On Christian Doctrine

Like Augustine, Ticonius came from North Africa, and lived in the late 4th century to early 5th century AD. He was a theologian who belonged to a rival Christian sect known as the Donatists. Ticonius wrote some influential theological works, but they are now lost apart from quotations and references to his ideas in the works of other authors, including St. Augustine.

We know that Ticonius wrote Seven Rules of Interpretation, a theological work about scriptural exegesis that Augustine references and talks about in Book 3 of On Christian Doctrine. Although he remains a shadowy figure due to the lack of information about his life and the disappearance of his writings, his influence in On Christian Doctrine is made plain both in terms of Augustine’s open discussion of the work and the fact that Augustine is trying—as Ticonius did before him—to guide readers through the art of biblical interpretation. The fact that Ticonius was an adherent of a rival sect is a reminder of the historical and religious context in which Augustine lived and wrote. While Catholic Christianity was becoming more powerful, its power was by no means undisputed. The ideas of rival theologians such as Ticonius still played a prominent role in the theological discourse of Augustine’s day.

St. Paul (5 AD-67 AD) is one of the most famous and important figures in Christianity, and Augustine makes numerous admiring references in On Christian Doctrine to Paul’s writings. Paul began his life as Saul, a successful Roman Jew and an active persecutor Christianity, still a new and unpopular religion under the pagan Roman Empire. Paul later claimed that he converted to Christianity after encountering the resurrected Jesus on the road to Damascus; he soon became a fervent promoter of the religion he once persecuted. Paul travelled widely throughout the Roman Empire, founding churches and writing many letters that would become part of the scriptures.

Some confusion surrounds the exact timing and circumstances of his death, but it is generally agreed that Paul was eventually arrested and killed for his beliefs, a martyr for the faith. Paul was later made a saint in the Roman Catholic Church, and his influence was already enormous by Augustine’s day.

Augustine uses Paul’s writings to illustrate rhetorical styles and to defend the scriptures against the charge that the biblical writers lack elegance and power in their style. As Augustine argues, “the Canonical writers [such as Paul] are not only wise but eloquent also, with an eloquence suited to a character and position like theirs” (332). Augustine draws upon Paul’s writing as an inspiration throughout Book 4, while also further solidifying Paul’s status in the history and theology of the Catholic Church by recognizing his spiritual authority.