Saint Augustine's Bible Interpretation

Saint Augustine has a very specific set of guidelines for interpreting the Bible. Augustine suggests looking at the bigger picture and using the correct reference frame as his two most important points, and uses the juxtaposed ideas of love vs. lust to differentiate when to interpret the Bible literally and when to interpret the Bible figuratively. This strict set of rules seems to leave very little room for exception. In my opinion, the Bible and all other religious texts should be interpreted loosely and on a personal level. This is not to say, however, that a personal interpretation can or should be used as an excuse for wrongdoings, but I believe that there should be some middle ground between the extremes of purely literal interpretation and radical figurative interpretation.

We discussed in class the issue of homosexuality and discovered that according to the method that Augustine provides, homosexuality would more than likely be considered lustful because its purpose is not procreation. However, polygamy, as discussed by Augustine, is considered acceptable because its main purpose is procreation. In today’s world, for many people, this situation seems reversed. I feel that Saint Augustine’s method for interpreting the Bible does not take progress into account.

In addition, Augustine’s method does not appear to be concrete because many different interpretations of the same scriptures can be taken. Augustine even simply states, “Sometimes not just one meaning but two or more meanings are perceived in the same words of scripture.” (86). He then states to look to the other passages for the correct interpretation, or secondly, to use “a process of reasoning” (87). This causes numerous different interpretations of the same writings, which seems to defeat the purpose of a strict set of guidelines.

I think that the notion of a set of guidelines is a good idea; however, I believe that there are some shortcomings in Augustine’s method. I personally think that the Bible or any other religious text should be used as a loose reference point for everyday life. I also think that while many of the parables outline basic moral structure, personal morals and current context are essential to keep in mind when interpreting.