Although the modern scientist would be unimpressed with many of his ideas, the arguments presented in this section demonstrate his keen mind and his desire to understand both God’s word and God’s world. by Catholic University of America Press. 3:39–40. These comments are not meant to diminish Augustine’s work, but to point out that some of his comments are irrelevant because they do not deal with the actual text. for since you ordained baptism as the means of entry into the kingdom of heaven no one can get in by any other way” (Augustine 1997, XIII.21.29). 2010. One of the major problems Augustine faced in his literal commentaries is that he attempted to reconcile a straightforward reading of the text with the scientific understanding of his day. Augustine believed God had created all things, including time, from nothing. This conclusion goes far beyond what the text actually states, especially when one considers the numerous discrepancies between the big bang theory and the Genesis creation account.28 Moreover, other cosmogonies have been proposed which are based on God stretching out the heavens.29. If one’s foundation is demonstrated to be flawed, then his beliefs cannot stand. Feminist theologian Mary Daly accused Augustine’s exegesis of being a major cause of Western Christianity’s denigration of women, human physicality, sexuality, and the goodness of nature. 1:2–60. In On Christian teaching, eds. When the plain sense of Scripture makes common sense, seek no other sense, lest you make nonsense (Cooper 1970, p. 11). A hyper-literal interpretation takes everything in a strictly literal fashion. Five years after completing his first commentary, Augustine tried his hand at a literal commentary. 2002a. However, the likely answer is found in Genesis 1:30. Although this commentary was written approximately eight years before he became a bishop, Augustine already demonstrated his concern for training fellow believers. Finally, much of the material is repeated in The Literal Meaning of Genesis. The Unfinished Commentary may be the least important of Augustine’s commentaries on Genesis for several reasons. Augustine believed that everything in the universe was created simultaneously by God. B. Ramsey. It seems wise to allow scientific understanding to elucidate unclear passages, but these conclusions should only be held tentatively since scientific conclusions regularly change. ISSN: 1937-9056 Copyright © 2011 Answers in Genesis, Inc. All content is owned by Answers in Genesis (“AiG”) unless otherwise indicated. St Augustine On Genesis. J. E. Rotelle O.S.A. Nevertheless, even though he was not concerned with the modern contest, one of his hermeneutical practices set forth in these commentaries has contributed to the ongoing dispute. . Furthermore, man should not expect that every aspect of the creation week would be palatable to human reason or science. As typically understood by conservative evangelicals, a literal interpretation of Scripture seeks the plain meaning of the text as if it was written in everyday language. 570–571). His insights reveal many of the threats facing the early Church, whether they were from cults like the Manichees or the skeptical natural philosophers of the day. Therefore, since all the works of God were completed in six days, the world must continue in its present state through six ages, that is, six thousand years.”. Free. After describing his journey to the Christian faith for the first nine books and a book on memory, he added three books on Genesis. 2006. Augustine's Two Books on Genesis against the Manichees and On the Literal Interpretation of Genesis: An Unfinished Book represent the first two of five explanations of the beginning of the Book of Genesis that he undertook between 388 and 418. As such, his mature views on the subject would not be published until his comprehensive literal commentary. New Revised Standard Version. The dry land of the third day represents those who hunger and thirst for God while the sea represents the masses of individuals who do not seek the Lord. Colorado Springs, Colorado: Navpress. He stated that the Manichees often asked why God created so many animals that are unnecessary for human beings. He began his first commentary by elucidating the issues advanced by the Manicheans and why a study of Genesis 1 would refute their claims. Finally, mankind was created and given dominion over all these things (Chaffey 2008, p. 51). He rightly pointed out that. Sadly, due in large part to the controversy over the age of the earth, many Christian leaders ignore Genesis and the issues surrounding it. From the big bang perspective, the earth has never been entirely covered by water. In the end, Augustine praised God for being beyond man’s understanding and encouraged others to do the same (Augustine 1997, XI.31.41). Welcome back. 1997. Saint Augustine of Hippo (354-430 CE) most famous for his work Confessions and his City of God, is regarded as one of the Fathers of The Church in the tradition of Catholicism.In this brief essay from his The Literal Meaning of Genesis, Augustine denounces Christians who speak on subjects they know little or nothing about in an attempt to appear `wise’ among non-Christians. James Mustich's 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die is bound to seriously expand that list... To see what your friends thought of this book. Systematic theology. 1996. For example, a person interpreting this way would believe that Jesus taught He was a physical door when he claimed, “I am the door” (John 10:9). As such, one recognizes the use of various figures of speech and is careful to interpret them accordingly. B. Warfield said, "Augustine [was one of the early founders] of Roman Catholicism and the author of that doctrine of grace which it has been the constantly pursued effort of Roman Catholicism to neutralize, and which in very fact either must be neutralized by, or will neutralize, Roman Catholicism. Surely, the word of truth properly interpreted will never contradict accurate conclusions of scientists, but it will contradict incorrect conclusions made by fallible and limited men whose ideas are often based on naturalistic assumptions. Of course, many of these animals are now carnivorous so it is a fair question to ask. Retrieved from http://www.asa3.org/ASA/education/origins/whyoe.htm. A. Roberts and J. Donaldson. The second major problem is that much of the modern debate is based on a misunderstanding of science and its limits. Having been unable to complete his first literal commentary on Genesis, the newly-ordained bishop wrote at length to justify his return to an allegorical stance. His answer makes good sense since it would not have been “the beginning” if time had existed prior to God’s creating it. St. Augustine paid special attention to the book of Genesis. He rules out the possibility that God created these things because they were deserving of being created (Augustine 1997, XIII.3.4). Once again, the Vetus Latina caused him to reject a literal understanding of a particular passage. Thomas Williams explains that even though Augustine’s interpretation of Genesis 1 would not qualify as literal by today’s standards, Augustine viewed it as such because he was “reading the creation story as a creation story, not as (for example) the story of the Church or of individual salvation.”. Fiedrowicz, M. 2002. He was concerned with refuting the Manichees, Donatists, and many others, rather than teaching about the age of the earth. He wanted to know why the blessing to man to be fruitful and multiply was also given to the fish and birds, but not land animals (Augustine 2002b, III.13.21). He also offered some thoughts on the Trinity, especially the Holy Spirit. Augustine’s answer was that God not only created the world, but He also created time itself (Augustine 2002a, I.2.3). Perhaps his strongest arguments are found near the end of the second book. His theological interest sprang from the critical importance of the Fall to Augustine's theology. One of these questions concerns the phase in which the moon was created. The light of Day One represents the enlightenment a soul receives which leads him to seek after God. He accepted the belief in the spontaneous generation of insects by the putrefaction of material items (Augustine 2002b, III.14.22). comment. Because of his Neo-Platonic leanings, (Dengerink 1976, p. 33) Augustine believed that God created all things instantaneously in their potential forms or “predispositions” (Fiedrowicz 2002, p. 153). Because he is so greatly respected and frequently cited his work has infused confusion into an already misunderstood debate. He wrote a lengthy essay on the nature of the elements as they were understood during his time. The concept of a literal interpretation is rather imprecise, as people understand this idea differently. Moreover, Hebrews 11:3 claims that it is “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which were visible.” A humble recognition that God has revealed to man precisely what He did during the Creation Week would go a long way in resolving the ever-present controversies surrounding the hexaemeron. First, it is assumed that one knows the initial conditions of what they are examining. Augustine has too keen an eye to miss the inconsistency of heaven and earth being created both in the first verse and later on. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNuHuG517lI. Since it was his final commentary, it represents Augustine’s most mature understanding of these chapters. Was it in time or in eternity past? In The Cambridge companion to Augustine, ed. Perhaps Augustine’s best-known commentary on Genesis is found in his popular collection of books entitled The Confessions. After opening with some introductory comments and a prayer for understanding, Book XI deals with the issue of time and eternity. He must be interpreted in light of his contextual setting. Augustine’s goal in the commentary was to demonstrate that the first three chapters of Genesis could be understood in their literal sense, as he defined it. The modern “without form and void” (Hebrew. Modern science does not accept virgin births or resurrections from the dead. Other articles where Literal Commentary on Genesis is discussed: Christianity: Western Catholic Christianity: Later, in the Literal Commentary on Genesis, he introduced a triple classification of visions—corporeal, spiritual (i.e., imaginative), and intellectual—that influenced later mystics for centuries. The serpent was “cursed more than all cattle and more than every beast of the field” (Genesis 3:14). Certainly, these doctrines are more important to one’s salvation, but the problem is the same. We’d love your help. Theistic evolutionists claim Augustine as an ally of their view that God used evolutionary processes to create the universe (Young 1988). The title of the work may suggest that Augustine sought out a strictly literal interpretation of the book over against the other three methods. Lactantius. However, he wrote very little about man’s creation here because he saved that topic for his commentary on the second chapter of Genesis.16 He wrote. It is surprising that Augustine has been cited as a supporter of each of the views in this contest. Following some introductory remarks, Augustine began his unfinished commentary by expounding on four hermeneutical styles that had been practiced in his day: the way of history, the way of allegory, the way of analogy, and the way of aetiology. For example, in a debate on The John Ankerberg Show, Dr. Ross claimed that he could not claim credit for finding the alleged consistencies between the Bible and the big bang theory because David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Zechariah had already discovered it more than 2,500 years earlier (Ross 2000). Answers Research Journal 4:89–101. Despite the fact that Augustine was not concerned with the same issues involved in the modern battle, his hermeneutic has direct correspondence to the underlying issues of the debate. Biblical creationists have repeatedly warned about the dangers of allegorizing narrative passages and reinterpreting the text based on the science of the day. To refute astrology, he pointed out that twins are conceived and born at the same time and yet so often their lives are completely different. He believes that because these books contain verses that state God “stretched out the heavens” the Bible must teach the big bang theory. Finally, Augustine’s greatest fault in these commentaries lies in the fact that he often tried to reconcile God’s word with the scientific views of his day. To answer this, one should consult an accurate history book, if available. In response, the animals are classified into three groups: those that are useful for man, pernicious, or superfluous. This manuscript of Augustine’s commentary dating from between 1147 and 1164 was written and decorated in the diocesan town of Salzburg. If proper biblical interpretation must be determined by the science of the day, then the meaning of God’s word must continually change along with the science. The Literal Meaning of Genesis, translated by John Hammond Taylor (1982), Vol. If those who practiced it were to apply the same principle to other key doctrines, crucial passages of the Bible would need to be reinterpreted to fit modern scientific consensus. January 31st 2001 However, one must realize that the cause of his changing hermeneutic had more to do with his spiritual growth than with trying to appease the beliefs of his contemporaries. The embarrassing episode of Galileo and Pope Urban VIII would have been avoided had the Church not melded their interpretation of Scripture with the Ptolemaic view of the solar system.27, In the same way, old-earth creationists today often marry modern scientific conclusions with the text of Scripture. Wit… Also, the big bang proposes that earth originally formed as a hot molten ball, while the Bible states that earth was originally created as covered by water. On Genesis: Two Books on Genesis against the Manichees; And, On the Literal Interpretation of Genesis, an Unfinished Book By St. Augustine, Roland J. S. J. Teske No cover image Michael Fiedrowicz revealed that Augustine also dealt with the subject of creation in many of his other works, including Answer to an Enemy of the Law and the Prophets, Faith and the Creed, and Answer to Julian (Fiedrowicz 2002, p. 14). Hyde Park, New York: New City Press. It has already been mentioned that Augustine changed his hermeneutical approach in his Genesis commentaries. Young-earth creationists have even quoted Augustine to show that he believed that man’s time on earth was less than 6,000 years.25. Like today, opponents of Christianity regularly attacked the Bible’s opening chapters and he felt the need to defend their accuracy and historicity. Thankfully, these Christians inconsistently apply their hermeneutic; otherwise, they would not believe the Gospel. As cited earlier, he wished the Manichees would simply stop and reflect on the creature because it would cause them to glorify God. Modern participants in the age of the earth debate can gain remarkable insight from these commentaries. Concerning the interpretation of Genesis 1:7. Hyde Park, New York: New City Press. If a modern critical text was available to him, his commentaries would have been less problematic. The third and longest - The Literal Meaning of Genesis - was produced at the height of Augustine's maturity and has been ranked with … Like many of today’s cults, Manichaeism accepted parts of Scripture and rejected other sections. In "Against the Manichees," St Augustine presents a defense of the creation account of Genesis against the Manichees, a religion that accepted the authority of the New Testament, but not the old. Few individuals in church history are as popular as Augustine of Hippo. He speculated that time may be simply a matter of one’s consciousness but seems to reject that notion after contemplating some of its ramifications. Hyde Park, New York: New City Press. There are three major problems with this approach. As such, even though he seemed to display humility in this conclusion, he was actually refusing to allow the author’s intended meaning to prevail and opted for a multiple subjective meanings instead. Trans. He wondered how God could have spoken words in a shapeless universe and when God did this. Los Angeles, California: Biblical Research Society. Biblical interpretation. The Manichees did not allow for non-literal interpretations, so Augustine likely reacted strongly against anyone adopting their particular hermeneutic. . AiG consents to unlimited copying and distribution of print copies of, An Examination of Augustine’s Commentaries on Genesis One and Their Implications on a Modern Theological Controversy, How Genomes are Sequenced and Why it Matters: Implications for Studies in Comparative Genomics of Humans and Chimpanzees, Created Kinds and Essential Natures: A Biblical and Philosophical Response to Evolutionists, Williams 2001, p. 62. For Augustine, a literal interpretation was occasionally different. Augustine's Two Books on Genesis against the Manichees and On the Literal Interpretation of Genesis: An Unfinished Book represent the first two of five explanations of the beginning of the Book of Genesis that he undertook between 388 and 418. This understanding allowed him to spiritualize passages as long as the overall subject was not altered. Augustine's analysis of Genesis is based on Plato’s idea of eternal unchanging Forms. However, since his goal was to use the hexaemeron as an allegory for his own journey to the faith, it has very little bearing, if any, on the modern debate over the correct interpretation of this chapter. Since the Vetus Latina was a translation of a translation and was somewhat unreliable, Augustine occasionally struggled to make sense of a passage which was inaccurately rendered. It is important to examine his reasons for doing this. Oak Harbor, Washington: Logos Research Systems. He presented the cases for the full moon and new moon positions, but concluded that he stood “in the middle between these two opinions, asserting neither of them, but definitely saying that whether God made the moon at its first phase or at the full, he made it perfect” (Augustine 2002b, II.15.30). Hyde Park, New York: New City Press. Hyde Park, New York: New City Press. Genesis Interpretation Given by St. Augustine. They claim that science proved that the church should adjust its interpretation to scientific fact (Rusbult 2001). Augustine. The desire to defend the faith also played a large part in Augustine’s focus on Genesis. . It also reveals his newfound belief that Genesis could be understood in a literal fashion. It will be demonstrated that the vast majority of his observations in these books have little bearing on the modern dispute because he was focused on entirely different issues. When God told man to be fruitful and multiply (Genesis 1:28), Augustine uses an argument from silence to claim that it should be interpreted figuratively.11 Instead of physical reproduction, he believes this verse refers to the human ability to learn and pass on what one has learned to others (Augustine 1997, XIII.37). Following is a list of his allegorical interpretation of the Creation Week. Augustine’s varying hermeneutical approach is easily noticeable in his commentaries on the Book of Genesis. Young-earth creationists, theistic evolutionists, old-earth creationists, and intelligent design proponents have each claimed Augustine as one of their own and each of these scholars has provided quotations of Augustine which seem to support their view. The claims that the earth and universe are billions of years old are not based on observational science. These errors led him to spiritualize the creation of the sun, moon, and stars on the fourth day (Augustine 2002b, II.23). He argues that the six-day structure of creation presented in the book of Genesis represents a logical framework, rather than the passage of time in a physical way. Humphreys, D. R. 1994. God means what He says: A biblical critique of the framework hypothesis. In the light of later scholarship, Augustine can be seen to serve as a bridge between the ancient and medieval worlds. Augustine logically refuted this practice and strongly warned anyone about the dangers of getting involved in it. Augustine (354-430 C.E. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press. Second, they believed the God of Scripture possessed some unattractive qualities. He favored one group of people over others. He reasoned that there was surely no alteration in the stars during the moment of their birth that would modify their respective destinies so drastically. Neo-Platonism held a view of the “One” that was wholly other or transcendent, and which had both spiritual and physical emanations springing from it. After a brief introduction he began to explain the text of the first three chapters. The new answers book. He also gave a more personal allegorical interpretation in which each of the days corresponds to a specific developmental period of each person’s life (Augustine 2002a, I.25.43). His theological interest sprang from the critical importance of the Fall to Augustine's theology. Each commentary surveyed will contain a brief discussion of the problems caused by the Old Latin Bible. 2001. Old-earth creationists often cite Augustine as a supporter of their view. Augustine also differentiated between what he believed was a literal interpretation and what might be called a hyper-literal interpretation, which was practiced by the Manichees. The modern debate over the Scripture’s teaching on the age of the earth is one of the hottest controversies in the church today. 1994. His subjective interpretation and lengthy argument for multiple interpretations ultimately suggest that each reader can decide for himself what the text means as long as his interpretation does not contradict other teachings of Scripture (Augustine 1997, XII.18.27). He now believed that a literal interpretation of Genesis was feasible, in addition to the allegorical hermeneutic of his first work. He wrote three commentaries on the book: On Genesis: A Refutation of the Manichees, The Unfinished Literal Commentary on Genesis, and The Literal Meaning of Genesis. Before investigating the four commentaries, it must be noted that Augustine was commenting on the Vetus Latina, the Old Latin text of the Bible, which would soon be replaced by Jerome’s Vulgate. He goes on to mistakenly claim that Augustine was concerned only with the text, but as has already been shown, he was very strongly influenced by Neo-Platonic beliefs and sought to fit these presuppositions into the text. Genesis 1 is clear that God created everything over the course of six consecutive normal-length days. He regarded the creation of man in God’s image as literally true, yet he could not bring himself to do the same with the other verses about man. Answers Research Journal (ARJ) is a professional, peer-reviewed technical journal for the publication of interdisciplinary scientific and other relevant research from the perspective of the recent Creation and the global Flood within a biblical framework. 142–143. It is easy to show this assumption is wrong in every case and is refuted in. Augustine’s changing hermeneutic set a dangerous precedent in the church and has provided fodder for all sides of the ongoing controversy over the age of the earth. Augustine wrote nothing to the purpose concerning faith; for he was first roused up … It is also possible that some of them were created on the fifth day when God made the flying and swimming creatures. For example, the creation of fruit trees on Day Three is discussed in a straightforward manner, although he goes on to wonder when God created the non-fruit bearing trees. Augustine’s Two Books on Genesis against the Manichees and On the Literal Interpretation of Genesis: An Unfinished Book represent the first two of five explanations of the beginning of the Book of Genesis that he undertook between 388 and 418. After giving consideration to a straightforward understanding—that days one through three were marked by the light created on Day One and that days four and following were marked by the heavenly bodies—Augustine opted for a timeless creation of all things. Just as it is in modern times, astrology was very popular in his day. In On Christian Teaching, he wrote. Augustine. The final three books in this work are often considered to be a commentary, although this may be an inaccurate term for what Augustine has written. Augustine. He describes how God created the Forms in The Literal Interpretation of Genesis. 1. While it may be impossible to be dogmatic that all animals were originally vegetarian, since the fish are not listed, this verse mentions “every beast of the earth, every bird of the air,” and “everything that creeps on the earth.” These three classifications cover all land creatures which are frequently carnivorous today. In the first book of his final commentary, Augustine warned believers not to make bold assertions on matters in which they were not skilled. He asks if the accounts of God's actions while creating the world should be "taken as only having a figurative meaning" or if they should be "asserted and defended as faithful account of what actually happened." Irenaeus. At the risk of stating the obvious, it must be mentioned that if the Genesis creation account is true, then any view which contradicts it is necessarily false. The greatest obstacle facing Augustine in his attempts to exegete the first chapter of Genesis was his a priori acceptance of an instantaneous or timeless creation.20 This interpretation cannot be found in the text, but is almost certainly due to his Neo-Platonist leanings.21 Instead, the text clearly demonstrates that God spaced the time of creation over a period of six days. A. Roberts and J. Donaldson. 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