ABSTRACT
Christian teaching was free of charge. Augustine held that Christianity was the true philosophy, and that the wisdom offered by the Christian scriptures was more ancient, more profound, more consistent, and more accessible than that of other traditions (Civ. Dei 18.41). A church was like a classroom open to men and women, to all ages and to all social and educational levels (Ep. 138.10). Anyone
could come and hear readings from the Bible; the bishop would explain them, as the grammaticus explained classical texts, and in so doing he would also, like the philosopher, demonstrate the techniques of rhetoric and dialectic and discuss ethics and metaphysics, that is, how we should live and what is our place in the universe. According to Augustine, it was quite easy to pick up rhetorical technique from Christian writings, without a long and expensive education (Doctr. Chr. 4.3.64.7.21). Present-day historians have noted the risk of bad or boring or inaccessible preaching, but if the preacher was a good communicator, the frontier between high and low culture shifted or even disappeared.4
