On Christian Doctrine, in Four Books

About this book

"On Christian Doctrine" — a classic of biblical interpretation

Text from Christian Classics Ethereal Library; in the public domain.

Contents

1. Introductory Note by the Editior
2. Preface
3. Book I. Containing a General View of the Subjects Treated in Holy Scripture
4. Chap. 1. The interpretation of Scripture depends on the discovery and enunciation of the meaning, and is to be undertaken in dependence on God's aid.
5. Chap. 2. What a thing is, and what a sign
6. Chap. 3. Some things are for use, some for enjoyment
7. Chap. 4. Difference of use and enjoyment
8. Chap. 5. The Trinity the true object of enjoyment
9. Chap. 6. In what sense God is ineffable
10. Chap. 7. What all men understand by the term God
11. Chap. 8. God to be esteemed above all else because He is unchangeable Wisdom
12. Chap. 9. All acknowledge the superiority of unchangeable: wisdom to that which is variable
13. Chap. 10. To see God, the soul must be purified
14. Chap. 11. Wisdom becoming incarnate, a pattern to us of purification
15. Chap. 12. In what sense the Wisdom of God came to us
16. Chap. 13. The Word was made flesh
17. Chap. 14. How the wisdom of God healed man
18. Chap. 15. Faith is buttressed by the resurrection and ascension of Christ, and is stimulated by His coming to judgment
19. Chap. 16. Christ purges His church by medicinal afflictions
20. Chap. 17. Christ, by forgiving our sins, opened the way to our home
21. Chap. 18. The keys given to the Church
22. Chap. 19. Bodily and spiritual death and resurrection
23. Chap. 20. The resurrection to damnation
24. Chap. 21. Neither body nor soul extinguished at death
25. Chap. 22. God alone to be enjoyed
26. Chap. 23. Man needs no injunction to love himself and his own body
27. Chap. 24. No man hates his own flesh, not even those who abuse it
28. Chap. 25. A man may love something more than his body, but does not therefore hate his body
29. Chap. 26. The command to love God and our neighbour includes a command to love ourselves
30. Chap. 27. The order of love
31. Chap. 28. How we are to decide whom to aid
32. Chap. 29. We are to desire and endeavour that all men may love God
33. Chap. 30. Whether angels are to be reckoned our neighbours
34. Chap. 31. God uses rather than enjoys us
35. Chap. 32. In what way God uses man
36. Chap. 33. In what way man should be enjoyed
37. Chap. 34. Christ the first way to God
38. Chap. 35. The fulfilment and end of Scripture is the love of God and our neighbour
39. Chap. 36. That interpretation of Scripture which builds us up in love is not perniciously deceptive nor mendacious, even though it be faulty. The interpreter, however should be corrected
40. Chap. 37. Dangers of mistaken interpretation
41. Chap. 38. Love never faileth
42. Chap. 39. He who is mature in faith hope and love, needs Scripture no longer
43. Chap. 40. What manner of reader Scripture demands
44. Argument
45. Chap. 1. Signs, their nature and variety
46. Chap. 2. Of the kind of signs we are now concerned with
47. Chap. 3. Among signs, words hold the chief place
48. Chap. 4. Origin of writing
49. Chap. 5. Scripture translated into various languages
50. Chap. 6. Use of the obscurities in Scripture which arise from its figurative language
51. Chap. 7. Steps to wisdom: first, fear; second, piety; third, knowledge; fourth, resolution; fifth, counsel; sixth, purification of heart; seventh, stop or termination, wisdom
52. Chap. 8. The canonical books
53. Chap. 9. How we should proceed in studying Scripture
54. Chap. 10. Unknown or ambiguous signs prevent Scripture from being understood
55. Chap. 11. Knowledge of languages especially of Greek and Hebrew, necessary to remove ignorance of signs
56. Chap. 12. A diversity of interpretations is useful. Errors arising from ambiguous words
57. Chap. 13. How faulty interpretations can be emended
58. Chap. 14. How the meaning of unknown words and idioms is to be discovered
59. Chap. 15. Among versions a preference is given to the Septuagint and the Itala
60. Chap. 16. The knowledge both of language and things is helpful for the understanding of figurative expressions
61. Chap. 17. Origin of the legend of the nine Muses
62. Chap. 18. No help is to be despised even though it come from a profane source
63. Chap. 19. Two kinds of heathen knowledge
64. Chap. 20. The superstitious nature of human institutions
65. Chap. 21. Superstition of astrologers
66. Chap. 22. The folly of observing the stars in order to predict the events of a life
67. Chap. 23. Why we repudiate arts of divination
68. Chap. 24. The intercourse and agreement with demons which superstitious observances maintain
69. Chap. 25. In human institutions which are not superstitious, there are some things superfluous and some convenient and necessary
70. Chap. 26. What human contrivances we are to adopt, and what we are to avoid
71. Chap. 27. Some departments of knowledge, not of mere human invention, aid us in interpreting Scripture
72. Chap. 28. To what extent history is an aid
73. Chap. 29. To what extent natural science is an exegetical aid
74. Chap. 30. What the mechanical arts contribute to exegetics
75. Chap. 31. Use of dialectics. Of fallacies
76. Chap. 32. Valid logical sequence is not devised but only observed by man
77. Chap. 33. False inferences may be drawn from valid seasonings, and vice versa
78. Chap. 34. It is one thing to know the laws of inference, another to know the truth of opinions
79. Chap. 35. The science of definition is not false, though it may be applied to falsities
80. Chap. 36. The rules of eloquence are true, though sometimes used to persuade men of what is false
81. Chap. 37. Use of rhetoric and dialectic
82. Chap. 38. The science of numbers not created, but only discovered, by man
83. Chap. 39. To which of the above-mentioned studies attention should be given, and in what spirit
84. Chap. 40. Whatever has been rightly said by the heathen, we must appropriate to our uses
85. Chap. 41. What kind of spirit is required for the study of Holy Scripture
86. Chap. 42. Sacred Scripture compared with profane authors
87. Argument.
88. Chap. 1. Summary of the foregoing books, and scope of that which follows
89. Chap. 2. Rule for removing ambiguity by attending to punctuation
90. Chap. 3. How pronunciation serves to remove ambiguity—different kinds of interrogation
91. Chap. 4. How ambiguities may be solved
92. Chap. 5. It is a wretched slavery which takes the figurative expressions of Scripture in a literal sense
93. Chap. 6. Utility of the bondage of the Jews
94. Chap. 7. The useless bondage of the gentiles
95. Chap. 8. The Jews liberated from their bondage in one way, the gentiles in another
96. Chap. 9. Who is in bondage to signs, and who not
97. Chap. 10. How we are to discern whether a phrase is figurative
98. Chap. 11. Rule for interpreting phrases which seem to ascribe severity to God and the saints
99. Chap. 12. Rule for interpreting those sayings and actions which are ascribed to God and the saints and which yet seem to the unskilful to be wicked
100. Chap. 13. Same subject, continued
101. Chap. 14. Error of those who think that there is no absolute right and wrong
102. Chap. 15. Rule for interpreting figurative expressions
103. Chap. 16. Rule for interpreting commands and prohibitions
104. Chap. 17. Some commands are given to all in common, others to particular classes
105. Chap. 18. We must take into consideration the time at which anything was enjoyed or allowed
106. Chap. 19. Wicked men judge others by themselves
107. Chap. 20. Consistency of good men in all outward circumstances
108. Chap. 21. David not lustful, though he fell into adultery
109. Chap. 22. Rule regarding passages of Scripture in which approval is expressed of actions which are now condemned by good men
110. Chap. 23. Rule regarding the narrative of sins of great men
111. Chap. 24. The character of the expressions used is above all to have weight
112. Chap. 25. The same word does not always signify the same thing
113. Chap. 26. Obscure passages are to be interpreted by those which are clearer
114. Chap. 27. One passage susceptible of various interpretations
115. Chap. 28. It is safer to explain a doubtful passage by other passages of Scripture than by reason
116. Chap. 29. The knowledge of tropes is necessary
117. Chap. 30. The rules of Tichonius the Donatist examined
118. Chap. 31. The first rule of Tichonius
119. Chap. 32. The second rule of Tichonius
120. Chap. 33. The third rule of Tichonius
121. Chap. 34. The fourth rule of Tichonius
122. Chap. 35. The fifth rule of Tichonius
123. Chap. 36. The sixth rule of Tichonius
124. Chap. 37. The seventh rule of Tichonius
125. Argument.
126. Chap. 1.This work not intended as a treatise on rhetoric
127. Chap. 2. It is lawful for a Christian teacher to use the art of rhetoric
128. Chap. 3. The proper age and the proper means for acquiring rhetorical skill
129. Chap. 4. The duty of the Christian teacher
130. Chap. 5. Wisdom of more importance than eloquence to the Christian teacher
131. Chap. 6. The sacred writers unite eloquence with wisdom
132. Chap. 7. Examples of true eloquence drawn from the epistles of Paul and the prophecies of Amos
133. Chap. 8. The obscurity of the sacred writers, though compatible with eloquence, not to be imitated by Christian teachers
134. Chap. 9. How, and with whom, difficult passages are to be discussed
135. Chap. 10. The necessity for perspicuity of style
136. Chap. 11. The Christian teacher must speak clearly, but not inelegantly
137. Chap. 12. The aim of the orator, according to Cicero, is to teach, to delight, and to move. Of these, teaching is the most essential
138. Chap. 13. The hearer must be moved as well as instructed
139. Chap. 14. Beauty of diction to be in keeping with the matter
140. Chap. 15. The Christian teacher should pray before preaching
141. Chap. 16. Human directions not to be despised though God makes the true teacher
142. Chap. 17. Threefold division of the various styles of speech
143. Chap. 18. The Christian orator is constantly dealing with great matters
144. Chap. 19. The Christian teacher must use different styles on different occasions
145. Chap. 20. Examples of the various styles drawn from Scripture
146. Chap. 21. Examples of the various styles, drawn from the teachers of the church, especially Ambrose and Cyprian
147. Chap. 22. The necessity of variety in style
148. Chap. 23. How the various styles should be mingled
149. Chap. 24. The effects produced by the majestic style
150. Chap. 25. How the temperate style is to be used
151. Chap. 26. In every style the orator should aim at perspicuity, beauty, and persuasiveness
152. Chap. 27. The man whose life is in harmony with his teaching will teach with greater effect
153. Chap. 28. Truth is more important than expression. What is meant by strife about words
154. Chap. 29. It is permissible for a preacher to deliver to the people what has been written by a more eloquent man than himself
155. Chap. 30. The preacher should commence his discourse with prayer to God
156. Chap. 31. Apology for the length of the work