On Christian Doctrine

St. Augustine of Hippo’s On Christian Doctrine is a theological work offering guidance to the interpretation of biblical scripture, as well as Augustine’s precepts for effective rhetorical practice and Christian teaching. The work first appeared in 397 AD. Augustine’s expertise on these topics is twofold. As Bishop of Hippo, Augustine brings ecclesiastical authority and an extensive knowledge of the scriptures to his theology; as a former teacher of rhetoric, he speaks as an expert when offering his readers an overview of rhetorical practices.

At the time of publication, On Christian Doctrine contributed to a lively yet often fraught religious discourse. During Augustine’s lifetime, the Catholic Church was rapidly gaining in power but was not yet established as the only Christian authority in the Roman Empire. In the face of competing rival sects and many disputes over matters of scriptural authority and doctrine, Augustine’s theology played an important role in establishing orthodox Catholicism. On Christian Doctrine is considered one of his most famous and influential works.

This study guide uses the Kobo e-book edition of On Christian Doctrine produced by Wyatt North Publishing in 2010 with translation and editing by Jeremiah Vallery.

Plot Summary

Augustine opens On Christian Doctrine with a Preface that preemptively addresses some of the criticisms his work might attract. Some readers, he says, will fail to understand his rules, and others will believe that they don’t need any rules to interpret scripture. In response, Augustine argues that teaching is an essential form of love and unity between men, and that it is important to be humble and willing to receive instruction and to also give instruction freely.

In Book 1, Augustine presents some of his general ideas regarding Christian doctrine, especially the centrality of love in the Christian faith. He argues that the most important lesson of scripture is to love one’s neighbor as oneself and to love God wholeheartedly as the supreme good. He also urges the reader to prize what is spiritual and eternal over the ephemeral and material things of this earth. Augustine also speaks of how it is important to maintain faith in the authority of scripture; if this faith is compromised, a Christian could lose his faith and his love.

In Book 2, Augustine discusses the nature of signs and the difference between the literal and the figurative in scripture. Augustine explains the importance of learning languages—Latin, Greek, and Hebrew—in order to effectively compare translations and to catch the errors that might exist in many of the Latin translations. Augustine advocates for the authority of the most established, revered, and authoritative churches and texts in helping to resolve religious disputes or problems of interpretation. He argues against pagan superstitions and practices but also urges readers to take what is useful from pagan authors.

In Book 3, Augustine provides guidance for distinguishing whether a passage is literal or figurative and presents scripture as self-contained and unified. All matters of confusion about one passage of scripture can be resolved through consulting other passages of scripture. He also summarizes and discusses the seven rules of interpretation as outlined by the theologian Ticonius and celebrates the Catholic Church as the new, spiritual Israel.

In Book 4, Augustine turns his attention to the art of rhetoric and how a Christian teacher can effectively instruct others in the faith. Augustine defends the canonical writers of the Bible against those who claim their style is clumsy and inelegant, offering passages from St. Paul as a rebuttal. Augustine then stresses the importance of using rhetoric for good (i.e., spreading the faith) and not for personal vainglory. He also urges Christian teachers to live blameless lives to avoid the charge of hypocrisy. He ends with an apology for the length of his work, but he reasons that anyone who finds it of use will not mind the length.