Although Augustine's ideas about biblical interpretation developed with age and with his deeper church involvement as bishop of Hippo, he never abandoned the centrality of biblical interpretation as a pillar of the life of Christian faith. This collection, the latest volume in the series Romans Through History and Cultures, examines in detail the methods of Augustine, the biblical hermeneut.
Paula Fredriksen explores the ways that Augustine uses a literal interpretation of the Bible to understand the role of Israel, Jews, and Judaism in his theology of history. Thomas F. Martin uses Augustine's later works to demonstrate how Augustine reads Romans as he develops his "method of discovery," or hermeneutics.