Augustine’s Theology of Wisdom
BENJAMIN T. QUINN
STUDIES IN HISTORICAL AND SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY
Christ, the Way: Augustine’s Theology of Wisdom
Studies in Historical and Systematic Theology
Copyright 2022 Benjamin T. Quinn
Lexham Academic, an imprint of Lexham Press
1313 Commercial St., Bellingham, WA 98225
You may use brief quotations from this resource in presentations, articles, and books. For all other uses, please write Lexham Press for permission. Email us at permissions@lexhampress.com.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from the Augustine translation being cited.
Scripture quotations marked (NRSV) are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Print ISBN 9781683595793
Digital ISBN 9781683595809
Library of Congress Control Number 2021947075
Lexham Editorial: Todd Hains, Caleb Kormann, John Barach, Mandi Newell
Cover Design: Peter Park, Brittany Schrock
friendship and mentorship.
To Lewis Ayres for your wisdom and insight into
the rich thought of St. Augustine.
To both Craig and Lewis for your patience
with my many, many questions.
Nature and Purpose of Research
A Survey of Wisdom Before Augustine
Secondary Work and the Shape of this Study
1. The Development of Sapientia in Augustine, Part I: Birth to Bishop
Wisdom from Birth to Conversion
2. The Development of Sapientia in Augustine, Part II: 396–430
The Complete Sapiential Cluster: 1 Corinthians 12:8 and Job 28:28
Wisdom from 396 to 430: Augustine’s Letters, Sermons, and Mature Works
F. Cayré’s “Le Notion de Sagesse Chez Saint Augustin”
Three Sapiential Categories: A Bird’s Eye View of Sapientia in de Trinitate
Sapientia in Books 6–7, 12–14, and 15: A Detailed Examination
Ontology, Structure, and Direction
Conclusion: Definition of Sapientia
4. An Assessment of Sapientia and the Way Forward
Components of the Creation and Wisdom Intersection in Augustine
Creation and Wisdom in Contemporary Wisdom Scholarship
Summary of Findings and Conclusion
TABLE OF AUGUSTINE’S WORKS1
Latin Titles | English Titles | Abbreviations |
Acta contra Fortanatum Manicheum | A Debate with Fortunatus, a Manichean | c. Fort. |
Ad Simplicianum | To Simplicianus | Simpl. |
Confessiones | Confessions | Conf. |
Contra Academicos | Against the Academics | Acad. |
De quantitate animae | The Magnitude of the Soul | Quant. an. |
De beata vita | On the Happy Life |
|
De civitate Dei | The City of God | Civ. |
De diversis quaestionibus octoginta tribus | On Eighty-Three Varied Questions | div. qu. |
De doctrina Christiana | Christian Instruction | Doctr. chr. |
De fide et ... |
|
About Christ, the Way: Augustine’s Theology of WisdomAugustine’s love of wisdom drove him to Christ—and wisdom remained central to his thought. Modern biblical scholars and theologians have much to learn from one of Christianity’s most prominent and prolific theologians. Retrieval of Augustine can revive and renew thinking on wisdom. In Christ, the Way, Benjamin T. Quinn recovers and evaluates Augustine’s rich writing on wisdom. While many have acknowledged sapientia (wisdom) as central in Augustine, few have offered a full treatment of his definition of wisdom and how it ordered his thought. Quinn remedies this need, tracing the development of Augustine’s thought from his earliest reflections to De Trinitate, his most systematic treatment of wisdom. For Augustine, sapientia is the incarnate Christ, who by the Spirit enlightens all God’s people to see clearly, live virtuously, and participate in God—thereby restoring his people to his image. Quinn then brings Augustine into dialogue with contemporary wisdom scholarship, displaying where his biblically rooted, Christocentric, faith-first approach holds rich insights for scholars and Christians today. |
| Support Info | quinnshst |