentioned earlier, this is likely based on the poor word choice of the. It is this point that must be examined in some detail because his archaic beliefs often led him to an improper interpretation. There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Because of his Neo-Platonic leanings, (Dengerink 1976, p. 33) Augustine believed that God created all things instantaneously in their potential forms or “predispositions” (Fiedrowicz 2002, p. 153). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. The Confessions is an outstanding resource for learning about Augustine’s personal journey to the faith. Instead, he placed Scripture on a higher level of authority. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. However, his diverse teachings on these early chapters have not always helped matters. The confessions. It seems wise to allow scientific understanding to elucidate unclear passages, but these conclusions should only be held tentatively since scientific conclusions regularly change. Perhaps the wisest statement in this commentary is found in a discussion about the number of animals God created. His theological interest sprang from the critical importance of the Fall to Augustine's theology. An Examination of Augustine’s Commentaries on Genesis One and Their Implications on a Modern Theological Controversy. He rightly pointed out that. Yet, the Old Latin text is a bit ambiguous and seems to suggest that they performed these duties prior to the end of the fifth day. However, he still resorts to the other styles at times and even warned against making confident claims about one’s interpretation. He concluded that astrology was the work of deceiving spirits, which accounted for the astrologers’ ability to occasionally make accurate predictions. This may seem like a foolish thing to admit in the course of a debate, but it displays his acknowledgment that God’s ways are higher than man’s ways (Isaiah 55:9). Augustine does not claim infallibility for his own interpretation.8 Instead, nearly the opposite is true. Biblical creationists have repeatedly warned about the dangers of allegorizing narrative passages and reinterpreting the text based on the science of the day. The Manichees held to a form of universal dualism. There are three major problems with this approach. As Williams noted, Augustine considered his hermeneutic to be literal because he read the creation story as a creation story, rather than a story about the church or individual salvation (Williams 2001, p. 62). Augustine seems to support the concept of baptismal regeneration here by writing, “. Few individuals in church history are as popular as Augustine of Hippo. Augustine’s first commentary on Genesis was written with the specific goal of refuting Manichaeism and its assaults on the early chapters of the book. 1996. His subjective interpretation and lengthy argument for multiple interpretations ultimately suggest that each reader can decide for himself what the text means as long as his interpretation does not contradict other teachings of Scripture (Augustine 1997, XII.18.27). He certainly published contradictory interpretations and he could rightly be blamed for this. His three commentaries and his books on Genesis included in The Confessions will be examined in detail. He accepted the belief in the spontaneous generation of insects by the putrefaction of material items (Augustine 2002b, III.14.22). Christianity Today 53(5). Like today, opponents of Christianity regularly attacked the Bible’s opening chapters and he felt the need to defend their accuracy and historicity. From the big bang perspective, the earth has never been entirely covered by water. Augustine’s varying hermeneutical approach is easily noticeable in his commentaries on the Book of Genesis. Refresh and try again. Augustine offered two allegorical interpretations of the meaning of the six days. Although they are not mentioned by name in the commentary, the Manichees were occasionally in Augustine’s sights. Perspectives on Sciences and Christian Faith 40, no. He wonders how it is possible that the heavenly bodies of the fourth day could have been given to mark days since three days had already passed (Augustine 2002c, 12.36). Answers Research Journal (ARJ) is a professional, peer-reviewed technical journal for the publication of interdisciplinary scientific and other relevant research from the perspective of the recent Creation and the global Flood within a biblical framework. Second, it is assumed that the process has always occurred at a steady rate. He must be interpreted in light of his contextual setting. Thomas Williams explains that even though Augustine’s interpretation of Genesis 1 would not qualify as literal by today’s standards, Augustine viewed it as such because he was “reading the creation story as a creation story, not as (for example) the story of the Church or of individual salvation.”. 2001. Ross, H. 2000. He commanded His chosen people to circumcise every male. Ultimately, Augustine proclaims. Perhaps the best solution is that these animals were changed at the time of the Curse. Augustine’s version stated that the earth was “invisible and shapeless” (Augustine 2002a, I.3.5) rather than the modern “without form and void.” Once again, Augustine is forced to explain something that would not be an issue if he had an accurate translation. It has already been mentioned that Augustine changed his hermeneutical approach in his Genesis commentaries. Approximately five years after publishing his work against Manichaeism, Augustine attempted a second commentary on the book of Genesis. Hyde Park, New York: New City Press. Augustine’s final commentary on Genesis was undoubtedly his most concerted effort as it was written over a fifteen year period. Retrieved from http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2009/may/22.39.html?start=1. His commentary against the Manichees and the commentary in his Confessions were based on allegorical interpretations. Against heresies. For example, the creation of fruit trees on Day Three is discussed in a straightforward manner, although he goes on to wonder when God created the non-fruit bearing trees. (ISBN: 9781565482012) from Amazon's Book Store. 2000. Rather than recognizing the necessity of a progression of time, his a priori commitment to a timeless creation caused him to search for non-literal elements in the text. However, one must realize that the cause of his changing hermeneutic had more to do with his spiritual growth than with trying to appease the beliefs of his contemporaries. He felt that this type of activity would lead to a mockery of the faith by those who needed to be evangelized. Augustine wrote nothing to the purpose concerning faith; for he was first roused up … He wrote. It is surprising that Augustine has been cited as a supporter of each of the views in this contest. 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