Common Places Davenant Discussions, The Story of Wisdom in Saint Augustine, Session 2
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Dec 14, 2020 
Dr. Benjamin Quinn, a theology professor who lectures on Augustine, guides a deep dive into Augustine's theme of sapientia. He traces wisdom from Augustine's bishopric to De Trinitate. Short, focused talks explore wisdom as Christ, virtue, ontology, and the soul’s road toward divine vision.
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When Augustine's Sapientia Becomes Clear
- Augustine's notion of wisdom (sapientia) stabilizes around Confessions and Tu Simplicianus where biblical passages converge to clarify wisdom's relation to Christ.
- Quinn highlights 1 Corinthians, Colossians, and Job 28:28 as the textual backbone that makes sapientia central and consistent from ~396 onward.
Augustine's Many Faces Of Wisdom
- Augustine treats wisdom as multifaceted: Christ, intellectual gaze, eternal reality, virtue, and the starting place for life and worship.
- Quinn lists ~20 aspects (from a larger 31 by Carhey) showing sapientia spans ontology, ethics, and cognition in Augustine's thought.
Augustine Weds Philosophy To Theology
- Augustine blends classical (Cicero, Plotinus) and Christian (Justin, Origen, Ambrose) streams so his sapientia is traditional yet theologically rooted.
- Quinn stresses Augustine reads pagan thought widely but always submits philosophical frames to Scripture when tensions arise.