Nevertheless, we have a very good text, and with a few critical corrections, we can largely reconstruct what St. Augustine said,” he explained. “The preacher is familiar with the thought and works of St. Augustine, but he does not simply copy them — which could be a sign of inauthenticity,” he explained. Before St. Augustine, two main interpretations prevailed. “In the new sermons, St. Augustine discusses both possibilities along with their advantages and drawbacks and concludes that both are acceptable because neither contradicts the Christian faith,” the professor noted. In these sermons, St. Augustine seems to suggest that even a figure as controversial as Israel’s first king might have ultimately opened himself to divine grace.