The meaning of the article How to Read the Bible by Todd Billings and Saint Augustine on Christian Doctrine contain similar yet contrasting messages on how to read the bible regarding interpretation of signs.
Both book emphasize using discretion when looking at the bible. Many of the signs can be interpreted wrong which is dangerous and misconstrues the teachings of the Bible. For example the Westboro Baptist Church is famous for misconstruing scriptures for their advantage by taking part of the text out of context. As the article How to Read the Bible said, "any and all methods must be tamed in relation to the theological aims of Scripture and the ecclesial context within which the Bible is read as Scripture”. The articles differed in that St. Augustine wanted people to interpret the signs using history, while Billings was more in favor of not using history because it clouded the view of Gods glory. St. Augustine illustrated that the remedy for not knowing signs in the scriptures is knowledge of the language. I think that both authors would agree that if the scriptures are taken out of context we are not correctly interpreting the language.
St. Augustines words have a double meaning, because he could also be implying that one must know literally how to read and interpret different languages to understand the scriptures. Many people today find reading the Bible difficult because of the language. For example, Billings examines how most Christians “can’t truly understand god’s words because they aren’t scholars”. I think this is not necessarily true but it illustrates how the language can be difficult to understand, because of it’s historical references.
In Chapter 11 St. Augustine said that the “remedy for ignorance of signs is knowledge of language”. Billings suggests this same philosophy. He suggested that one couldn’t come to table with nothing and expect to understand the bible.
I think both Billings and Augustine characterized reading the scriptures as a difficult task that takes an immense amount of effort. It’s not something one can sit down and skim through. The scriptures require a great amount of focus and knowledge to interpret correctly. St. Augustine states that the bible signs require people not being careless otherwise they will be missed. I think this characterization places them in a positive light while at the same time maintaining their reverence.
I agree with your statement that Augustine knows the scriptures are difficult to understand without proper training. I think he sees that as a mark of wonder on them since they are so complex and require people to prepare themselves, religiously or mentally, to the task of understanding them. For a thinker like Augustine this is also pretty exciting.
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