On Christian Doctrine

Augustine lived at a time when the Catholic Church was rapidly gaining in unity and prominence in the ancient world, but paganism still held significant sway, and many other Christian sects rivalled Catholicism’s growing power. It is instructive to consider how Augustine’s historical context influences some of his ideas.

Augustine’s recurring concern with adhering to scriptural and ecclesiastical authority (see “Themes”) is motivated, at least in part, by his commitment to Catholicism and his desire to undermine rival sects and heresies that his readers might be tempted by. As the Catholic Church consolidated its influence and tried to regularize its doctrines and rituals, Augustine’s robust promotion of church hierarchy and authority was highly effective theological propaganda. For example, Augustine’s insistence on deference to “the greater number of Catholic churches” when religious disputes arise and his insistence that “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) speaks to his desire to shore up a certain religious order and to also help establish a sort of “lineage” for Christian ecclesiastical authorities. Since the Catholic Church was still in its relative infancy at this time—and Christianity was still very much a new faith compared to Judaism and the old pagan religions—Augustine’s efforts to help regularize matters of doctrine and to urge his readers to submit to authority were hugely important.