ABSTRACT
This chapter describes Augustine’s counsel about wisdom in the contemporary world and looks at several Augustinian texts which will elucidate Augustine’s reasons for his counsel of humility and piety. It discusses the epistemological claims of Augustine, focusing on the activity of human judgment. What will become clear is that an analysis of human judgment provides reasonable grounds for affirming the existence of a transcendent reality. The wisdom of the leader grows from the soil of human facticity and human transcendence. Augustine does not counsel despair in the face of limited human cognitional achievement, but he does counsel humility in light of the propensity of error. From the evidence of his letters and texts such as The City of God, it is clear that Augustine considered it his responsibility to engage the leaders of the day, challenging them to cultivate the wisdom necessary to rule justly.
