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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Augustine use to illustrate a thing to be used?

2. What does Augustine consider as God's typical means of delivering His illumination?

3. What should be the nature of the relationship between humans and God according to Augustine?

4. How does Augustine relate Truth and God?

5. What are the three things Augustine identifies as how God inspires His children?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are the tasks of the orator according to Cicero?

2. What does Augustine identifies as three things that students need to use to develop responsible interpretations of Scripture?

3. What doctrine do Augustine's critics apply to interpreting Scripture?

4. What are the seven rules of interpretation that Augustine used from Tyconius' book of Rules?

5. What are the two items that Augustine writes that students must differentiate to learn what Scripture teaches?

6. Upon which type of critics does Augustine focus his attention in the preface?

7. What does Augustine claim an interpreter must consider regarding the author of Scripture to make a correct interpretation?

8. What does Augustine recommend to orators who use speech writers?

9. What relationship does Augustine write humans should have with God? What does Augustine write must humans do before they can enter this relationship?

10. What does Augustine identify as an important consideration when determining how many ideas words or phrases from Scripture contain?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Book Three begins with an examination of how faith, punctuation, and pronunciation can contribute to clearing up ambiguities of Scriptural passages. Detail what steps a student would have to take to develop each of those abilities and compare the Scriptural interpreter who has developed them to one who claims "special gifts" as their source for interpretation and teaching.

Essay Topic 2

Augustine requires his students to learn history and ancient languages in order to properly interpret Scripture. Identify and detail three reasons he makes this requirement and explain how his expectations could serve a student looking into other areas of study. Plan an order for learning the skills that Augustine recommends for responsible Scriptural interpretation and explain why you would follow the courses in that order.

Essay Topic 3

Augustine claims that reading Scripture by itself is sufficient to tea scripture. If this is so, please defend reasons for a student devoting themselves to the time for study to learn to interpret Scripture. Does Augustine's claim about the self-sufficiency of Scripture support those who claim "special gifts" are needed to interpret Scripture? In your opinion is the type of work Augustine requires to interpret Scripture more necessary today than in Augustine's time or less so? Why?

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