Augustine’s Wise Preaching Of The Psalms -- By: Benjamin T. Quinn

Journal: Southeastern Theological Review
Volume: STR 02:1 (Summer 2011)
Article: Augustine’s Wise Preaching Of The Psalms
Author: Benjamin T. Quinn


Augustine’s Wise Preaching Of The Psalms

Benjamin T. Quinn

Trinity College Bristol

These virtues are granted to us now in a valley of weeping, but from them we progress to a single virtue. And what will that be? The virtue of contemplating God alone.... We shall pass, then, from these many virtues of action to that one virtue of contemplation, by which we are empowered to contemplate God, according to the scriptural word, In the morning I will stand before you, and contemplate you (Ps 5:5 (3)).... And what does “contemplating” imply? The God of gods will be seen in Zion. By the God of gods we should understand the Christ of Christians.... But when all the neediness of our mortality is over and done with, he who is God with God, the Word with the Father, the Word through whom all things were made, will show himself to the pure-hearted. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God (Mt. 5:8). The God of gods will be seen in Zion.1

The passage cited above from Augustine’s “Exposition of Psalm 83” is, to say the least, a type of preaching foreign to the eyes and ears of 21st century Christians. This excerpt suggests that theological preaching—more specifically, wise preaching—properly describes Augustine’s sermonic method in the Psalms. But why is his preaching theological, what makes it wise, and what is the relationship between them? This study seeks to demonstrate how Augustine’s doctrine of wisdom affects both the content and style of his preaching in the Psalms with the bulk of attention attending to the content.

The underlying assumption of this article is that Augustine’s doctrine of wisdom is readily at work in his exegetical and theological method. The case could be made that from his reading of Hortensius to his death, Augustine’s pursuit of wisdom fundamentally drove his life and work. Assuming this sapiential approach, it will provide the lens through which we will read Augustine’s preaching of the Psalms and evaluate how wisdom affects his sermons. This will be accomplished by considering Augustine as preacher, Augustine’s doctrine of wisdom, his exegetical

method, key sermons from the Psalms, and finally a concluding critique of and appreciation for Augustine’s wise preaching. Augustine’s preaching of the Psalms is both expositional and profoundly theological, and, as will be seen, is full of wisdom to be gleaned by preachers today.

Augustine As Preacher

When considering the influence of Augustine u...

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