On Christian Doctrine

Augustine of Hippo's On Christian Doctrine is a piece of criticism both spiritual and practical in its views on literature. Augustine himself was conflicted in his views of both the physical and spiritual worlds. This is especially seen in book one, chapter thirteen of Augustine's Confessions, and book two, chapter eleven of On Christian Doctrine. His main conflict comes from the distracting nature of the physical world as it could potentially keep a person from God and eventually Heaven. There must be a very strict attitude in dealing with the ideas of "use" and "enjoy," "sign" and "thing," and "charity" and "cupidity." Each has a function in the physical and spiritual world.

For Augustine Latin was a language to achieve better closeness to God. Many of the translations of the time were that of Latin. This Augustine liked very much. As he states in chapter thirteen of the confessions that he does not have a problem with the language proper. With his ideas of "use" Augustine is using the language to have a better relationship with God. There is no problem with this because Augustine is purely "using" the language for spiritual purposes. What Augustine does have a problem with is its use with the classic poets. This exercises the idea of "enjoyment."

For Augustine use and enjoy became a major spiritual debate. He counts these differences in On Christian Doctrine; to use something is to use it purely for what it is meant for. A person taking a trip to return home uses the ship for what it is intended, which is to travel across the water without any amenities. However, to enjoy something is to take the trip home in an extravagant ship a person will find too much enjoyment aboard to finish the trip home.

This idea relates directly to the spiritual though it is contained purely in peoples actions in the physical world. Everything in the world is only to be used, the physical world is merely a device to get closer to God. Now, the problem with this is that some objects in the world are extravagant and tend to tempt their users. A person may become so rapt with using the object and completely forget the intention of becoming closer to God.

Classic poets, such as Virgil, used the language beautifully, making great advances in the literature and culture of the time. The major problem Augustine has with the classic poets, seen in his study of the Aeneid is the distraction that the story poses. He enjoyed these stories so fully that he forgot his own life and became so involved with Aeneas and Dido. There is no "use" in these stories to get closer to God. The stories only relate to the figures they describe, there is no greater connection to God that can be sought within the text.

Augustine also used the ideas of "signs" and "things." Signs are things in this world that point to things that are created by God. The signs of Greek and Roman culture seen in the Aeneid are false signs. These signs are Pagan in nature and also physical. The stories directly relate false gods that a person could have too much faith in, thus distracting their faith from God. Not only that but the passage of Dido and Aeneas deals with base human emotions, and because these stories are written so beautifully one shall enjoy the passage too much and revel in these base emotions. This kind of reading may make a person think that it is correct to stay with these base emotions. Thus, again they are distracted from God.

These stories keep a person in a state of cupidity, that is false, physical emotions. A person need strive for charity, enjoyment in God. Much like the ideas of Plato, a person incorrectly interpreting these stories will be lead by the poetry astray from their wits, exciting their base emotions.

The Platonists are different for Augustine, they deal purely in the language of Latin. As he mentions in the Confessions he had no more of a problem with learning Latin than the Greeks. The grammar of the language is allowing people to get closer to God. Latin was at that time allowing the bible to be read and translated more than it had ever been before. This, of course, means that the language is strictly being used to get closer to God.

In the eyes of Augustine the Platonists are strictly in the realm of grammar, there is no distinction between Pagan and Christian. Because they work purely in words they have no allegiance to a particular divine system. However, because they helped in the way of making the bible more accessible by Augustine's standards they are closer to God. The Latin is a language for them is something inherent, not an extraneous part of their lives, they grew up with it so they do not become mired in the distinction between use and enjoyment.

Plato dealt with the strict separation between the physical world and the spiritual world. Nothing in the physical world will ever lead to the spiritual world. A person must disregard all physical things to become closer to the spiritual world. These ideas put forth by Plato would be agreeable to Augustine because it is strictly an ideal to escape from the physical.

Augustine was immersed in Latin because of the religious texts that became open to him. But his learning of Latin is not enough for him. He wants to learn more Latin to understand more of the original languages to translate the bible better. His glut of learning extends also to Hebrew. Augustine knows that the original Hebrew is untranslatable into other languages. However, the original Hebrew was able to be translated into Latin. If Augustine knew Hebrew he would be better able to readily translate the bible.

This was a technical problem faced by Augustine well into his writing of the Book of Precepts, Augustine was trying to create a book to help others read the bible. Like the Platonists, for the church Augustine was trying to create one mode of thinking with which to strengthen the church. This working with the bible was Augustine's use to get closer to God. His alliance was with the church and the human teachings. A person has to go through the church to become closer to God.

The dedication to the church is very precarious because the allegiance Augustine shows borders on enjoyment for him. He spends all of his life giving over his services to the church. While all of this is charity, the rewards that it gives Augustine is in the realm of cupidity. He enjoys doing these things. Being so dedicated to the human church is a matter that nearly distracts him from God. If he truly were completely focused on God he would not be so obsessed with the dealings of the human church.

Another problem with the language barrier of the translated bible is that it is in writing. Augustine says that signs are created by man. Man puts his or her own intentions into the signs they create. These signs do represent the ideas of God, but because they have human intention the physical idea of the sign molests the things they represent.

A problem not presented by Augustine is the fact that these signs, Latin and Hebrew, are created by men and have intention behind them that may not completely represent the things they are supposed to represent.

Augustine worked very hard for the church, so much so that his "use" of language may have been too much of an enjoyment for him. He was wrapped in the human church which he felt was the only connection for a person to reach God. A person must be taught with human signs and learning because it is the easiest for humans to understand. However, a person must be shown the correct texts with which to become closer to God. The Lyric poets use words filled with intention, and the things they represent are purley Pagan gods, and human emotions. While it is the most beautiful language it is dangerous because it leads people in the wrong directions in search of faith.