A dear friend of mine on his personal blog recently began citing short, pregnant quotes from church history’s key figures; men we often refer to as the old dead guys (you can visit Ross’ blog here). These include Athanasius, Augustine, Anselm, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin, Edwards, and many more.
I thought this would be helpful on occasion for our readers as well, so I’m starting with this quote from Augustine’s “Sermon 36” on Proverbs 13:7. Enjoy.
“Observe his riches: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. This was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him (Jn 1:1-3). What could be richer than he through whom all things were made? A rich man can possess gold, but he can’t create it. These riches of his having thus been declared, now observe his poverty: And the word became flesh and dwelt among us (Jn 1:14). It is by this poverty of his that we have been enriched, because by his blood which flowed from his flesh, the flesh the Word became in order to dwell among us, the sacking of our sins was torn up. Through that blood we have cast off the rags of iniquity, in order to clothe ourselves in the robes of immortality.” Augustine, 410AD
BQ2
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You do know that Augustine was Catholic right? It surprises me that so many protestant’s claim him when he believed in the eucharist, perpetual virginity of Mary, her asumption into heaven, her sinlessness, communion of the saints, etc.
Thanks for your comment, Margaret. I understand your concern, but, I think this is a classic case of throwing the baby out with the bath water. Augustine certainly held to some doctrines that we deny as protestants. However, he loved Jesus and loved the Scriptures and has much to teach us about living to God. Many key doctrines that protestants hold dear find their first articulation in Augustine’s writings, and he was pivotal for protecting the Christian faith from heresies of his day.
In short, we don’t agree with Augustine on every point, but we have much to learn from him. The same is true of all theologians and key figures from Christian history.
Thanks again for your thoughts.
That seems like cafeteria style Christianity to me. Kind of like relativism. It is sad but that is what protestantism has become today. Take and little of what I like here and some over there and there you go you have a Baptist or Methodist or Lutheran. This is not what Christ intended. I am more apt to believe ALL of what a man wrote in ~400AD rather than a man who decided to change it in 1500. What makes us think we know better in 2010 than Augustine, Aquinas, Jerome and many others?