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Saint Augustine, Bishop of Hippo
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On Christian Teaching (Oxford World's Classics) 1st Edition

by St Augustine (Author), R. P. H. Green (Translator)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 153 ratings
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The De Doctrina Christiana ("On Christian Teaching") is one of Augustine's most important works on the classical tradition. Undertaken at the same time as the Confessions, it sheds light on the development of Augustine's thought, especially in the areas of ethics, hermeneutics, and sign theory. This completely new translation gives a close but updated representation of Augustine's thought and expression, while a succinct introduction and select bibliography present the insights of recent research.

About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up to date bibliographies for further study, and much more.
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  1. ISBN-10
    0199540632
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0199540631
  3. Edition
    1st
  4. Publisher
    Oxford University Press
  5. Publication date
    June 15, 2008
  6. Language
    English
  7. Dimensions
    7.7 x 1 x 5 inches
  8. Print length
    208 pages
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

`a great chance to see how clever Augustine was. ... (It is more than a work on Christian teaching: it is a book about teaching. Or learning, in fact.)' The Guardian G2 section, 17 July 1997

Book Description

A new translation of one of Augustine's most important works on the classical tradition.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press; 1st edition (June 15, 2008)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 208 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0199540632
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0199540631
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1490L
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 5.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.7 x 1 x 5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 153 ratings

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Saint Augustine, Bishop of Hippo

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
153 global ratings
DO NOT BUY THE KINDLE VERSION
1 Star
DO NOT BUY THE KINDLE VERSION
The kindle version is NOT the volume by R.P.H. Green and published by Oxford University Press. It DOES NOT contain Green's forward and Green's notes.On Christian Teaching (Oxford World's Classics)
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Top reviews from the United States

Amanda Lantz
5.0 out of 5 stars Good translation, great concepts
Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2013
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I bought this book for my husband for Christmas, he has thoroughly enjoyed the content and read half of it on Christmas day! He found it enthralling and appreciated the lens that Augustine provides for reading scripture. I think this edition was a good choice, it seems like a translation that is easy to read (For Augustine).
One person found this helpful
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Joelle
5.0 out of 5 stars Ahead of his times
Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2014
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Augustine is to be greatly appreciated for his impact on culture, sacred and secular. The man was a theological genius whose writings are extremely practical, addressing the issues of his day within the church. This is considered by many to be one of the first treatments of the fields of homiletics and hermeneutics. Highly recommended for anyone studying Christian preaching and = teaching. Be warned though, Augustine's tendency to allegorize much of Scripture might offend the modern mind which prefers a more literal hermeneutic.
4 people found this helpful
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Avid reader
4.0 out of 5 stars a turning point
Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2014
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Even for those who no longer believe in its message, the Bible is generally regarded as a treasure trove of poetic and artistic gems that over the centuries (from Dante to Shakespeare, Milton and T.S. Eliot, to throw out names almost at random) have shaped Western values and sensitivities. It might, therefore, be hard for us to imagine how foreign, even barbaric the Bible appeared to the cultural expectations of late Antiquity. In his "Confessions" Augustine freely admits that for a long time he found it impossible to accept the message of the Bible because it was written in a style so foreign to the liberal arts he had been trained in. It was only when he heard Saint Ambrose of Milan preach on the Bible with all the rhetorical skills late antiquity demanded of its cultural elite that he began to appreciate the Biblical message in its own right. Ten years later--by now probably already bishop in the African town of Hippo--Augustine sits down to help others to make a similar transition from disdain to admiration for the Bible. Augustine first summarizes the central message of the Bible (quite an astounding and beautiful accomplishment) and then turns to the difficult medium of the message. He gives advice on how to gain the necessary factual and linguistic information to approach the biblical environment and how to deal with its often so strangely figurative and obscure style of expression. After an hiatus of over 40 years, in which he--like Ambrose--preached on themes of the Bible using all the tricks of the rhetorical trade of his time, he concludes his treatise by taking a decidedly different approach: He shows his contemporary readers that the Bible should not be perceived as a barbaric import because it exhibits many of the rhetorical devices that even a Cicero could not have improved on. These are the same strategies he recommends to a new generation of preachers. -- The value of this treatise is, in my view, primarily an historical one. It shows a crucial turning point in Western culture and it shows the architect of that turning point at work. After Augustine the Bible could no longer be regarded as a foreign import into Western culture. Instead it became fully integrated and soon even assumed the role of foundation stone of that same culture, an astounding turn about. -- This is a fascinating book, though the editor could have been more forthcoming in explaining some of the rhetorical concepts that are important for Augustine's argument.
12 people found this helpful
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M. Strong
5.0 out of 5 stars Extraordinary
Reviewed in the United States on May 31, 2014
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This small book summarizes much of Augustine's thought and theology. All good comes from God and man's fall precipitated the covenants, laws and finally Christ. Our source for this is the Bible but how should that book be read and taught? Augustine reveals the importance of identifying metaphor in analyzing texts and the danger of being over literal. Language, therefor, is the key theme both in understanding scripture and explaining it appropriately to the education and intelligence of the listener. He then goes on to emphasize the need for the homilist to understand rhetoric at least to balance the rhetoric of disbelievers. I would consider this book essential reading for any serious Christian today or, for that matter of any student of philosophy. I have yet to read any modern or even earlier writer who thinks and writes more clearly on scripture and language.
13 people found this helpful
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Steve DeGangi
5.0 out of 5 stars Very classic and very helpful. I can see St ...
Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2014
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Very classic and very helpful. I can see St. Augustine ' s strong influence on the training of clergy in this book which contains practical and thoughtful insights.
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AJ Baalman
5.0 out of 5 stars I can hardly wait to read it
Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2014
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Well, the Catholic book store we use to get my son's books to study and for some reason they didn't order this book for it, so once we got home, we ordered and it was cheaper on Amazon than the list price we were going to pay at the store.
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S. Lee
3.0 out of 5 stars The centrality of the twofold love command (‘love God
Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2016
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In this short work (though Augustine admits it was longer than he hoped), Augustine sketches his theological hermeneutics–how to interpret scriptures. The centrality of the twofold love command (‘love God, love neighbor’) has full rein over Augustine’s hermeneutical lens. With whimsical tact, Augustine tackles troublesome and ambiguous passages, relishing and defending allegorical interpretations. His explanation of ‘signs’ (sigma) and ‘things’ (res) is worth pouring over.

cf. [...]
One person found this helpful
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Jean
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2013
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Easy Read, for the depth of the information. A must have for any Christian wanting to dig deeper into the background of our Faith.
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Top reviews from other countries

Ravanagh Allan
3.0 out of 5 stars No Bible Interpretation
Reviewed in Australia on March 13, 2024
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Just a philosophical tract on ways of perceiving.
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Siehjalam Doungel
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in India on July 27, 2017
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one of the best ever bought from me. Thank you
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DJ Konz
4.0 out of 5 stars An accessible translation from a giant of the Western tradition
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 30, 2013
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Augustine is not only a giant of the Christian tradition, but indeed the Western tradition. This, one of his lesser read works - behind Confessions, City of God, Enchiridion and perhaps On the Trinity - was started early in his Christian career, and completed after a hiatus of over thirty years. It is essentially a handbook on biblical interpretation, and has lasting value as such, however his skill as a rhetorician - honed teaching rhetoric in north Africa and Italy for more than a decade before his conversion to Christianity - is in itself worth paying close attention to in this volume. Behind the early chapters in particular, Augustine's underlying hermeneutic of love is abundantly evident, and a valuable exhortation for biblical interpreters and preachers today.

This is an accessible translation of a relatively slim volume, divided into four 'books', with a helpful introduction for those new to Augustine. Both for those with a high view of Augustine, and those more critical of his legacy in ecclesiology, theological anthropology (for example, his strong and profoundly influential formulation of original sin) sacramentalism and other areas, this is nevertheless a book worthy of reflection. Love him or not, here is much here to be admired and learned from one of the giants of theological history.
7 people found this helpful
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Derek King
2.0 out of 5 stars etc were all pretty underwhelming. I went ahead and bought the Oxford ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 3, 2018
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Perhaps this is my own fault, as I did not closely vet the copy I bought. But the formatting, translation, cover, etc were all pretty underwhelming. I went ahead and bought the Oxford World's Classics version after I got this one in. Its only a quid or two more, and worth it. Skip this copy. Get a different one.
2 people found this helpful
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