Augustine and the “Total Christ” in the Psalms
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You don’t have to venture far into the history of Christianity to come across the name St. Augustine, the North African bishop of Hippo (368 – 430 AD). Augustine’s thought summarized the main currents of early Christian theology and provided the framework for the entire medieval period of Christian theology. The Protestant reformers found a teacher in Augustine, and many others throughout the history of our faith have found a friend in him. As a church in the reformed tradition, much of our theology has been shaped by reflecting on this North African bishop's thought, whether we realize it or not. And much of Augustine's pastoral and intellectual life was wrapped up in exploring the Psalms.
How did Augustine read the Psalms?
For more than 30 years, Augustine interpreted, wrestled with, and preached the Psalms in the context of pastoring and controversy. The key question for him was this: how is the Book of Psalms (and the Old Testament as a whole) relevant for his congregation in the age of a new covenant? This question launched an interpretive journey which led Augustine to search deeper than the surface level reading of the Psalms. At the end of his journey was a conclusion: The Psalms are a prophecy of the “total Christ.” By this, he meant a prophecy concerning Christ (the head of the body) and the Church (the body of Christ). This Christological theme radiates throughout his writings on the Psalms, but it is especially clear in his commentary on Psalm 3.
David and Absalom: A Prophecy of Christ, the Church, and their Enemies
In 2 Samuel 15 through 18, civil war erupts in Israel. Absalom had usurped David as king, and David was now a fugitive. In this context, David wrote Psalm 3, where he mentions the many adversaries he has (no doubt led by his own son Absalom) and the steadfast protection of God in the face of these enemies. Augustine was familiar with this context, but he also recognized a deeper truth in this psalm.
Verse 5, which says “I lay down and slept; I awoke because the Lord sustains me,” changes the speaker to Christ, rather than David. The Psalm now takes on a prophetic narrative of the crucifixion and resurrection. The multitudes speaking against David are now the multitudes gathered at Christ’s crucifixion, screaming no deliverance exists for Christ. Christ’s willing death is the sleep mentioned. David arising after sleep becomes a prophecy of Christ’s resurrection. Psalm 3 becomes a totally Christological passage—but it’s more than that.
Augustine writes, “This psalm can also be understood with reference to the person of Christ in another way, namely, that the whole Christ is speaking: Christ in his totality. I say, in concert with his body of which he is the Head, according to the apostle Paul who says, You are Christ’s body, and his limbs (1 Cor. 12:27) . . . Therefore in these prophetic words the Church is speaking together with its Head, the Church beset by the storms of persecution throughout the whole earth, as we know to be the case already.” In this psalm, we find the voice of the Church, praying with Christ the promises guaranteed to Christ. Head and members are one in their prayer to God, and the Church has hope and surety that Christ’s resurrection will be its own.
Reflections for the Body of Christ at Mosaic
The Psalms, Augustine says, reveal to us prophetic words about Christ and His body, the “total Christ.” As we study the Psalms together this summer, this interpretation of the Psalms raises important questions for us to consider as Christ’s body.
What do the Psalms teach us about Christ?
How can the Psalms lead us to greater worship of the One about whom they prophesy?
Do we consider the promises found in the Psalms as promises that we, as the body of Christ, can hold fast to in seasons of blessing and trial?
May Christ magnified among us as we delve into the Psalms this summer together as His body, Mosaic.
Resources for Further Study
The Works of Saint Augustine: A New Translation for the 21st Century, Expositions of the Psalms. Part III, Volumes 15-20.
A History of Christian Thought, Vol. 2: From Augustine to the Eve of the Reformation, by Justo Gonzalez.
Augustine of Hippo: A Biography, by Peter Brown.