Augustine on Theology and Scripture: the prior role of theology

At the beginning of Augustines "On Christian Teaching", he responds to the critics who say such a book is unnecessary. While he admits that some blessed people can understand the scriptures with little aid, even without the alphabet, nevertheless, even these people were taught their mother tongue by other humans. Augustine goes on to defend human agency in coming to the scriptures, in thinking of doctrinal guides to reading them

"The teacher who reads out a text to listening students simply articulates what he recognizes; but the teacher who teaches the actual alphabet has the intention of enabling others to read too. Both are instilling knowledge they have received. The teacher who expounds what he understands in the scriptures expounds it to his listeners, like the reader of a text articulating the letters which he recognises; whereas the teacher who teaches how to understand scripture is like the teacher of the alphabet, one who teaches how to read. So the person who knows how to read, on finding a book, does not require another reader to tell him what is written in it; in the same way, the person who has assimilated the rules I am trying to teach, when he finds difficulty in the text, will not need another interpreter to reveal what is obscure, because he comprehends certain rules ( the equivalent of letters in this analogy). By following up various clues he can unerringly arrive at the hidden meaning for himself ar at least avoid falling into incongruous misconceptions"

Augustine, On Christian Doctrine, preface. 18

The question is not should doctrine come before reading scripture, but which doctrines come before scripture