Comments on: St. Augustine: The Principle of Charity, The Gift of Multiple Meanings, and Scriptura ex Scriptura explicanda est http://percaritatem.com/2008/02/02/st-augustine-the-principle-of-charity-the-gift-of-multiple-meanings-and-scriptura-ex-scriptura-explicanda-est/ Non intratur in veritatem nisi per caritatem. St. Augustine Fri, 27 Jan 2012 13:27:11 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= By: anotherpanacea :: Appreciative Thinking http://percaritatem.com/2008/02/02/st-augustine-the-principle-of-charity-the-gift-of-multiple-meanings-and-scriptura-ex-scriptura-explicanda-est/comment-page-1/#comment-5497 anotherpanacea :: Appreciative Thinking Tue, 22 Dec 2009 05:01:16 +0000 http://percaritatem.com/2008/02/02/st-augustine-the-principle-of-charity-the-gift-of-multiple-meanings-and-scriptura-ex-scriptura-explicanda-est/#comment-5497 [...] like a good way to introduce a version of the principle of charity that Augustine describes in his On Christian Doctrine. The nice thing about this is the way it’s framed as a “checklist skill,” the [...] [...] like a good way to introduce a version of the principle of charity that Augustine describes in his On Christian Doctrine. The nice thing about this is the way it’s framed as a “checklist skill,” the [...]

]]> By: Gregorios Theologos http://percaritatem.com/2008/02/02/st-augustine-the-principle-of-charity-the-gift-of-multiple-meanings-and-scriptura-ex-scriptura-explicanda-est/comment-page-1/#comment-1759 Gregorios Theologos Sun, 03 Feb 2008 10:42:55 +0000 http://percaritatem.com/2008/02/02/st-augustine-the-principle-of-charity-the-gift-of-multiple-meanings-and-scriptura-ex-scriptura-explicanda-est/#comment-1759 "Ego vero Evangelio non crederem, nisi me catholicae Ecclesiae commoveret auctoritas." "For my part, I should not believe the gospel except as moved by the authority of the Catholic Church." (AUGUSTINUS HIPPONENSIS, CONTRA EPISTOLAM MANICHAEI QUAM VOCANT FUNDAMENTI LIBER UNUS, c. 5). Cardinal Thomas de Vio, better known as Cajetan, quotes this Augustinian passage in his expositio of Aquinas's Summa Theologiae: “Et si deficeret collatio litterae obscurae ad manifestam, nunquam tamen deest collatio ad sanctae Ecclesiae auctoritatem a qua non solum certificari possumus de litterali sensu Scripturae, sed certi facti sumus de Scriptura ipsa: Evangelio (inquit Augustinus in epistola contra Fundamentum) non crederem, nisi me auctoritas Ecclesiae admoneret…” (CAJETAN, In ST., I, q. 1, a. 10, n. iv). Thus, I would add as yet another Augustinian-hermenutical principle of interpreting the Scriptures the Catholic Church. The Church’s ministerial function in relation to God's Word is as a created infallible rule of faith, proposing and explicating of those truths that are to be believed. Cajetan, later in his expositio of the Summa Theologiae, develops upon this Augustinian principle: “Ex propterea quoad proponendum et explicandum credenda, ne possit accidere error, providit Spiritus Sanctus de infallibili regula creata, sensu scilicet et doctrina Ecclesiae: ita quod auctoritas Ecclesiae est infallibilis regula proponendi et explicandi ea quae sunt fide tenenda. Unde, duabus concurrentibus ad fidem infallibilis regulis, scilicet revelatione divina et auctoritate Ecclesiae, inter eas tanta est differentia quod revelatio est ratio formalis obiecti fidei, auctoritas autem Ecclesiae est ministra obiecti fidei…” (CAJETAN, In ST., II-II, q. 1, a. 1, n. x). “Ego vero Evangelio non crederem, nisi me catholicae Ecclesiae commoveret auctoritas.”
“For my part, I should not believe the gospel except as moved by the authority of the Catholic Church.”
(AUGUSTINUS HIPPONENSIS, CONTRA EPISTOLAM MANICHAEI QUAM VOCANT FUNDAMENTI LIBER UNUS, c. 5).

Cardinal Thomas de Vio, better known as Cajetan, quotes this Augustinian passage in his expositio of Aquinas’s Summa Theologiae: “Et si deficeret collatio litterae obscurae ad manifestam, nunquam tamen deest collatio ad sanctae Ecclesiae auctoritatem a qua non solum certificari possumus de litterali sensu Scripturae, sed certi facti sumus de Scriptura ipsa: Evangelio (inquit Augustinus in epistola contra Fundamentum) non crederem, nisi me auctoritas Ecclesiae admoneret…” (CAJETAN, In ST., I, q. 1, a. 10, n. iv).

Thus, I would add as yet another Augustinian-hermenutical principle of interpreting the Scriptures the Catholic Church. The Church’s ministerial function in relation to God’s Word is as a created infallible rule of faith, proposing and explicating of those truths that are to be believed.

Cajetan, later in his expositio of the Summa Theologiae, develops upon this Augustinian principle:

“Ex propterea quoad proponendum et explicandum credenda, ne possit accidere error, providit Spiritus Sanctus de infallibili regula creata, sensu scilicet et doctrina Ecclesiae: ita quod auctoritas Ecclesiae est infallibilis regula proponendi et explicandi ea quae sunt fide tenenda. Unde, duabus concurrentibus ad fidem infallibilis regulis, scilicet revelatione divina et auctoritate Ecclesiae, inter eas tanta est differentia quod revelatio est ratio formalis obiecti fidei, auctoritas autem Ecclesiae est ministra obiecti fidei…” (CAJETAN, In ST., II-II, q. 1, a. 1, n. x).

]]> By: Matthew S http://percaritatem.com/2008/02/02/st-augustine-the-principle-of-charity-the-gift-of-multiple-meanings-and-scriptura-ex-scriptura-explicanda-est/comment-page-1/#comment-1756 Matthew S Sat, 02 Feb 2008 21:53:50 +0000 http://percaritatem.com/2008/02/02/st-augustine-the-principle-of-charity-the-gift-of-multiple-meanings-and-scriptura-ex-scriptura-explicanda-est/#comment-1756 I would add the principle that God surpasses all understanding, so that, whenever scripture says, for instance, that God becomes angry, we need to interpret that anger as other than human psychological anger & whenever God is described in physical terms (ie having wings etc) we need to interpret that in some non-physical way. The reference for this is the first couple pages of De Trinitate. Scripture contains only immanent & finite words, but seeks always to lead us to the transcendent & immanent. The immanent words are degenerate forms of the true Word of God. So the principle that God surpasses all understanding could also be called the principle of distension or degeneration. The principle of charity is definitely the first principle in Augustine, but, of course, everything depends on how you distinguish charity from cupidity/lust. I would add the principle that God surpasses all understanding, so that, whenever scripture says, for instance, that God becomes angry, we need to interpret that anger as other than human psychological anger & whenever God is described in physical terms (ie having wings etc) we need to interpret that in some non-physical way. The reference for this is the first couple pages of De Trinitate. Scripture contains only immanent & finite words, but seeks always to lead us to the transcendent & immanent. The immanent words are degenerate forms of the true Word of God. So the principle that God surpasses all understanding could also be called the principle of distension or degeneration.

The principle of charity is definitely the first principle in Augustine, but, of course, everything depends on how you distinguish charity from cupidity/lust.

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