On Christian Doctrine

Nonfiction | Book | Adult

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Book 1

Book 2

Book 3

Book 4

Key Figures

Themes

Index of Terms

Literary Devices

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Themes

The Power of Love

At the heart of Augustine’s theology is Christian love. Augustine believes that love is the essence of faith, and that this love manifests itself in two main forms: the love of one’s neighbor, and one’s love for God.

Augustine writes repeatedly about the nature of these dual loves and their importance for the Christian believer. He believes that it is the love a believer shows for his neighbor that is both an act of faith and a way of mirroring the love the believer has for God—even though there is, as he stresses, a gap between the love God can offer and the love a mortal does: “For He shows us pity on account of His own goodness, but we show pity to one another on account of His—that is, he pities us that he may fully enjoy Himself; we pity one another that we may fully enjoy Him” (80). By loving one’s neighbor, the Christian believer learns how to behave more selflessly and in a spirit of genuine Christian charity, which in turn brings him closer to God and the divine goodness all believers seek to emulate.

Furthermore, love acts as a social bond that holds people and communities together in a spirit of harmony. The nature of love is, Augustine writes, all-encompassing and covers all forms: “[T]here are four kinds of things that are to be loved—first, that which is above us; second, ourselves; third, that which is on a level with us; fourth, that which is beneath us” (64). This love is different from lust in the sense that lust is, according to Augustine, something selfish and which seeks its own ends, whereas a true Christian love seeks connections with others in order to honor God: the Christian should always seek “that affection of the mind […] which aims at the enjoyment of God for His own sake, and the enjoyment of one’s self and one’s neighbor in subordination to God” (227). Ultimately, Augustine’s argument throughout On Christian Doctrine is that it is love that is the most important message scripture has for its readers.

The Importance of Education

To access scripture, a Christian believer needs at least one of two sources: a teacher who can read and interpret scripture for him or the literacy necessary to read and interpret scripture for himself. Either way, Augustine believes that education is the key to ensuring that the believer has the skills and knowledge necessary for engaging in biblical study.

In his Preface to On Christian Doctrine, Augustine emphasizes the importance of teachers in helping to spread the faith. He speaks dismissively of those who claim that “Divine Grace” alone has led them to biblical wisdom, reminding such men that “it was from human teachers [that] they themselves learned to read” (22). As for the teachers themselves, Augustine writes at length in Book 4 about the importance of effective teaching: a good Christian teacher needs to learn how to adapt his style and techniques to his audience, so that he will succeed in persuading others and will help fellow believers grow in their faith. A good teacher, Augustine says, will know the art of rhetoric, but he will “avoid all words that do not teach” (337), and will also seek to model the same moral virtues he urges others to follow to avoid the sin of hypocrisy (410).

For Augustine, teaching is above all an act of love; he writes, “love itself, which binds men together […] would have no means of pouring soul into soul […] if men never learned anything from their fellow-men” (26). Considering the centrality of love in Augustine’s theology, this is the highest importance he can bestow upon the act of teaching and learning. It is a form of love that, in turn, instructs men in how to better live by the love for their neighbor and their love for God, which is the ultimate end of a true Christian’s faith.

Respect for Scriptural and Ecclesiastical Authority

Augustine urges his readers to recognize and respect the authority of teachers, but he also stresses the importance of authority in other forms. According to Augustine, adhering to the guidance of established scriptural and ecclesiastical authorities is crucial to prevent believers from going astray from what is doctrinally true and morally acceptable.

In the case of scripture, Augustine acknowledges the issues that arise in terms of both translation and interpretation. Since scripture exists in three main languages in Augustine’s time—Hebrew, Greek, and Latin—problems of different translations and interpretations are widespread. In response, Augustine takes pain to stress the value of learning all three languages well, and in comparing the Latin translations with the Hebrew and Greek to avoid errors (120). Augustine has high praise for the Greek translation of the Old Testament known as the Septuagint, claiming that it has authority because its seventy translators all produced the same text, with no disagreements between them (133-35).

Furthermore, Augustine firmly believes in the idea of ecclesiastical hierarchy and authority. Deference must be paid to church authorities, and when disputes arise, the oldest and most venerable churches must take precedent in terms of resolving the disputes. For example, for issues surrounding the Canon—i.e., what is or is not official scripture—Augustine says that a believer “must follow the judgement of the greater number of Catholic Churches; and among these, of course, a high place must be given to such as have been thought worthy to be the seat of an apostle and to receive epistles” (114). Augustine’s respect for authority is rooted in his desire to have an undisputed church that can unite the believers of all nations, while also serving as a sure guide in all matters scriptural and spiritual.