Plato and Augustine

At first, Saint Augustine seems Platonic when he discusses bible interpretation, but eventually alludes to a less Platonic philosophy. Augustine notes that to achieve inner knowledge a person must have “spiritual freedom.” (75) He also mentions how people “judge sins not by the strength of actual lust, but by the standard of their own practices.” He seems to look condescendingly upon those who manipulate the bible based on their own cultural norms. Just as Plato lays out a well defined path to achieve an ideal society, Augustine voices his view on how to properly address and interpret the scriptures in the bible. For instance, he notes that the phrase, “Behold today I have established you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and destroy to lat waste and scatter” is “entirely figurative” which illustrates how Augustine has a specific philosophy that everyone should apply when interpreting scripture. (78) This specificity is also seen in Plato’s Republic as he argues for and attempts to define what aspects make up a harmonious society.

Augustine seems to become less Platonic, and more liberal as the article proceeds. Eventually, he notes how there are “sometimes not just one meaning but two or more meanings that are perceived from the same words of the scripture” (86) Plato would most likely disagree about the idea of multiple interpretations (not in the bible, but rather as a philosophy in general). In Plato’s ideas society, interpretation would seemingly disrupt the duties that each member must execute with orderly precision. Perfection, the underlying motive that drives Plato’s argument, would be undermined by Augustine’s idea that things have multiple interpretations.