Sixteenth century image of Augustine of Hippo, from André Thevet, 'Les Vrais Pourtraits et Vies Hommes Illustres,' 1584 © Special Collections Library, University of Michigan
Augustine's approach to teaching the Bible
Augustine was the Bishop of Hippo, in north Africa (present day Algeria). He lived between 354 and 430 AD, and is best known as the author of 'The City of God' and the 'Confessions,' although he also wrote many other books. His approach to teaching the Bible has several important points that we can learn from today:
Purpose
- Augustine intended his messages both to bring people to faith in Christ and build up those who were already followers of Christ - they were for both evangelism and teaching
- He believed in the authority, power, and effectiveness of the Bible, so his aim was to let the text speak
- His goal was to let the people hear the eloquence of God in the words of the Bible, rather than filling their minds with his own eloquence
- He intentionally mentored others to teach
Content
- Augustine practised expository preaching. That is to say, he taught regularly through whole books of the Bible, so that his hearers could understand the message of each book
- His teaching dealt with the big issues of human life, and reflected the big theological themes of the Bible
- He used one part of the Bible to help understand another part. (He 'interpreted Scripture by Scripture.') Because of this, over time, his hearers were able to build up a coherent understanding of God and his grace in Christ
- He engaged in an effective dialogue in his messages, tackling the pastoral issues of his congregation. (This illustrates the important principle that where the Bible is taught well, much of the pastoral work of the church is done in the teaching.)
Style
- He used simple speech so that everyone could understand his words
- He used variety to help people to listen and to see the point of what he was saying
- He used Bible stories to illustrate Biblical teaching
Finally, Augustine was not a detached 'professional' - his teaching grew out of his own personal engagement with God, with the Bible, and with the congregation
These points are based on material from pages 177-178 of 'Hearing God's Word: exploring Biblical Spirituality' by Peter Adam (Apollos, Downers Grove, 2004)