Methodological approaches for comparative theological research on St. Augustine of Hippo and The Gospel of John

Abstract

This review article concerns Augustine of Hippo’s (354-430 A.D.) specific and sustained reception of John’s gospel. Here, the author summarizes and evaluates a series of research methods for contextualizing core elements of the bishop of Hippo’s theological points of departure and exegetical practice. Section one identifies the twin theoretical considerations of this retrospective account, including the nature of 4th-century African Christianity and late antique emergence of Pauline commentaries in Latin. Section two then identifies the central advances in methodology of the research, further identifying and reconsidering both textual and theological elements that contribute to Augustine’s Johannine commentary. Section three explores primary results for both theological lines of approach of already completed research: in particular, the author determines aspects of an Augustinian view of Christ and the Church, the ecclesial reality of passing controversy and biblical interpretation, as well as openings for further research on human emotion and eschatology. The result exercises renewed attention toward Augustine’s reading on John and the Johannine corpus, with implications for works of his corpus to include not only the Tractatus in euangelium Iohannis (“Tractates on the Gospel of John”) but also various popular sermons, other biblical commentaries, polemical and doctrinal works.