Augustine’s 9 Principles of Interpretation
Augustine, the Bishop of Hippo, was a theologian and philosopher who lived from 354-430 AD. He is viewed as one of the most important Church Fathers.
His writings influenced the development of Western philosophy.
Here are 9 theological principles of interpretation from Augustine’s On Christine Doctrine with my explanation of them.
1. The historical background of a passage helps in our understanding of it (even if learned apart from the church).
Understanding the world behind the text (the culture, politics, customs, and geography) can shine a light on things that otherwise seem confusing.
Scripture wasn’t written in a vacuum. Each book emerged from a particular time and place shaped by real people, real cultures, and real events. When we understand that background, we read with clearer eyes. Knowing the history, customs, or geography can explain phrases and customs that are foreign to us. God chose to speak through human authors in human settings, and paying attention to that context helps us hear Him more accurately.
Background and History Resources
2. The literal and historical sense is important.
When we study the Bible, we start by asking a simple question: What did these words mean to the first people who heard them? That’s the literal and historical sense. It’s grounding our understanding in what the author actually said, in real places, to real people, facing real situations.
Why start there? Because Scripture can’t mean something to us today that it never meant to them then. The literal sense anchors us; the historical sense supplies the setting (who wrote, to whom, why, and what was happening at the time). Together they keep us from turning verses into inspirational slogans and help us hear God’s intended message.
A quick example: “For I know the plans I have for you…” (Jeremiah 29:11). Those words were first written to exiles in Babylon, not to a graduate picking a major. When we take the literal words and the historical moment seriously, we see God assuring a broken people that He will bring them home in His time. Once we understand that, then we can apply the principle rightly: God is faithful to His promises, even in seasons of waiting.
3. The interpreter must understand the author’s meaning and not read his own ideas into the text.
In Bible study, our job is to listen before we talk. The text already has a message. The author chose each word for a reason, in a particular flow of thought, to a real audience. Good interpretation asks, What did the author mean to say? Poor interpretation asks, How can I make this verse support my idea?
There’s a name for these two approaches. Exegesis means drawing the meaning out of the text. Eisegesis means reading our own ideas into the text. Exegesis is careful listening. Eisegesis is wishful thinking.
How do we keep ourselves from smuggling in our opinions?
- Start with questions, not conclusions: Who wrote this? To whom? Why now? What problem is being addressed?
- Follow the argument: What comes before and after? How does each sentence serve the paragraph’s main point?
- Let words mean what they meant then: Define key terms the way the author and original audience would have understood them.
- Watch the genre: Poetry, narrative, prophecy, and letters communicate differently. Read them on their own terms.
- Confirm with clearer passages: If your reading contradicts the plain teaching elsewhere, your reading is probably off.
A quick example: “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). Paul is not promising athletic victories or guaranteed success. In context, he is saying he can endure both lack and abundance because Christ sustains him (Philippians 4:11–12). When we let Paul finish his sentence, the author’s meaning becomes clear, and the promise becomes richer: Christ gives strength to be faithful in any circumstance, not a blank check for our plans.
When we insist on the author’s meaning, we honor both the human writer and the God who spoke through him. We let Scripture lead, and we let our lives adjust. That posture protects us from shaping the Bible into our image and helps us hear the truth that can actually change us.
See: 5 C’s of Bible Study
4. A verse must be studied in context.
Bible verses are sentences inside paragraphs, inside books, inside the one story God is telling. If we lift a line out of its setting, we can make it say almost anything. Context protects us from that. It asks us to let the author finish his thought, to notice what comes before and after, and to read each verse within the argument of the whole book and the storyline of Scripture.
Here’s how to keep context in view:
- Literary context: Read the paragraph, then the chapter, then the whole book. Ask, What point is the author making here, and how does this sentence serve it?
- Historical context: Who wrote it, to whom, and why? What problem or situation is being addressed?
- Biblical context: How does this fit with what Scripture teaches elsewhere on the same theme?
A few quick examples:
- “Judge not” (Matthew 7:1): In context, Jesus is warning against hypocritical, self-righteous judgment, not forbidding moral discernment. Two verses later he tells us to remove the log from our eye so we can see clearly to help a brother (Matthew 7:5).
- “Where two or three are gathered” (Matthew 18:20): In context, Jesus is speaking about church discipline and the church’s authority to bind and loose, not promising that a tiny prayer meeting guarantees a special result (Matthew 18:15–20).
- “I can do all things” (Philippians 4:13): In context, Paul is talking about contentment in lack and in plenty, not achieving any goal we set (Philippians 4:11–12).
When we honor context, we honor the Author. We let the passage mean what it meant then, and only then do we ask how its truth applies to us today. That order—interpretation first, application second—keeps our study faithful, clear, and fruitful.
5. The Holy Spirit is not a substitute for the hard work of learning the history and languages relevant to a text.
It always surprises me that Augustine included this one, because it seems to be such a modern problem.
The Holy Spirit opens our eyes to the truth, but he doesn’t bypass the normal way God chose to speak. If Scripture came to us through history and human language, then loving God with our minds means doing the work to understand both.
Think of it this way: the Spirit is not a shortcut; He’s our Teacher. He cultivates humility, sharpens our attention, and bears fruit as we study. But He doesn’t “download” meanings that ignore grammar, context, or history.
Here’s what that looks like in Bible study:
- Pray, then read carefully. Ask the Spirit to make you teachable, then follow the author’s flow of thought.
- Use good tools. A reliable study Bible, a basic Bible dictionary, and comparing a few faithful translations can clear up most confusion.
- Respect words and context. Define key terms the way the original audience would have heard them; let the paragraph and the book guide your conclusions.
- Bring in background when needed. History and culture often explain what feels odd to modern readers.
You don’t need a seminary degree to study well. You do need prayerful effort, patience, and a willingness to learn. The Spirit honors that path because it honors the way God gave us His Word.
6. No doctrine should be built on passages which are difficult to understand.
7. The difficult passages are to be understood in light of clearer passages.
Some parts of Scripture are crystal clear. Others make us tilt our heads and say, “Hmm.” Augustine’s wisdom (and sound Bible study) says we don’t hang major beliefs on passages that are hard to understand.
Why? Because God gave us many clear texts on the essentials. When a verse is obscure in wording, rare in vocabulary, or uncertain in context, it’s easy to overreach. Clear Scripture should set the fences; unclear Scripture should be read inside those fences.
Think of it like building a house. You pour the foundation where the ground is solid, not on the edge of a muddy bank. The clear passages are solid ground. The difficult ones still matter, but we handle them with humility and caution.
How this guides your study:
- Start with the plain: Let repeated, straightforward passages define core doctrine (e.g., salvation by grace through faith, the deity of Christ, the authority of Scripture).
- Use the plain to read the puzzling: When a difficult text seems to point a new direction, check it against what’s taught clearly elsewhere. Scripture won’t contradict itself.
- Hold conclusions with an open hand: With tricky texts, prefer “here’s a likely reading” over “this proves a new doctrine.”
This isn’t dodging hard passages; it’s honoring how God speaks. He made the gospel and core truths obvious on purpose. So we anchor doctrine where Scripture is brightest, and we approach the dimmer corners with patience, prayer, and teachable hearts.
8. There is a progressive element in revelation.
When Augustine said there’s a progressive element in revelation, he meant that God didn’t reveal everything all at once. He spoke across centuries, through different authors and moments in history, building truth step by step until the fullness came in Christ.
Think “seed to tree” or “dawn to noon.” The oak is already present in the acorn, but you don’t see its fullness on day one. Early Scripture plants the seed; later Scripture shows the branches and fruit.
How this shapes Bible study:
- Honor the stage of the story. Read Moses as Moses, David as David, the prophets as prophets. Ask first, What did this mean then? Don’t rush to the end of the story before you hear the chapter you’re in.
- See promise and fulfillment. God promises a new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31–34); Jesus completes its terms at the cross (Luke 22:20; Hebrews 9:11–15). God promises Abraham a worldwide blessing (Genesis 12:3); Paul shows how that blessing reaches the nations in Christ (Galatians 3:8, 16).
- Keep the core consistent. Salvation has always been by grace through faith (Genesis 15:6; Romans 4:3). What changes across the story is clarity and administration, not the way God saves.
Progressive revelation protects us from two common errors:
- Flattening the Bible (treating every verse as if it dropped from the sky on the same day), and
- Forcing the end back into the beginning (reading later clarity into earlier passages before the author intended it).
Instead, we read patiently. We let each passage speak in its own moment, and then we trace how God carries that thread to completion in Christ. That’s how the whole Bible becomes one coherent story—seed to tree, dawn to noon—told by one faithful God.
9. Study more earnestly the clearer doctrines so that later the more obscure passages can be the more accurately interpreted.
Augustine’s point is simple and wise: major on the plain things first. When you anchor yourself in the Bible’s clear, repeated teachings, you’ll be far less likely to get lost when you reach the harder passages.
What this looks like in Bible study:
- Lay the foundation with core doctrines. Spend time where Scripture speaks most plainly and often: God’s character, the gospel, grace through faith, the person and work of Christ, the call to holiness. Let these truths sink deep.
- Use the foundation as a filter. When you hit a puzzling verse, ask: How does this fit with what Scripture teaches clearly elsewhere? The clearer truths set the boundaries for responsible interpretation.
- Let repetition carry weight. Doctrines taught in many places and genres (narrative, letters, poetry) are safer ground than ideas drawn from one difficult sentence.
- Hold the obscure with humility. Prefer “this likely means…” over “this proves…,” especially when the passage is rare, symbolic, or grammatically tricky.
Photo by Alex Block on Unsplash
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