Contents
Table of Contents
Introductory Note by the Editior
Contents of Christian Doctrine
Book I. Containing a General View of the Subjects Treated in Holy Scripture
Chap. 2. What a thing is, and what a sign
Chap. 3. Some things are for use, some for enjoyment
Chap. 4. Difference of use and enjoyment
Chap. 5. The Trinity the true object of enjoyment
Chap. 6. In what sense God is ineffable
Chap. 7. What all men understand by the term God
Chap. 8. God to be esteemed above all else because He is unchangeable Wisdom
Chap. 9. All acknowledge the superiority of unchangeable: wisdom to that which is variable
Chap. 10. To see God, the soul must be purified
Chap. 11. Wisdom becoming incarnate, a pattern to us of purification
Chap. 12. In what sense the Wisdom of God came to us
Chap. 13. The Word was made flesh
Chap. 14. How the wisdom of God healed man
Chap. 16. Christ purges His church by medicinal afflictions
Chap. 17. Christ, by forgiving our sins, opened the way to our home
Chap. 18. The keys given to the Church
Chap. 19. Bodily and spiritual death and resurrection
Chap. 20. The resurrection to damnation
Chap. 21. Neither body nor soul extinguished at death
Chap. 22. God alone to be enjoyed
Chap. 23. Man needs no injunction to love himself and his own body
Chap. 24. No man hates his own flesh, not even those who abuse it
Chap. 25. A man may love something more than his body, but does not therefore hate his body
Chap. 26. The command to love God and our neighbour includes a command to love ourselves
Chap. 28. How we are to decide whom to aid
Chap. 29. We are to desire and endeavour that all men may love God
Chap. 30. Whether angels are to be reckoned our neighbours
Chap. 31. God uses rather than enjoys us
Chap. 32. In what way God uses man
Chap. 33. In what way man should be enjoyed
Chap. 34. Christ the first way to God
Chap. 35. The fulfilment and end of Scripture is the love of God and our neighbour
Chap. 37. Dangers of mistaken interpretation
Chap. 39. He who is mature in faith hope and love, needs Scripture no longer
Chap. 1. Signs, their nature and variety
Chap. 2. Of the kind of signs we are now concerned with
Chap. 3. Among signs, words hold the chief place
Chap. 5. Scripture translated into various languages
Chap. 6. Use of the obscurities in Scripture which arise from its figurative language
Chap. 9. How we should proceed in studying Scripture
Chap. 10. Unknown or ambiguous signs prevent Scripture from being understood
Chap. 12. A diversity of interpretations is useful. Errors arising from ambiguous words
Chap. 13. How faulty interpretations can be emended
Chap. 14. How the meaning of unknown words and idioms is to be discovered
Chap. 15. Among versions a preference is given to the Septuagint and the Itala
Chap. 17. Origin of the legend of the nine Muses
Chap. 18. No help is to be despised even though it come from a profane source
Chap. 19. Two kinds of heathen knowledge
Chap. 20. The superstitious nature of human institutions
Chap. 21. Superstition of astrologers
Chap. 22. The folly of observing the stars in order to predict the events of a life
Chap. 23. Why we repudiate arts of divination
Chap. 24. The intercourse and agreement with demons which superstitious observances maintain
Chap. 26. What human contrivances we are to adopt, and what we are to avoid
Chap. 28. To what extent history is an aid
Chap. 29. To what extent natural science is an exegetical aid
Chap. 30. What the mechanical arts contribute to exegetics
Chap. 31. Use of dialectics. Of fallacies
Chap. 32. Valid logical sequence is not devised but only observed by man
Chap. 33. False inferences may be drawn from valid seasonings, and vice versa
Chap. 34. It is one thing to know the laws of inference, another to know the truth of opinions
Chap. 35. The science of definition is not false, though it may be applied to falsities
Chap. 36. The rules of eloquence are true, though sometimes used to persuade men of what is false
Chap. 37. Use of rhetoric and dialectic
Chap. 38. The science of numbers not created, but only discovered, by man
Chap. 39. To which of the above-mentioned studies attention should be given, and in what spirit
Chap. 40. Whatever has been rightly said by the heathen, we must appropriate to our uses
Chap. 41. What kind of spirit is required for the study of Holy Scripture
Chap. 1. Summary of the foregoing books, and scope of that which follows
Chap. 2. Rule for removing ambiguity by attending to punctuation
Chap. 3. How pronunciation serves to remove ambiguity—different kinds of interrogation
Chap. 4. How ambiguities may be solved
Chap. 6. Utility of the bondage of the Jews
Chap. 7. The useless bondage of the gentiles
Chap. 8. The Jews liberated from their bondage in one way, the gentiles in another
Chap. 9. Who is in bondage to signs, and who not
Chap. 10. How we are to discern whether a phrase is figurative
Chap. 11. Rule for interpreting phrases which seem to ascribe severity to God and the saints
Chap. 13. Same subject, continued
Chap. 14. Error of those who think that there is no absolute right and wrong
Chap. 15. Rule for interpreting figurative expressions
Chap. 16. Rule for interpreting commands and prohibitions
Chap. 17. Some commands are given to all in common, others to particular classes
Chap. 18. We must take into consideration the time at which anything was enjoyed or allowed
Chap. 19. Wicked men judge others by themselves
Chap. 20. Consistency of good men in all outward circumstances
Chap. 21. David not lustful, though he fell into adultery
Chap. 23. Rule regarding the narrative of sins of great men
Chap. 24. The character of the expressions used is above all to have weight
Chap. 25. The same word does not always signify the same thing
Chap. 26. Obscure passages are to be interpreted by those which are clearer
Chap. 27. One passage susceptible of various interpretations
Chap. 28. It is safer to explain a doubtful passage by other passages of Scripture than by reason
Chap. 29. The knowledge of tropes is necessary
Chap. 30. The rules of Tichonius the Donatist examined
Chap. 31. The first rule of Tichonius
Chap. 32. The second rule of Tichonius
Chap. 33. The third rule of Tichonius
Chap. 34. The fourth rule of Tichonius
Chap. 35. The fifth rule of Tichonius
Book IV. Containing a General View of the Subjects Treated in Holy Scripture
Chap. 1.This work not intended as a treatise on rhetoric
Chap. 2. It is lawful for a Christian teacher to use the art of rhetoric
Chap. 3. The proper age and the proper means for acquiring rhetorical skill
Chap. 4. The duty of the Christian teacher
Chap. 5. Wisdom of more importance than eloquence to the Christian teacher
Chap. 6. The sacred writers unite eloquence with wisdom
Chap. 7. Examples of true eloquence drawn from the epistles of Paul and the prophecies of Amos
Chap. 9. How, and with whom, difficult passages are to be discussed
Chap. 10. The necessity for perspicuity of style
Chap. 11. The Christian teacher must speak clearly, but not inelegantly
Chap. 13. The hearer must be moved as well as instructed
Chap. 14. Beauty of diction to be in keeping with the matter
Chap. 15. The Christian teacher should pray before preaching
Chap. 16. Human directions not to be despised though God makes the true teacher
Chap. 17. Threefold division of the various styles of speech
Chap. 18. The Christian orator is constantly dealing with great matters
Chap. 19. The Christian teacher must use different styles on different occasions
Chap. 20. Examples of the various styles drawn from Scripture
Chap. 22. The necessity of variety in style
Chap. 23. How the various styles should be mingled
Chap. 24. The effects produced by the majestic style
Chap. 25. How the temperate style is to be used
Chap. 26. In every style the orator should aim at perspicuity, beauty, and persuasiveness
Chap. 27. The man whose life is in harmony with his teaching will teach with greater effect
Chap. 28. Truth is more important than expression. What is meant by strife about words
Chap. 30. The preacher should commence his discourse with prayer to God