Chri,\'1 J<.•.ws. he [PauJ) says. thal is. Christ Snvior. So
11w Word ;'Christ": Its 1\t/t>aning a11d Use l5 ln this exp JanatiOJl, "'Christ," is trnnshltecf as "anointed": a1 the ~ame time. the Greek word christos is derived from chrisma. but is al::;o linked £0 Lhe Latin oleum_. "oiJ."4 Jn addition. Augustine notes the Hebrew background. the connection between Chrisr aod Messiah.' In this same context, the point is also made that in the incarnation, the Son of God became the "Ciu·ist.'' and this for the salvation of the htunan race. To this end. as The Trinity says more clearly, Jesus received the Holy Spjri1 at the incarnation; ~l t the beginning of his human existence, he wa.~ filled with grace without having any mel'il.s as yet. On d1e other hand, he was not really anoinied by the Holy Spirit at his bap-
CHAPTER 1
tism in the Jord:1n: the anointing at his baptism by John wa:\ rather a prefiguration of the rece-ption of the Spirit by the baptized.• Funhem10re, the title •:Christ" is connected \Vith t11e .idea of seudll1g: "God was anointed for us and sent 1.0 us; God was a human being in order to be anointed, but God was a
The Word "Christ": Its Meaning and Use human being in sucb a way as to be God."t.~
All this becomes even clearer wben we compare the deJiniLion of "Christ" \Vith rhat of "Jesus." In many passages Augustine. interprets the name "Jesus·· as meaning "Savior" (see Man I :21 ).
I. The Numerical Occuncuc.c of the Word ''Christ"
he [PauJ) says. thal is. Christ Snvior. So/J·(IIo': 11lat, you see. is what Jesus means in Latin. ~or should the grammarians ask how good it is as L..mill. and Christians should just ask how true it is. Sal us.
occurs in Lhe writings (>f Augus!inc as an unmodified noun. It also occurs frequently in combination with "Lord" as "Christ the Lord" or "the you SC1.!, is a Lalin noun. 13ut at' for s<ilvorr. and salt·aJ<n; these we!'en't Latin words before the Savior came. When he came;.: to Latin pcoph;, he coined these Latin words. tu
Lord Christ." A conspicuous formula is the one Augustine like.'\ tO u~e at the beginning of sermons: ''Our Lord and Savior."1 A speciaJ favorite is rhe expression "Jesus Christ our Lord.'' which evidently reflects Romans 7:25. Unmoditled or in these several combinations, the word ·'Christ" occurs over 20,000 times, whereas the name "Jesus" occurs "only·• 4650 times.' Since 1he..'i:e are '·sacred names.~· the soundness of the text is not alwnys assuced. lf.1 addition. Augustine also refe(S ro the andeot Christian symbolism of the Greek word icluhys, "lish," an acrostic made up of the initial leuers of the rn this passage, AugusLine regards "Jesus" as a proper name (nomen proprium), like the uames Moses and EUjah. whereas he understands the word
"Christ," like the words "priest" and "prophet." as a tille, a symbolic name (nomen sacramenti). 11 'When used mcLaphorically,u Lhe title ''Christ" like the name "Je::;us" when this is paraphrased as "Savior,'' expresses a functioo in the order of sah•ation. ;'Chrisr Jesus'' therefore nlso means :.King and Savior." 13
Greek words for "Jesus Cht1st. God's Son, Savior:"'
Augustine is thvs able to locate Jesus in the line of the priests and kings of lsrnefl 4 bccaus:c by reason of Lheir anoiming, the laner pJoclaimed Christ in advance.'' Even though they were far from perfect. they too we(e anointed ones, christs. In like manner, Christians may by reas:<)n of their anointing in baptism he c~illed chrisL~; for it was noL on I y ChrisL as head who was anointed. buL his body as well: the anointing belongs to t.hem ~ too. 16 They nre~ howevec. anojmed not in ao unqualified .sense. but only by participalion. 17
2. Meaning of the Word "Cbrist"
In connection with Psalm J03: 15. "that he m~y make his face cheerful witll oil," Augustine explains 1he meaning of the name "Christ" by reference 10 the grace that has appeared in Chris t:~ Tn addilion. he explains the name itself a.~ follows:
He is loved by ~~n . he is pr<•.;H.:hcJ by au~ bcC::)USe he \Vi\S <lll Ointed he}'Oild all others. therefore he is Christ. For ··Christ" means "anointed'': the name Chri!:l js derived from ch.1'ism or· oiotmellL M essiah i n Hebrew, Cbrisn1s in Greek. Anoimcd in Latin. Bot h i~ whole body w:•;:t anohited. Therefote all who c.ome receive gface so that their faces may be made \:he..:rful \Vilh uiL5
3. "Christ" as a Proper Name
In mosL passages, however, Augusrinc uses ,;Christ"' as a proper name. as a descript-ion of the subject about whom his statements are made.ts 11 is with
16 11.- Cm"' of Chdst
Church." FinaUy. be is U1e historical. Jhc mystical. and the euchari>tic Chri,t.'-' In the rropcr or narrow >Cti>C. however. Cl~rist is '·the Word made this w:agc in muld that be asks \\•ho or what Christ i,. and he gives the answer: ··111e Word to whom the human being belon~s:' 19 lie may make his question more concrete: .. Who is the physician with wh<>rn we are dealing?" His first answer is "Our Lord Jesus Christ ... To the further question ... Who i> the Lord Jc-su• ChriM?" he answc"' with a ,.;de-ranging description of 1he identity of Christ:
4. Writings in Wbicb tbe N;m•c of Christ Is Lacking Completely or to Some Extent
He b the one. who was $een by those who crucified him. He is the one who wa~ nrre:-tcd, be:men. scourt;cd. smeared with spmk, crowned with I hOrn:,, huug (JII a cross. wounded whh :.1 spe:11', wkt n down fro~n ,he cro.;s, lnid in a tomb. He is our ve1y Lol'd. Je$u~ Chri:-t; he h im ~clf is clc Miy this. and he is the co.nple~r.~. physician for uur wounds. , • , (.s not
Although "Christ" in the sense of Messiah and. far more oil en. as a proper name occurs wiLh great frequency, i1 is llOlCWOJ'thy duu in n serie-s of works and in lcnglhy sections of others. the word is miM.;i ng comple1ely or appears almost exclusively in cjtations from Scl'iplurc.
he h im~cl f all thi.!> '! Yes i11deed. but he is not simply wh:u the Jew:-. saw: thm i" not the whole of Christ. What more is there. then ·~ In the beginning
Now iL h certainly nor su.,,rising lh31 no mention is mnde of ChrisL in Lhc early writings. which are mostly philosophical and rhetorical." Augustine re· w~• -. the Word. In whal beginning? A1ld llle Worrl wra;;: with GOO. What \\'ord7 And the Word wa..lfl God .~ marks that Al)•pius did not want Chrisl mcruioned in these works." On ~le other hand. acconding to Nebridius. those discussions were about Christ. Plato. and Plotinus .... As a mauer of fact. tllC word "Chri•t .. occurs at a crucial point in A11swer to Skeptics: .. 1 run certain ~uu I shall never depan from the
In such pa~'-1SCS the reference to lbe economy of salvalion is always m<>re or les.< CXJllicitly include-d."
of Christ. for I find none thm is superior ...... The same hold.' for 77te Te11clter. wbere the interior te.acher is not only identified" ith eternal Wisdom but. in reliance <>n Ephcsians 3: 16f .. is given the name Cbrist.'1
This way of >peaking is c••idently inspired by the creed. in "'hich Jesus Christ i< the Mtbject of tbe second article. The scmton, in which Augustine explains the baplismal pmfcssi<>n <>f faith" or refers 10 the faith profes>Cd in oor -
But even after 391. there are work$ in which the name of Christ occurs only infrequently. Thus in On Tet~clt inll Christi11nity. Augustine memions Chri•t only when he is analyzing biblical or pmristic texts in which the name occurs:r' He does not mention Chl'ist nl nil in hiN ~xplunat ion of ll1c iucamati sm~' leave no doubi on this point. h is against this background that be often speaks or "Christ born of the Virgin:·'• or will say brielly and Jcr.<cly, .. Christ was ll<ll"n as God f1'01n the Father, as a human being from the mo Jhcr.""
Two d is l inction~ ~u·e at wol'k in soch passages. Fil'sl. I he statements nbom Je .. '\us Christrnny be either St(ttic or dynamic. In rhc rornlt.:J', Auguslinc will say that leM IS Chrisl is God and human being.u' To this cmegory belong also Utc statemci\IS nbout lhe unily of God and Lhc human in Clwist.l' as well as those passages which speak of "believiltg in Christ.'' a phra<c that in the final :malvsis means "believing U1at Christ is Gnd and human being:·,. Dynamic s tat~ mems. on the other hand. are concerned with the constinuion of the subject mtmcd Jcsu~ Christ: "The number of the persons is ll<ll increaMXI when a human being i; joined to the W()Od, so that ooe Cl\risr results:·,. Or. more concretely: .. In the Word. the [Human One! was sanctified from the bcginnutg of ljon4.l and onty rnrely io his explanati(lll of I'Cd<:rnption and the myste.ries of Jcsus.'1'1 lt is especially Slti!dJtg that in his rcflcc1ions on lh~ Trinity, Augustine uses the word "Christ" only when discussing lhe economy of salvation aod. in parlicular, the relevant objections of Lhe Arians:•~ This is tn 1e even of The Trinity: ll1c word "Christ'" does not appear at nil in Books 9 and I 0 and occurs rather rarely in Books I to 7. even though the aullmr discusses the incarnarion l11ere.
In-read <>f .. Christ,'' he speaks of .. the Word .. ruld "tbe Son" as well as of "Wisdom.'· lt is likewise chatae:h!ristic of the A11swer tn Ma:ciminus 11te Aria11 I hat of the twemy points in the first book. only ten !>peak of Christ. while we look in \'a in for that name in many chapters of the se<:orld book ....
his creation. when the W()Od became flesh. for the Word and the human being became one person. At that time. therefore. [the Word! sanctified it.clf in itself, that is.llhc Word! >anctillcd itself a. a human in itself as Jhe Word. for
No less notC\\·orthy is the fact that rhe name "Christ'· is Jacking in long >!retches of the polemical works. even though Jho person of Christ plays an
Word and flesh arc one Christ wbo sanctified the human being in 1he Word, .. Jo important role in them. Only toward the end of Tile ChristitJII Struggle does I he word ''Christ" appear a good many ri mes,~
Secondly, we must not overlook the fact that utterances about Christ are on d i ffcrem levc l~." The name "Christ .. may refer to the Word or to the Word made flesh 01' to ihe Church "' the "whole Christ: '" Accordingly. Chrisl exists ''before us, for us, in us.''" Christ is the Christ who speaks ihrough the r rophcls, ihc Christ who lived on earth. and the Christ who is head of the
1 whereas it occurs only rarely in the earlier expositions of 1he incarnntlon and redemption. Even in the An.Bver to f (msws. where it appc~ 1rs niOI't.: 'hun a Lhousand dmes. it is used only once or twice in many bcJOks:1s Likewise. "ChrisJ" is hardly to be found
18 The Gmct.• of Chri.u
Tlw \ltfmf "Chri.u": Its Meon_;ug and U:;t> 19 at aJJ in t..he hbtol'icnl expositions of I he nnti·Donmisl works.49 A series of anLi·Pclagian writing~ contain:-. lhc wo1'd "C'hrisl'' nhnost exc lu~ivcly in re .. peated citations from Paul.~ F,vcn the Att.\1\'er to Julian has whole sections witJ1out a mention oJ Chrb 1. ~
(1/l(/the Crud (391) Md I he I /imdiJ<Jok for l.tJwreuce ( 421-'123). In the former, 1hc word "Chrisl'' nppears relatively ~c ldorn while in rhe latter, it is made clear from the outset that Chri>t is ll1e foundat·ion of the Catholic faith.'" In any case. the varying fn.--qucncy of the word "ChriM .. must wam the reader not eo be coo quick 10 SJ)enk of a Chri~tocentrism in Augustine.
h i~ even more surprising that in muny sc.nnons, even in one Chrisunas
ru1d certain E:l\tcr \.CmlOih, ''Christ'' occurs either rarely or no1 0.1 aJJ.~ l Among the Eq><>sitiom of the l'.ralmr. which are concenled basically with the ··prophecy of Chri,t."'" there are som~ in which the word "Christ" is hardly used." In many cru.~-s. it i' U'Cd only in pa~sing. ~- for example. in the explanation nf the title" or of cenam wor'd,. >uth a; "salvation .. .., or .. hand of God:·· On the other hand. n ver;e of a J>'3lm or even a single word can gh-e rise to an excursus on Chri,t or on gmcc: then the name of Chri.c suddenly beconx:s frcqucnr.ss
5. uchrisf' in Lhc Couftssious
1t i, evident that the varying fn.'qucncy of lhe word .. Chri<t .. in lhc differern \<Orks depend~ on the biblical background of each. At the same time. we may think that it i; alw connected with the thrust of a work and even with its litemry genre. We must also take intu L"Onsidemtion how often. in Augustine no less than in other Church Fathers. one word le:.ds to another. Tire relevance of thi~ remarlmay already be seen in the Co,.fessiolls.
The name doe~. of coul'le. occur oflen when Augustine is explaining a psalm "ccording to his Chri,t<H-eefc,iologic"l medrod. wilh Urc help of which he distingui>he, between the head. the body. and the whole Christ."' But by no means does he U!-.C rhh, method in aJJ the L:::rpositimrs. He leaves it aside throughout the explanatrom of P;alrn, I I 0117. In d1ese ... Chrisc·· occurs only in citations from I he 1'\'cw Testament and c~pccinll y from PauJ and in som~
When Augustine fell •criou;ly ill as a child. he fer Yently begged his mother for the b<rptism of "Chrr>t your God .. (Co11j: 1.11.17). As he expressly says, he. like hb mother. already believed in Christ." Because of this belief, which he hnd acquired with his mother's rnrlk. he regretted later on that he had not found the name of Christ. his redeemer. in the Hortensius of Cicei'O ( Couf. 3.4.R). On the other hand. Lhe Manichecs. whom he came upon next, had the name of God, of the Lord Jc.-trs Chrbt. and of the Comforter. the Holy Spirit. constalllly on their lip., (Co11j: 3.6.10). He shuddered as he thought back to the pe-riod ofl1is illness in 1~0m\!. because aL LhaL ti1ne Christ had not yet rrccd him formulas. In addition, Augustine mny announce lhis mcthtxl in 1he introduction of an Exposition but then not follow it throughout."' For the must part. he uses it. and wilh i1 1hc word "Ctwisl." in cxpluining psalms in which the psalmist complains tlbmu the di,tresses nnd dirticuhics of human beings and asks God for help.•' In these <"ascs. 1 he u•c or .. Christ .. is also occa.,ioned by an anti-Donatisl scuing or lhc lillu'gical seuing or Lcnt.62 As is to be expected, "Christ" occurs esp~c ia lly ofh:n in cxcgesh of Lhc stl'klly rncssiunic psa Jms.6.1 from ol'iginnl sin nnd his own :-.ins and he would therefore have gone to hell if he had died (Co11}: 5.9.16).
V..'e must also no1 ovcl'look lhc fnc1 lhHl 1\ugusline regards certain psalms or psalm verses as ndd rcs~cd to Chris1 hilnsclf nnd nul to God.61
At that time. he had ndvanccd to the poim of breaking with the .\o1anichees. However. he did nm nnd the sAving name of Christ among the philosophers to whom h~ now lttl'nCd: thus. he decided to rcm:siu, at least for tbe time being, a c:liCChume11 i11 the Catholic Church (Couf 5. 14.25). His mother, who had ln the flomilie.'l.· on the Go.,·pel of.lolw. a la:-.t :,et uf sermon!). while Augustine use~ 1he WOI'd "Chrisl'' more lh!tJUCr'llly lhan John himself doe.~}, and uses it not only in the sense of Messiah. :os John does exclusively. but also a.~ a proper nmne. he does not use i1 ;,1 all in lhree of the homilies.M f'oJJowed him to Rome, was overjoyed at this decision and~ with her t1'l1St in Clrds1, hoped to sec her son a .. C,tholic b"licvcr'' before she died (Con}: 6.1.1). Augusti11e him<elf fou11d satisfaction in the fact that the Church. ~le Body of the only So11 of God, the Chu1·ch io which the name of Chr·ist had been put upon him '" an inf:trll. did not te,ch any silly doctrioes abom the presence of God (Cmt/. 6.4.5). Despite all his intellecttral difficulties conccmillg evil and God's Jlrc~encc. he felt llrat he already adhered finnly to the
Finally, we should observe 1ha1 in the Miscelfonv of 83 Questions, the name "Chri;;t" appears in a numbe1· of que.o,tion~ ci1hcr nolnt all or only in the tirle."" that some books <>f 77tr City of God introduce the name very infre· quently61 or not at all.'' and that numerous letter< do not ;peak of Christ except pcrbap< in the addres~.'• h is not ea,y to explain why Augu<tine use; the word "Christ .. frequenlly in some works and infrequently or not ne "11 in olhers. The biblical background cenainly play~ a decish·e role. '11re context. 100. mu~ be taken into account. a faith of the Catholic Church in Christ the Lord "nd Rcdcemtr."
In fact. he h"d already g011en funher than that: he believed that in Christ. God's Son and our Lord. and in the Scrip1ures of the Catholic Chureh. God point tha1 become< clearer in "hat" rll be -aid further on. 1t is e\-en more difficult to deternunc the c"entto which the greater or IL'l<SCr frequency reflects a development. Be that a~ it nmy. there " a smkmg differenc-e hetwren Faith had provided a way of ..ah••tion leading to life after death (U,uf 7 .7.11 ). Au· gustine was slilllooking for that way. but he did not find it until he acknowl· edged the mediator between God and the human race." At that rime in fact.
Th,. ntml .. CIIri\'t": Its Meflning mul U:;e 21
20 The Grm:e fJj' Christ
Christ only in two fonnulas of pmycr from Paul (Cotif. 11.2k I J .22.28) and he saw '" Chrbt. hi~ Lord, only a human being of $Urpn>~ing wi~dom, a complete human being indeed. but not a human being "ho excelled all others in allu<iOil> tO teXIS of Paul (COiif. 13.7.8: 13.18.23: 13.21.31 ).
This survey of 1be Coofessioos und Ottblcdly ;h<-ds light on Augustine's own experience~> of Chris1. He reveals how he advanced from tbe s1ill \'ague bccaU>c he "a' Truth in pcn.on (Cmif. 7.19.25). His frtend Alyptus. on the 01her hand. wa~ of 1he opinion that in Ouist there W'J.' God and flesh but not a human M>UI (Cmif. 7.19.25).
belief in Christ tha1 bad pervaded him from his earlic'' childhood 10 a faith 1h:n could anC\wer 1he claims of rca. ... on and enable him to live a chaste life. h becomes clear, in particular. at what an early date Augus1ine reached the point of seeing in Clwist both 1he Word and" true human being. His accounl of and renections on lhe first thirty years uf his life also indicme lhe exegetical, liturgical, nnd apologc Lic, and most other are~s in which he was accustomed 10 use
Having read 1he books of the Platonisrs but no1 y<:l ..:eking 1he way 10 God in Christ. our Suvior, Augus1ine bad become noL an ini1ia1c bul :t man condemned to denth; he had n01 yc1 understood lhe love that builds on the foun· dation of humility. on Chris1 (Conf. 7.20.26). He did howevct· come to see, thank~ to his rcnuing or the Bible and especially of the Apostle, that everything depends solely on the grace of God, which alone cnn set us free. tllrough Jesus Christ, l't·om 1he body of this monal life (•cc Rom 7:241'.) (CN(/: 7.2 1.27). When he met Simplicius in Milan, the lauer tried to encourage him to prac1icc the humi I iry of Christ and to this end referred hi m tO rhe example of Mariu> Vic10rinus, who had unhesitatingly become u >crvnnt of Christ aod had come 10 fear remaining outside 1he Church of Chri>t and being denied by Chri>t in 1hc presence of the angels (Cmif. 8.2.3f.). So 100 had the Aposlle hwnblcd the pride of Sergius Paul us uoder the yoke of Chri>l (Acts 13:7-12) (Co1if. 8..1.9).
1hc word ·'Ciuist'' They showand thi~ is 1 he m(>!':l irnportant thing herewhy and wilh what a~soci::uion~ he uses il in each comext.'"
6. The Use of l.liblical and Exegetical Language nJ Under the Spell of the Pauline Wrillngs h i' the Coofessions thm lirs1 make clear 1he importance of lhe Pauline wriungs fOI' Augustine's use of 1he nnn>e "Chri<1." In this work. a series of 1he mos1 important Paulinc texiS. one~ Augusline also cites elsewhere. already make their appearance: Romans 5:5: I Corinthians 3:1; I I: I; Ephc·
In his ~ruggle wi1h himself. Augus1ine now n::ali<cd that he could respond to God only if God would enlighten him through Chri'l (!::ph 5:14) and rescue him through Jesus Christ from this body of dealh (Rom 7:24f.) (Cm!f 8.5.12). ·n,is became fully clear 10 him when the words of I he singing child. "Take. read.'' dt'\lvc him 10 open the Bible ~nd he read Paul'> .:xhortation 10 re-
3:14, J9: and above all, I Timmhy 2:5 and Romans 7:24f. In 1he las1 llll'ce books of the Confessions is also 10 be seen a phenomenon that will recur repeatedly: the word "Christ," if found 111 all. occurs only in citations from Paol (or John). This hold< first of nil fo,· the commcnraries on the Lernounce em1hly joys nnd ambilions and lo put on Chris1 (Rom 13: t3f.) (Con[ 8.2.29). Made happy by 1he conversion dlat hau cwnc at ""'· he turned in prayer 10 Christ Jesus. his helper and redeemer. who had laid his light yoke upon him (ConJ. 9. 1.1}. During the weeks he spent at Cassicincum nfler giv· ing up hh tcnching post, he experienced a gteat joy: Gml nlso caused his friend Alypius 10 submit to 1he name of the Son. our Lord and Savior Jesus ChriSL although previously Alypius had not 1olera1ed thm name in Augustine's books (Cmif. 9.4.7).
ICI'S to the Rom~.ms and LO the GaJutinns {IS well as for the explanations of other Pauline passages. where, of cour~e. the l'rcqucnc occurrence of"Christ" is 10 be expected.15 But the same i:-; true. or milny scnnons,
1 ~'~ and especia Jiy of ccrtnin £:~:positions of the P.w~lms11 as well ns. nnd obove 'tll. of many theo· logi<:nl treatises.1b
Even the anti-Pelagian writings. which deal c:-;sentinlly with the lnterpre Wiion of Paul's leaching ou sr-•cc. ~~m is. 1he "grace of God through Jesus C'hriSI our Lord" (Rom 7:25). are no excep1ion.,. Thu•. in The Perfectioo of
In his look bacL at the life and dealb of his mOlhcr. he 1ells of how God had 1rained her in the f~1r of God by the rod of Christ (Couf. 9.8.17). He also asks hi> reade" 10 pray for him to God. the Father of al11he br01hers and sisters of Chrbl (Cmif. 9.12.33). At the same time. he does not dare 10 say that his mother. who was indeed living in Chri<l. had never spoken a word <XIntrJry to ~1c law of God (Co•if. 9.13.34}.
l11111W11 RighteOIISIIeSS. wbere lhe aulhor i\ disc.,.,sing the definilions (definiliOII~S) of CaeleSiius, he uses "Chri>L" willt 1wo excep1ions. only in citations from Paul, L-spccially in reference to Romans 7:25. The same is true of The 0Peds of Pe/agius. where this passage of Paul i~ again frcqucnlly cilcd."' In like manner. 1he use of "Christ" i' largoly re\tricted in The l>1erils am/ Forgivellt<s of Sins In the biblical passages explained thet·c." In The Spirir and
In his rcf1cc1ions on the presence of God. he refers llgain at the end of the tenth book 10 lhc c"lmplc of hUJnility and the redemptive activity of Christ, the only lrue Mediator (I Tim 2:5); lhis Christ alone. who died for all (2 Cur 5: 15), had kept him from despair (Con( 10.43.6~}- In the remaining books. in which Augu.;tinc rcllects on the beginnings or God's IHCI'Cy. he mentions thf' 1-Rttt'l: texts thm include the wol'd ''Chri~t" come from John a~ weJJ as f'rom
Pnu i.J~~ Augustine does not. of course. nwkc ull or P:tul's ideas his own in the <nme degree. bHI his own usage is dctctanin!XI by the language of 1he Apostle.
If 1he laucr had, in the relevant passage<. ~poken nnly of "Jesus" or ''Savior"
17tt' WfJn/ "CimM": Ifs Mt'amn.~ and Use 23
22 '/1w (ir(lcc• of Chnsl or ··Lord." then in Augustine. too, these titles would probably have occurred
voices: Christ the Head, Chri't the body. or the "bole Christ: as a re- ;ult. the title "ChrisC occuts frequemly.• h " to be nOied. furlhennore. how cenrun key words imroediaoely trigger the mention of Chri>t: salvation."'
more frequently ~~an ··~ ... The imponancc of rhcdcpe:ndenccon the Pauli1lC writing:. in the u~ of the word "Chri,t" will become even clearer when "e dbcus:. the areas of theological comrover.,y. But let me anticipate and note with regard to the interactic)ll oltheological questions and Pauline tc.,ts that in dcfcndong the divinity of Christ Augu>tine endorses the croditional preference for tl'oe hymn about Christ in Philippians 2:5-1 I. However he refers relatively infrequently to verses 5 and If , which speak respectively of Christ Jesus and the Lord Jesus Christ.'' Furthermore, the reader will not be surprised thm in Tlw Trinity and the flaudbook Auguslinc dtcs Lhc Aposlle primarily in his cxphuimions of sotcriology.'' Again. in The Ci1y of God. citations from t>aul mount up in cxplanalions of the end time. ss Finally. it is also not surpl'ising thtll in I he the· ology or Easter which he devdop.s in his lener tO Jnnuariu;. Augustine relies on Paul and therefore Sf>eaks of "Christ."'• w·.ty."' tc Mimony.100 foundation.•• rock.10 hnally. Augusune relates a number of p!>.>lms in their entirely. especially prayel'\ and complaint<. to Christ and his Church, and therefore speaks continually of Chrbt.'" Th1s b also the case. as we would expect. with properly rnessinnic pSillrns.1GJ
The reason Augustine speaks constantly of Chri't in this area or exegesis is lhao in his view. the. Bible is nothing but the "the mystery of God that is Chl'ist.'''"" This is true. to begin with. of the Old Tesllunent. Referring I<J ohe books ol' the Old Testament. Augultinc tells Faustus that Christ speaks from bll of the Scriptures'"" (Here and clsewhco·c. "Ciui,t'' always means .. the whole Christ.'') ''Practjcally every page tclb of nothing but Christ, and the Church ~pread throughout the whole world.""'' Along ~le same line. Augustine also >ays that because the Law is ordered to love. love. that is, Christ, speaks from every psalm."" Everyone who ht~' been educated in tllc school of
lluough the writings of the biblical autliOI'\ kno" s ~lat Christ is to be ..:en and understood in the psalms. the prophets. and the Law, all of which were composed before the coming of Christ."'' 'lbc 'amc is true. meanwhile. of the 1'\cw Testament writings. Whole the boo~s of the Old Testarrtent proclaim Christ in advance, those of the New Testament narrate his deeds "nd b) lnc lnl1ucncc of the Otllcr Biblical Writings
In the Chri>tological exegesis of Geoesis I: I and the Chn>tological application of the JN•lnt> that we find in the Co•ifessions.'' an exegetical field in the bro;~dcr 'cnsc b 10 be seen. To it belong, t'irst and forcmo:.t, rhc explana .. lion\ of the gos1>el >tories. In these explanations, we meet the title "Christ"' far lheo·eby exhon to love110 more frequently th:on inlhe gospels themselves.88Thc same holds for the various ··oucslions·· in whid1 AugusLinc di~cusscs difficult p.a.,s~tgcs of rhc New
If, then, all of the sacred Scriptures tell of Chrbt. the ultimate reason for
iS . according to Augustine. is that Christ him,df, the ctermol Word of God, speaks in I hem. lt i;<o; the Manichcc!-., tirst und iorcmost, whom he reminds of
Gspecially notewonhy are the explanation' of the Gospel of John, for in lh ..:~e. "Christ .. (x;c;urs continuolly.00 Finnlly, in Lhe various trealiscs. the pmnf from Scripture d 1es not only Paulinc but ulso OlhCJ' New Testa ... mem passages in which the title "Christ" occurs, especially John 17:3.
this basic truth: 'cfhe Christthm is, the Woo\1 of God. which he is-who says in the gospel that he has come to send lio·c into this world also speaks in Lhc Old Testamenl when he says, ' I am a devouring tire."'111 For this reason. Augustine rcpcatcdJy insists thm Christ ~peaks in the prophels or the psalmist.112
The excgcsi~ of I he Old Testament is focused on Christ in a diflerent way. As for the en lire. C"hl'i~t_ian tradi Lion. ~o for Augustine Lhc book~ of lsntcl speak constantly of Christ.•• lie is ··~1e prophesied Chnst," as the Answer 10 1-imstus
Being the incarnate Word. Christ. unlike a prophet. ;poke to humanity not only in words but io deeds: .. Let us '"k the miracles ~1emselves "bat they ha'c to say about Christ because they have tongues if they are understood. For >ince Christ is the Word of God. a deed of the Word is a word for us.''11' In keeping with this. Augustine goes far heyond the Jlmctke of ~>e ~ospels when he so often introduces the ;ayings of Jesus "t~l 'Loch fonnulas as "Christ sny!'" or "Jesus Christ said."""
it and :L< i~ to be seen elsewhere as well." Correspondingly. the word .. Chri\1" <lCCUJ' frequently in scnnons on Old Tcsramcnl pa"-~:tgc\.
9' The ~me is tnoe of Book, IS to 18 of 111e City of God, in "hich Augu>tine describes the de\-elopment of the two "cities .. on the basis of texts from the Bible. Especially imprc"hc is the Christological intcrprct:uinn of the rclcvunt psalms ... Thi> s)J\!ciallo'c of the Psalter leads us to e.,pect thutthe Christological inlt is a fact. of course, th:u thc prophetic language of Je>us i> often obscure und ;.unbiguvus: it contains "myslcric~" anll "!).acred signs .. (sacromenm). us terpretation or Jewish prophecy will find it< most imponam applicmjon in
Augustine seeks not only w call attention to thb parabolic l:mguage116 btu 10 defend it with his views. as a rhe10ricion. on I he uscfulncsrof allcgori!!s and
ine's mo-;t ex1cnsive work, Lhe £xpnsilirms of the PJtrlm~. 9' lu this wol'k. "Christ .. occurs with g rc~u frequency 111 th ~; explanations of the title;: lll .{illl'/11 ("To the end"). Psa/mus Dm•id ("Psalm or Onvid"). and so on.'"1 Al~o worth mentioning are 1he methodo1ogicnl introductions in which mewph()rs.117 If, then. we do not want 10 slOp ul the "history" but also desire
10 undcn;land Lhc "prophccy:'11il we nlu~l go tO the Christ of lhe New Testament. fol' only so wm the veil be taken from bel'ol'c our eye$. That is why
I he author explains how the verses of a p:'ialrn arc 10 be distrihulc-<1 among !he
• Tlw H1ml ''('lm'M ": lti'' Mea11i11g and Ust 25
the words of lhe Apostle (2 Cor 3: 1416). constantly men· ti Oih this ncce~sity.
friend;,. and officials. Such fonnulas occur quite frequent!)• in the salutations of letters. For example, ··Augu5tine <end< #rccung.' in the Lord to tltc beloved brother... clergy. elders. anti entire p..'Oplc of the Church of Hippo, whom I \crve in tlte love of Cbrisc:m or. ··Augu<tinc 'end' greetings in the Lord to the beloved Lord Jerome. hi; holy bn~hcr :ond fellow pre;byter. who is to be honorcd in the love of ChrisC: Hl or again, "AuguMine. bishop. sends greeting~ in the l..ord to l..ord Cecilian, an outstanding nwn. truly and deservedly to be hono1·ed and received as a son in the love of Chn:,t."1 u
11'
7. Trndilionnl language Referring to Christ
Since Augu;tine composed his Cotifession.> n few years after his ordination:\.$ n pries!. we find in them a language that derives from an nlrcady lengthy tradition and, to :-.omc CX.lCnL rrorn the Bible itself. \Vc find ~uch expressions a.:;: "Lhl! baptism of Christ." "to believe in[ to) Christ:' "the name of Christ placed upon me," ''Church of Chri:;t," "yoke of Chlist," "~ervnnt of Ch1·i!-:1," "br(llhers of Christ." All these mu traditional usages t/l(lt belong tC> three linguistic domains.
Augu&tine also uses ;,Christ'' formulas when his aim i:; to impl<)rc a favor of his addressees or to admonish them. ''I imploo·c you by the gentleness or Christ";m or, "In Lhc name of Jesus Chl"i~l w~ b~g you not to do tll(lf·~uc. or quite solemnly ... For l am sure Lhm Christ dwells in your heart, and in his name 1 a8k you r-o Lake counsel of him wll() p1-csides over your mind lhat is :-.ubjcctlo him··:•.n or simi Jar expl'ession~.n~t a) LiLu1·gicnl •md C..:utcchctical Language
Finally. he in\'okes Christ in grcetinss and blcs.ing,, for example, "Lord. my ;on. may the mercy of God our Lortl ~ccp you happy in Christ."'"'
In Augu~tinc'.s scnnons, and cspccia Jiy in thu'c.:. which he deli\c.rcd in lhc.:. period before and after Easter. in his own catecheses. and in some of his trea· tises. he repeonedly uses a whole series of stcrc()(ypcd c:~tpre~~ion.s current in the pn.'ll Ching of the time. Some examples are "commandment of Christ:· "disciple of Christ." "coheirs with Cbrist," "sacrament of the body of Christ." '·<po<o..c of Christ: ·uo
The extent to which he has made this language of the Church his own emerges wid1 special claricy in a late letter in which he rnbes lli<! question of
"hen a bi<hop or the clergy arc pennittcd to flee and abandon the commumty.••• In tl1is letter. lte uses the follo,.ing expressions for service of the Omrch and for the Christian community: ''the bond> by which lhe love of Chri't has bound us together" (I): "scrvanh of Christ. ministers of word and ><lcramcnr· (2): I John 3: 13 (3); "mi niSII'y or Christ . . . he does not deny Christ" (4); "ministers of Christ nnd people of Chrbt. a brother for whom Christ died'. (6); "sheep of Christ" and "members of the body of Christ" (7); "Chds1ian peoples" and "presence of the ministers of Christ;• with reference to Philippians 2:21 (9): "salvation which is in Clwist" (13): "flock of Chl'ist" ( 14).
'l11c series includes. in particular. formulas having to do with Christian ini· tint ion: "tO nunch oneself to the name of Christ."' "to come to Christ" or "to faith in Chri:-.t," "to he baptized in Christ"; m "to hclicvc inltol Chri:-;C;Ltz .. exorcisms in (he name of Chrisr·:•23 "sign of the cross or Ch risl' ' ~ 12-l "Christ [is] invoked oveo· you";'" "to receive the sacrament of the body and blood of Christ ... to have the nnmc ot Christ . .. (0 he c;lllcd a Chril"tian"~
1 26 "re .. ceive and eat the body of Chl'ist. yes, you that have become members of Christ in the body of Chl'ist: receive and drink the blood of Chri<t . . . . you turn into thl! body of Chri~f" :
The lcucr:; of Paulinus and Jcrome and others. which contain similar l{lr· mulas. ullow us to speak here of an evcrydny ecclesiastical language. 141
121 "in Lhe memory of Chrisl ·~ pa:-.sion and rcsurrcc .. tion":'" "thcrefo>·e just as. in a cenain way. the sacrament of the body of Chri<t i< the body of Christ and the sacrament of the blood of ChriSI is the blood of Chri<l. so the sacrament of faith is faith."'"
I low seriously Augustine himself took thc'c o·cferences to Christ and was not \imply making u~c of fonnulaoc phrase, is shown by Leuer 232.6. in which he forbids his pagan addressees to call u110n the name of Christ. 1t is also shown by the way in which he >peak' of Chri>tian friendshtp. of "friends in Christ." and of Christian love.'' ' Behmd a language that has been molded b) the tmdition. t/oere is a faith in "'Christ pre<ent in the Church .. ,,, and a profound conviction lhat he is serving Chri" in hi!> Church."'
Finally, the frequently used "'CbrisC fonnulo.' tit." are in,pired by the ooptismal profession of faith also belong here:'"' "Chri<t born of the Virgin Mnry (of a \\'()man);· "Christ "ho suffered," ··chri~t cnocilicd." and ochers of lhi~ kind.'-'' lt 1~ obvio~ that what Augustine is c."Cprcs:-.ing in d~c fonnula!-t from the tradition i> the connection of believing Christian< willotheir l..ord and Savioo·, and the oneness of the Church with its head.
c) The Language of Asceticism and ~l:lgiography
font1ulas are very frequent in Augu!)tinc':, wrilings on virginity. The t'ollowing may be mentioned from his principal woo·k on the subject, Holy b) l!vcryd~'Y Ucclc~ iastica l Language
Li kcwi~c. or no little imcrCSI arc the '
Virginity: "virgins of Christ·· ( l .l)~ hmay Chdst, son ()f tl virgin and spouse t)f vil'gins. give aicl'
1Chrisl'' f<Wmulus whk~h Augmainc usl!s in his dealings wilh his colleagues. wirh clerics.
1 (2.2); ··members of Chri!'t . . . ami thcn1selves virgins and