Letter 50

UnknownAugustine, of Hippo|c. 430 AD|paulinus nola
From: Paulinus, bishop of Nola
To: Augustine, bishop of Hippo
Date: ~430 AD
Context: Paulinus sends Augustine a series of theological questions drawn from the Psalms, requesting interpretation, in what is among the last letters exchanged between the two friends before both their deaths.

To Augustine — Paulinus.

Since our letter carrier is already rushing to the ship and I myself am hurrying to match his haste, I will set down a few questions from what has come to mind just now — so that you do not write back to me without a small gift to work on. If these points happen to be clear and only seem obscure to me, let none of the wise sons who may be standing around you at the hour of this little reading laugh at my ignorance. Rather, let them show the goodwill of brotherly love by helping me to understand, so that I may share in the vision of those who see and, with minds illuminated by your teaching, contemplate the wonders of the Lord's law [Psalm 119:18].

Tell me then, blessed teacher of Israel: what does it mean in Psalm 16 [15 in the Vulgate], "To the saints who are in his land, he has made all his wishes wonderful among them" [Psalm 16:3]?

[The letter continues with a series of exegetical questions on difficult Psalm passages, each presented with Paulinus's own tentative interpretations and a request for Augustine's authoritative guidance. The questions cover topics including the meaning of "the saints in his land," the relationship between God's will and human response, the nature of prophetic speech, and the correct interpretation of several passages that seemed to Paulinus to contain apparent contradictions. The tone throughout is that of a brilliant but self-effacing student consulting a master — warm, intellectually engaged, and characteristically humble. The letter provides a window into how theological reflection worked in practice through the late antique letter network: a bishop in Italy sends questions across the Mediterranean to a bishop in North Africa, expecting detailed answers that will arrive months later. It closes with mutual greetings, news of their respective communities, and a particularly moving prayer for Augustine's health — written, though Paulinus could not have known it, in the last year of Augustine's life.]

Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.

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