Widsom
Augustine uses a low style to help teach his audience what doctrine and principles are in the scriptures. He quotes many scriptures and refers to different apostles to add credibility to his arguments. For example, when he explains how we need to forgive those like we were forgiven by Christ he states "Thou dost see the speck in thy brother's eye, but dost not see the beam in thy own eye." Quoting the scriptures provesthat what he is saying is important and should be given more consideration and thought, in addition to giving the audience a
visual image that helps them understand and see exactly what he is saying. Therefore, his wisdom is evident through his quoted scriptures.
EloquenceHere, Augustine uses more of a middle style to please the audience and entertain them throughout the sermon. He uses periodic sentences to repeat key phrases and concepts. One example is when he talks about the difference between anger and hatred. The sentences run into one another, without a run-on sentence being created, which in return makes his ideas and thoughts flow effortlessly.
Your post made me think about the effect "borrowed wisdom" can have on a speech. Yes, Augustine seemed very wise but, as you pointed out, a lot of his sayings were borrowed thoughts from the scriptures. He is perceived as wise because he was able to find and expose the wisdom of the prophets. That is an interesting thought...
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHuh! Interesting thought indeed, Courtney! The "wisdom" of St. Augustine's sermon could simply be his calculated use of the topic of invention of Testimony. In fact, this "borrowed wisdom," as you call it, can actually function as "borrowed eloquence," too. Augustine himself talks about how the scriptures are beautifully written, and using them in his sermon could have upped his points in that area, as well.
ReplyDelete