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The Way of Humility
St. Augustine’s Theology of Preaching
Imprint: Catholic University of America Press
For Augustine, that the Word became flesh transformed a merely human understanding of the virtues and grounds all virtue in humility. The Way of Humility: Augustine’s Theology of Preaching explores how this truth became a new paradigm for understanding the scriptures and thus, how Augustine embodied the virtue in the preaching of the scriptures. One of Augustine’s most devoted students, Possidius, said that anyone can learn from reading Augustine, but "those were able to profit still more who could hear him speak in church and see him with their own eyes. Truly, he was indeed one of those of whom it is written, ‘speak this way and act the same way.’" The Way of Humility searches for evidence of the virtue of humility in action through the preaching of the humble Word in the sermons of Augustine.
Many know of Augustine through his more famous treatises but few have encountered the Doctor of Grace where he had his most immediate impact, preaching. The Way of Humility follows the sermons through several traditional theological loci, ecclesiology, Christology, soteriology to uncover what can be learned about Augustine’s theology through the way he preached to a mixed audience of urbanites and rustics, many of whom did not have the benefit of a formal education. Throughout the book, we see the interplay between Augustine’s action in speech and Augustine’s more direct statements on his theology of Preaching. Through handing over Christ in his sermons, he became himself an example of humility for the congregation on their journey toward the final end for all people, the Beatific Vision.
Charles G. Kim, Jr. is assistant professor of theology and classical languages at Saint Louis University.
"A highly significant contribution to Augustinian scholarship. Augustine’s preaching is of increasing interest to the academy and to a wider readership. Kim has focused on a key idea that needs to be heard more clearly: humility. Augustine’s emphasis on humility deserves greater attention in our world marked by pride in diverse ways."
~Andrew Hofer, OP, author of The Power of Patristic Preaching: The Word in Our Flesh
"When the worldly and well-educated Augustine assumed the role of bishop in Hippo, he held two things in mind: the humble people he served and the humble Christ. Hewing close to the original sources, Kim masterfully illustrates how Augustine re-oriented his classical rhetorical education in order not only to proclaim the servant Jesus but to embody his humility. This fresh contribution represents a significant advance in our understanding of Augustine's theology of preaching and opens new vistas on the developing Christian discourse of late antiquity."
~Alden Bass, Oklahoma Christian University
"Charles G. Kim, Jr., intensifies the recent surge of attention to Augustine’s preaching by looking at his sermons through the prism of humility, watching closely and well how his words perform the message and change his hearers, and so help him to reformat classical rhetoric. With an assist from Speech-Act Theory, Kim describes Augustine’s difficult rhetorical pirouette while preaching humility without magnifying self in the way he adverts to the ego-dethroning humility of Christ, its source, model, and power. A fertile and engaging study."
~Michael Cameron, University of Portland
"For Augustine, humility and speaking humbly go together. Accordingly, Charles G. Kim provides a rich and fresh analysis on how Augustine’s sermons both grow out of and foster the way of humility, not as an insignificant aspect of his approach, but as fundamental to it."
~Kelly M. Kapic, Covenant College
"The academic reader will appreciate the overall structure and the precision with which Kim develops his thesis. He repeatedly connects the reader to previous insights, along with providing each chapter with a clear introduction and conclusion. The notes help the reader to better understand other perspectives, the details of classical language, and why Kim arrives at the perspective he does. The book deserves an attentive and careful reading. The wisdom of the text, on the other hand, deserves a wider audience."
~Catholic Books Review
" The Way of Humility is an important work that advances a much-needed hole in Augustinian scholarship. In doing so, it also advances scholarship relating to Augustine’s Christology, ecclesiology, and soteriology. It is also a good reminder to scholars and writers that they too should be humble in their works, reaching as broad an audience as possible. Kim’s work, scholarly as it is, remains accessible and readable to anyone interested in the life and work of Saint Augustine."
~VoegelinView