In Confessions 3.4.8 Augustine writes that he had the Gospels in his hands since childhood under his mother’s influence. St. Augustine: The Literal Meaning of Genesis (Ancient Christian Writers Book 41) - Kindle edition by John Hammond Taylor. The Bible is true and nothing else that is true will contradict scripture. Augustine’s a posteriori interpretation presupposes a particular community (the Church), and thus the two-fold act of discovery (modus inveniendi) and delivery (modus proferendi) is properly required for a full-orbed interpretation of Scripture (tractatio scripturarum). 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. According to Augustine, Bible interpretation is in a sense, a subjective enterprise. In On Christian Teaching, Augustine outlines his rules for biblical interpretation so that Christians can grow in the double love of God and neighbor. “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). There is a particular emphasis on practicing charity toward those who hold different views or interpretations, even while holding a high view truth. I teach a basic introductory course on the Bible as a great work of literature at my local community college. Like many pastors, Augustine was not simply content to teach the Bible to his congregation. 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. Those false interpretations which are most harmful will, at least in theory, be much easier to identify as not being based in the commandments to love God and others. 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. In On Christian Doctrine, Augustine’s most theoretical discussion of interpretation, he suggests that interpretation of scriptural passages should attempt to discern the intention of the biblical author had in mind. “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. 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. 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. Christians today would do well to consider these ideas. Then I make sure that my students have a general sense of the books of the Bible and their arrangement. 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. ( Log Out /  Nobody can say why God made the world. 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. 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. 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. On the one hand, Augustine values the literal sense and encourages readers to find value in it. I think we should always guard our interpretations of essential doctrine though, and I believe Augustine would agree with that too. Conciliar Post promotes edifying dialogue that informs, encourages, and challenges people around the world. . Augustine was born in 354 in the city of Thagaste (Algeria) in Roman Africa. As the opening quote illustrates, for Augustine, biblical interpretation is always abundantly practical. 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. Change ). A person who does not grow in love does not truly understand the scriptures, even if that person knows a lot about the scriptures. Of course, as a student progresses on this path, other issues become relevant. On Christian Teaching. They have a working knowledge of the history of the Israelite people. They know the arrangements of the books and can identify the various genres of literature. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Subjective enterprise was not simply content to teach the Bible and their arrangement there then! Do not contribute to dialogue local community college much room to the wrong destination God created the for. 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