On Christian Doctrine, in Four Books, by St. Augustine.
 PREFACE
BOOK
1 BOOK
2 BOOK
3 BOOK
4
Introductory Note by the Editor
The four books of St. Augustine On Christian Doctrine (De Doctrina Christiana,
iv libri) are a commend of exegetical theology to guide the reader in the
understanding and interpretation of the Sacred Scriptures, according to
the analogy of faith. The first three books were written A. D. 397; the
fourth was added 426. He speaks of it in his Retractations, Bk. 2, chap.
4, as follows: "Finding that the books on Christian Doctrine were
not finished, I thought it better to complete them before passing on to
the revision of others. Accordingly, I completed the third book, which
had been written as far as the place where a quotation is made from the
Gospel about the woman who took leaven and hid it in three measures of
meal till the whole was leavened.' I added also the last book, and finished
the whole work in four books [in the year 426]: the first three affording
aids to the interpretation of Scripture, the last giving directions as
to the mode of making known our interpretation. In the second book, I made
a mistake as to the authorship of the book commonly called the Wisdom of
Solomon. For I have since learnt that it is not a well-established fact,
as I said it was, that Jesus the son of Sirach, who wrote the book of Ecclesiasticus,
wrote this book also: on the contrary, I have ascertained that it is altogether
more probable that he was not the author of this book. Again, when I said,
'The authority of the Old Testament is contained within the limits of these
forty-four books,' I used the phrase 'Old Testament' in accordance with
ecclesiastical usage. But the apostle seems to restrict the application
of the name 'Old Testament' to the law which was given on Mount Sinai.
And in what I said as to St. Ambrose having, by his knowledge of chronology,
solved a great difficulty, when he showed that Plato and Jeremiah were
contemporaries, my memory betrayed me. What that great bishop really did
say upon this subject may be seen in the book which he wrote, 'On Sacraments
or Philosophy.'"
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