Lecture 3
Theological Method
Dr. Ann T. Orlando
Sept. 18, 2008
Outline
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Augustine’s Approach to Theology: Biblical
Exegesis
Medieval Reliance on Augustine
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Lombard
Aquinas
Luther and Calvin: Augustine against the
Scholastics
Benedict XVI (Joseph Ratzinger)
Define Theological Method
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Theology: study of God
Method: tools and approach to pursue that
study
Systematic theology: organization and
pursuit of theology as one connected,
coherent philosophical system
Augustine’s Theological Method
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Entirely based on Scripture illuminated by
God’s grace
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Biblical exegesis was the primary method for
doing theology
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Illumination both personal and ecclesial
But exegetical approach could use a variety of
‘secular’ tools
Augustine wrote almost all of his works as a
response to someone or some issue
On Christian Teaching
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Written 396 - 400; audience is primarily preachers, especially bishops
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Augustine tells us he divided the material into two parts:
– Rules for Interpreting Scripture (Part I: Books I-III) and
– Preaching Scripture (Part 2: Book IV)
How to interpret and preach ambiguous and difficult Scripture
passages
Book I
– Difference between enjoying something and using it; we
should use this world, not enjoy it, in order to return home to
God
– “Anyone who thinks they have understood Scripture but
cannot by his understanding build up this double love of
God and neighbor, has not yet succeeded in understanding
it” (I.xxxvi)
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On Christian Teaching (Cont.)
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Book II
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Theory of signs
To properly read Scripture, must make spiritual ascent ; seven stages of
ascent
List of OT and NT canon of Scripture
Use Scripture to interpret Scripture
Problems of translating into Latin; preachers should know Greek and
Hebrew
“The authority of the Septuagint is supreme” (II.xv)
Importance of knowing history, geography, astronomy, mathematics and
logic in studying Scripture
Book III
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“By love I mean the impulse of one’s mind to enjoy God on his own
account and to enjoy oneself and one’s neighbor on account of God; and
by lust I mean the impulse of one’s mind to enjoy oneself and one’s
neighbor and any corporeal thing not on account of God.” (III.x)
All deeds of OT are to be interpreted figuratively as well as literally
Seven rules of Tyconius
On Christian Teaching (Cont)
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Book IV
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Rhetoric can be used to convince people of falsehood;
Christian preacher should first of all be concerned to preach
the truth
By reading and studying Christian literature outside of
canon, preacher can learn how to preach
“The wisdom of what a person says is in direct proportion to
his progress in learning the holy Scriptures – and I am not
speaking of intensive reading or memorization, but real
understanding and careful investigation of their meaning.”
(IV.v)
Before preaching, the preacher should lift his soul to God
The benefit of preaching is effected by God
Styles of preaching
Against the Foundational Epistle
of Mani
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This epistle probably was written by Mani (d. 250) as a
summary of Manichean beliefs to be used my Manichean
missionaries
Augustine follows the structure of the letter to refute
Manichaeism; probably written early in his career as bishop
Note how Augustine addresses his readers (assumed to be
Manicheans)
Relation between apostolicity of Church and truth of Gospels
(Ch. 5)
Note development of Trinitarian doctrine of “not one person, but
one existence” (Ch. 6)
Read Chapters 1-6 (emphasis on 5)
Middle Ages
Significance of Augustine:
Augustine Becomes Part of Method
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‘Systematic’ incorporation of Church Fathers
as magisterial
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Especially the way to interpret Scripture
Conclusions of Church Fathers becomes a
touchstone of proper theological conclusions
Augustine by far the most important of
Church Fathers
Universities solidify academic approach to
theology
Peter Lombard (1100-1160)
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Professor of theology of Cathedral School of Notre
Dame and Archbishop of Paris
Wrote Sentences (1150) as a way to organize
teaching of the Church Fathers to explicate Catholic
teaching
Most influential text in Middle Ages
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Required that all Masters of Theology write a commentary
on Sentences
Lombard became was known as the Magister
Sentences
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Organized in four Books
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God and the Trinity
Creation
Incarnation and Redemption
Sacraments
In 13th C Books subdivided into
“distinctiones” (breaks in reading)
Read Book I, Distinction 1
Systematic Theology:
Aquinas (1225-1274)
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Aquinas (like everyone else) writes a Commentary on the
Sentences
Over his family’s objections he joins Order of Preachers
(Dominicans)
Studies in Paris, and becomes master and doctor of theology
Incorporates newly translated works of Aristotle into theological
method
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Recall what Augustine had to say about Aristotle
Famously engaged in theological quarrels with the greatest
Franciscan of the time, also a professor at Paris, St.
Bonaventure
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Who also wrote a commentary on the Sentences
Summa Theologiae
Structure
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Three Parts
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Prima Pars, Ia
Secunda Pars, itself in two parts, Iae IIa and IIae IIa
Terce Pars, IIIa
Each part divided into questions, each question into articles
(also phrased as a question)
Each article divided into
Specific Objections
– On the Contrary
– I answer that…
– Specific replies to objections
 Read Ia Q1 a1-a10, http://www.newadvent.org/summa/1001.htm
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Things to Notice in Lombard
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Is there an historical context to use of
Augustine?
Are limits placed on applicability of
Augustine?
Renaissance and Reformation
Significance of Augustine
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Theology moved too far from Scripture
Philosophy (Aristotle) not a suitable tool for exegesis
Emphasis on personal not ecclesial (tradition)
exegesis
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Classical works should be read and analyzed directly, not
through the lens of tradition
Emphasis on philology, not philosophy
Augustine enlisted in cause of direct Biblical study
Martin Luther (1483-1546)
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Augustinian Hermit Monk
Comes to view scholastic methods as
diverging from true meaning of Scripture
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Returns to original languages of Bible, and
creates a German translation
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Return to Scripture (Sola Scripture)
Follows best available Hebrew text, rejects
Septuagint
Read Against Scholastics
John Calvin (1509-1564)
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Raised in a French Catholic family
Studied civil law (not theology)
Through influence of reform friends, moved away
from Catholicism in 1533
Started writing the Institutes of Christian Religion
1536, worked on various editions complete in 1559,
but revised until his death
He spent most of his later adult life in Geneva
Calvin and Augustine
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Calvin argued that the reformers were
returning theology to what Augustine had
intended – an emphasis on scripture, faith
and grace (Luther’s three solas)
“Augustine is so completely of our
persuasion”
Institutes of
Christian Religion
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Four Books
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I. Knowledge of God the Creator
II. Knowledge of God the Redeemer
III. The Grace of Christ
IV. The Holy Catholic Church
Books are divided into Chapters
Read I.7, http://www.ccel.org/ccel/calvin/institutes.iii.viii.html
Things to Note in Institutes
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Note Calvin’s argument in similarities and
differences with Augustine in Against
Foundational Epistle of Mani (AFEM)
Role of Spirit vs apostolicity
Calvin’s use of context of Augustine’s AFEM
Is Calvin sympathetic or admiring in Institutes
I.7?
Modernity and Historical Critical
Method
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‘Scientific’ revolution
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Empiricism becomes only valid method of knowing
Historical critical method an attempt to apply
‘scientific’ historical analysis to Scripture
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Past interpretations all historically conditioned, and may not
be valid for modernity
Essence of Christianity found in historical Gospels, not later
doctrinal developments
Only valid interpretative method because it is ‘scientific’
Pope Leo XIII Aeterni Patris
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Promulgated 1879 to counter reliance on
only scientific method
But also a rejection of Reformation’s rejection
of Scholasticism
Call to return to Aquinas
Note how Augustine is used
Benedict XVI and
Jesus of Nazareth
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Published 2006
A personal (not ex cathedra) meditation on Jesus
and Gospels
Compare methods with De Doctrina Christiana
What is meaning/significance that this is personal
and not papal?
Note that Augustine is not explicitly referenced in
preface. But are there Augustinian influences?
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Should we are readers of Benedict XVI assume because of
other things he has written?
Reading Assignment
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Augustine,
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On Christian Teaching, Books II and III
Against the Foundational Epistle of Mani, Ch 1-6
Peter Lombard, Sentences, Book I, Distinction 1, available at
http://www.franciscan-archive.org/lombardus/opera/ls1-01.html
Aquinas, ST Ia, 1,1; http://www.newadvent.org/summa/1001.htm (skim)
Luther, Against the Scholastics (skim)
Calvin, Institutes I.7, http://www.ccel.org/ccel/calvin/institutes.iii.viii.html
Leo XIII, Aeterni Patris (skim)
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/leo_xiii/encyclicals/documents/hf_lxiii_enc_04081879_aeterni-patris_en.html
Joseph Ratzinger, Jesus of Nazareth, Forward, New York: Doubleday, 2007. pp
xi-xxiv.
Possible Paper Themes:
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Role of Church in theological method
How Lombard and Calvin use Augustine