In a
sense, both of these theologians are on the same side of the debates over faith and reason. In
antiquity, there was a major controversy over whether secular learning was of any value to the
Christian, famously expressed in Tertullian's question "What has Athens to do with
Jerusalem?".
Augustine's response in De Doctrina
Christiana was to use theof the gold the Jews took from Egypt. He argues that pagan
learning, like the Egyptian gold, could be put to good use. The study of grammar, ars
recte loquendi et enarratio poetarum (the art of correct speech and interpreting
texts), was needed for reading the Bible, and other elements of the seven liberal arts were
useful in interpreting the literal meaning of the Bible.was important for Christian preachers;
although faith and a morally good life were essential for preachers, skill in speaking was
necessary to inspire an audience. In the Middle Ages, the phrase "Egyptian gold" was
frequently used in discussions about the...
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