Hearing the Shepherd's Voice: The παροιμία of the Good Shepherd Discourse and Augustine's Figural Reading

Abstract

This essay argues for the congruence between Augustine's figural interpretation of the Good Shepherd discourse (John 10:1–18) and the discourse's literary and rhetorical character. John refers to Jesus' figurative speech in the shepherd discourse as παροιμία (10:6). This term designates a mode of figurative discourse in the Fourth Gospel, which is presently obscure and requires a more-than-literal interpretation. By using παροιμία as a compositional technique, John aligns his audience with the individuals in the Gospel narrative, all of whom work to understand Jesus' figurative language. The παροιμία is a literary strategy by which John draws his audience into the Gospel's narrative world and invites them to adopt his theological understanding of all things in light of the Word. In his figural reading, Augustine positions his congregation to mirror the individuals and relationships in the discourse. His figural reading involves a complex interrelationship between doctrinal profession, moral disposition, and ecclesial participation, all of which serve the reader's spiritual transformation by Christ. Resonant with the Gospel's prologue, the economy of the Word connects these realities and provides the theological architecture for the spiritual associations between the biblical prophets, Jesus, the church, and the interpretation of Scripture. Augustine thus develops the literary and rhetorical cues of the Gospel's plain sense into a figural interpretation, which is congruent with the invitation of the Gospel itself.