The Incarnation of the Word is not only a significant statement in the Gospel of John, but also the central starting point for Augustine's interpretation of this Gospel. What can it mean when God is understood as the Word? What system-forming effects does the Incarnation of this Word have on the philosophy of language, hermeneutics, the metaphysics, as well as the method and form of Christian religion? Against the backdrop of a wide selection of Augustinian works, this study examines the philosophical context and history of semantics and hermeneutics (Chapter B) with the aim of elucidating the philosophical framework and methods (Chapter A) with which Augustine interpreted the fourth Gospel (Chapter C). The analysis of the *Tractatus in iohannis evangelium* itself is based on key systematic concepts such as the philosophy of the flesh, incarnational hermeneutics, and spiritual resurrection. The presentation concludes with the confirmed thesis that Augustine's hermeneutics can be understood as metaphysics. Based on this, the author develops an outlook on the significance of Augustine's philosophical hermeneutics for the present of Christian religion and theology