In this chapter I will examine the person and work of Jesus Christ, as expressed in Augustine's early writings (386–91). In these writings Augustine regards Jesus Christ as a wise man who has been inwardly illuminated by the Virtue and Wisdom of God, enabling him to serve as an intermediary between the viciousness and foolishness of man and the Virtue and Wisdom of God. His authority is recognized through the numerous miracles of his life, from his virgin birth to his death and resurrection. These miracles are signs of intelligible realities that the fool is admonished to believe. They also provide examples of virtue, by the imitation of which the soul of the fool may be purified. In this way Jesus Christ provides the masses with a well-defined path to salvation, which may be called ‘the way of authority’.

THE PARADOX OF LEARNING

In order to better appreciate the significance of the way of authority, it will be useful to situate our discussion within the context of Augustine's early theory of learning. Our specific point of departure will be Augustine's treatment of the paradox of learning. According to this paradox, first articulated in Plato's Meno, learning is impossible. Inquiry into what is known is unnecessary, and inquiry into what is unknown is impossible, since one does not know what to look for. Thus, it seems that nothing can be learned. Plato attempts to resolve the paradox with his theory of recollection.