Written work · Essential works
On Christian Teaching
De doctrina christiana libri IV
A manual for interpreting and preaching Scripture. Begun around 396–397 and left off at book III, 25.35, it was completed by Augustine in 426–427 while writing the Retractationes. Book I distinguishes between things to be enjoyed (frui) and things to be used (uti) and makes charity the key to all reading; books II and III set out a theory of signs and rules for resolving ambiguities, with the appropriation of pagan learning as 'the gold of Egypt'; book IV adapts Ciceronian rhetoric to Christian preaching. It was the programme of Christian school culture throughout the Middle Ages.
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Authorship note
Reviewed in Retractationes II. Critical text: J. Martin, CCSL 32 (1962); W. M. Green, CSEL 80 (1963).
Editions and translations
Editions in your language first, without hiding the others. Each with its cover and its store.
English
On Christian Teaching
Oxford University Press, 1999
Translation: R. P. H. Green
ISBN 9780192839282
Oxford World's Classics.
Italiano
Augustine of Hippo
L'istruzione cristiana
The Conscious LibraryL'istruzione cristiana
Fondazione Lorenzo Valla / A. Mondadori, 1994
Translation: Manlio Simonetti
ISBN 9788804374176
Texto latino con traducción italiana.
Other works by Augustine of Hippo
- Confessions · 397
- The City of God · 413
- On the Trinity · 400
- Enchiridion on Faith, Hope and Charity · 421
- Expositions of the Psalms · 392
- Tractates on the Gospel of John · 406
- Homilies on the First Epistle of John · 407
- Letters · 386
- Sermons · 391
- Retractations · 426
- On the Beautiful and the Fitting · 380
- Against the Academics · 386
- On the Happy Life · 386
- On Order · 386
- Soliloquies · 387
- On the Immortality of the Soul · 387
- On Grammar · 387
- On Dialectic · 387
- On Music · 388
- On the Morals of the Catholic Church and of the Manichaeans · 388
- On the Greatness of the Soul · 388
- On Free Choice of the Will · 388
- On Genesis against the Manichaeans · 388
- On the Teacher · 389
- On True Religion · 390
- On the Advantage of Believing · 391
- On the Two Souls · 391
- Debate with Fortunatus the Manichaean · 392
- On Faith and the Creed · 393
- Unfinished Literal Commentary on Genesis · 393
- On the Lord's Sermon on the Mount · 394
- Psalm against the Party of Donatus · 393
- Against the Letter of Donatus the Heretic · 393
- Against Adimantus, a Disciple of Mani · 394
- Exposition of Some Propositions from the Letter to the Romans · 394
- Commentary on the Letter to the Galatians · 394
- Unfinished Commentary on the Letter to the Romans · 394
- On Eighty-Three Varied Questions · 388
- On Lying · 395
- To Simplician, on Various Questions · 396
- Against the Letter of Mani called 'The Foundation' · 396
- On the Christian Combat · 396
- Against the Party of Donatus · 397
- Reply to Faustus the Manichaean · 400
- Against Felix the Manichaean · 404
- On the Nature of the Good · 399
- Against Secundinus the Manichaean · 399
- Against Hilarus · 399
- Questions on the Gospels · 399
- Notes on Job · 399
- On Catechising the Uninstructed · 400
- On the Harmony of the Evangelists · 400
- Against the Letter of Parmenian · 400
- On Baptism · 400
- Against What Centurius Brought from the Donatists · 400
- Replies to the Enquiries of Januarius · 400
- On the Work of Monks · 400
- On the Good of Marriage · 401
- On Holy Virginity · 401
- The Literal Meaning of Genesis · 401
- Answer to the Letters of Petilian · 401
- Against Cresconius the Donatist Grammarian · 405
- Proofs and Testimonies against the Donatists · 406
- Against an Unknown Donatist · 406
- Admonition to the Donatists concerning the Maximianists · 406
- On the Divination of Demons · 406
- Six Questions against the Pagans · 408
- Exposition of the Letter of James · 400
- On the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins, and the Baptism of Infants · 411
- On the One Baptism, against Petilian · 410
- On the Maximianists, against the Donatists · 410
- On the Grace of the New Testament, to Honoratus · 412
- On the Spirit and the Letter · 412
- On Faith and Works · 413
- Summary of the Conference with the Donatists · 411
- To the Donatists after the Conference · 412
- On Seeing God · 413
- On Nature and Grace · 415
- To Orosius, against the Priscillianists and Origenists · 415
- To the Priest Jerome · 415
- To Emeritus, Donatist Bishop, after the Conference · 415
- On the Perfection of Human Righteousness · 415
- On the Proceedings of Pelagius · 417
- On the Correction of the Donatists · 417
- On the Presence of God, to Dardanus · 417
- On the Grace of Christ and on Original Sin · 418
- Sermon to the People of the Church of Caesarea in the Presence of Emeritus · 418
- Proceedings with Emeritus, Donatist Bishop · 418
- Against an Arian Sermon · 419
- On Marriage and Concupiscence · 419
- Expressions in the Heptateuch · 419
- Questions on the Heptateuch · 419
- On the Soul and its Origin · 419
- Against Lying · 420
- Against Gaudentius, Donatist Bishop · 420
- Against the Adversary of the Law and the Prophets · 420
- Against Two Letters of the Pelagians · 420
- Against Julian · 421
- On the Care to be Taken for the Dead · 421
- On the Eight Questions of Dulcitius · 424
- On Grace and Free Will · 426
- On Rebuke and Grace · 426
- The Mirror · 427
- Debate with Maximinus, Arian Bishop · 427
- Against Maximinus the Arian · 428
- On Heresies, to Quodvultdeus · 428
- On the Predestination of the Saints · 428
- On the Gift of Perseverance · 429
- Unfinished Work against Julian · 429
- Treatise against the Jews · 429
- On Continence · 412
- On the Good of Widowhood · 414
- On Patience · 417
- On Faith in Things Unseen · 400
- On the Creed, to the Catechumens · 425
- On the Usefulness of Fasting · 408
- On the Sack of the City of Rome · 410
- Sermon on Christian Discipline · 410
- Rule of Saint Augustine · 397
- Letter to Catholics on the Donatist Sect (On the Unity of the Church) · 402
- Soliloquies of the Soul to God (pseudo-Augustinian) · 1250
- Meditations (pseudo-Augustinian) · 1050
- Manual (pseudo-Augustinian) · 1150
- On the Spirit and the Soul · 1160
- Questions on the Old and New Testaments · 375
- Hypomnesticon against the Pelagians and Caelestians · 430
- Sermons to the Brothers in the Desert · 1300
- On True and False Penance · 1050
- Book of Ecclesiastical Dogmas · 480
- On the Faith, to Peter · 523
- On the Wonders of Holy Scripture · 655
- The Ten Categories (Themistian Paraphrase) · 380
- On Rhetoric · 400
- The Ladder of Monks · 1150
- Mirror of the Sinner · 1300
- Against Felician the Arian, on the Unity of the Trinity · 480
- On the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary · 1100
- Spurious Sermons of the Appendix · 500
Sources
- Agustín de Hipona. Retractationum libri II. Ed. Almut Mutzenbecher. Corpus Christianorum Series Latina 57. Turnhout: Brepols, 1984.
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