Christ, the Way: Augustine’s Theology of Wisdom

The Son of God is the wisdom of God Augustine’s love of wisdom drove him to Christ–and wisdom remained central to his thought. Modern biblical scholars and theologians have much to learn from one of Christianity’s most prominent and prolific theologians. Retrieval of Augustine can revive and renew thinking on wisdom.

In Christ, the Way, Benjamin T. Quinn recovers and evaluates Augustine’s rich writing on wisdom. While many have acknowledged sapientia (wisdom) as central in Augustine, few have offered a full treatment of his definition of wisdom and how it ordered his thought. Quinn remedies this need, tracing the development of Augustine’s thought from his earliest reflections to De Trinitate, his most systematic treatment of wisdom. For Augustine, sapientia is the incarnate Christ, who by the Spirit enlightens all God’s people to see clearly, live virtuously, and participate in God–thereby restoring his people to his image. Quinn then brings Augustine into dialogue with contemporary wisdom scholarship, displaying where his biblically rooted, Christocentric, faith–first approach holds rich insights for scholars and Christians today.