Homiletics
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Explanation
Homiletics, the art of preaching, studies both the composition and the delivery of religious discourses. It includes all forms of preaching, including
The formation of the Lyman Beecher course at Yale University resulted in an increased emphasis on homiletics. The published volumes of this series include information regarding the history and practice of the discipline.[1]
Branch of pastoral theology
The Catholic Encyclopedia defines homiletics as "that branch of rhetoric that treats of the composition and delivery of sermons or homilies".
The first form of preaching was largely the homily.[4]
Christian tradition: The preaching of Jesus
It cannot be said that Jesus' preaching took any definite, rounded form, in the sense of a modern sermon. His aim was to sow the seed of the word, which he scattered abroad, like the sower in the
Missionary preaching
In missionary preaching the apostles were also assisted, but informally, by the laity, who explained the Christian doctrine to their acquaintances amongst unbelievers who, in their visits to the Christian assemblies, must have heard something of it, e.g., cf. I Cor., xiv, 23-24. This is particularly true of
And the reason for this he attributes to the stress of persecution. Neander (I, 420, note) says of Sozomen's statement: "The remark could not extend to the early times; but suppose it did, it meant that the sermon was only secondary. Or the fact may have been that this Eastern writer was deceived by false accounts from the West, or it may have been that the sermon in the Western Church did not occupy so important a place as it did in the Greek Church."[4]
Homiletics in the Jewish tradition
Preaching as a regular part of worship services in Judaism can be traced back to the time of Ezra, who instituted the custom of reading a portion of the Torah, written in Hebrew, and then paraphrasing or explaining it in the vernacular, which at the time was Aramaic.[8] This tradition was well established by the fourth century BCE.[8] After the destruction of the temple, synagogues became central to Jewish worship and the role of the sermon increased. A regular structure arose: the speaker first quoted a verse from the Bible, then expounded on it, and finally closed with a summary and a prayer of praise.[8] Sermons from highly regarded rabbis of this period have been preserved in the Midrash, forming part of the Talmud.
Homiletics is taught as part of the typical curriculum at modern-day rabbinical seminaries.[9][10]
Early Christian church
According to middle second-century writer Justin Martyr, the practice of the
According to the Catholic Encyclopedia:
The office of preaching belonged to bishops, and priests preached only with their permission. Even two such distinguished men as Augustine of Hippo and John Chrysostom preached, as priests, only when commissioned by their respective bishops. Origen as a layman expounded the scriptures, but it was by special permission. Felix, a priest and martyr, preached in the third century, under two bishops, Maximus and Quintus. Priests were forbidden to preach in Alexandria; but that was on account of the Arian controversy. A custom springing from this had spread to the north of Africa; but Valerius, Bishop of Hippo, broke through it, and had St. Augustine, as yet a priest, to preach before him, because he himself was unable to do so with facility in the Latin language – "cum non satis expedite Latino sermone concionari posset". This was against the custom of the place, as Possidius relates; but Valerius justified his action by an appeal to the East – "in orientalibus ecclesiis id ex more fieri sciens". Even during the time of the prohibition in Alexandria, priests from Socrates and Sozomen, interpreted the Scriptures publicly in Cæsarea, in Cappadocia, and in Cyprus, candles being lighted the while – accensis lucernis. As soon as the Church received freedom under Constantine, preaching developed very much, at least in external form. Then for the first time, if, perhaps, we except St. Cyprian, the art of oratory was applied to preaching, especially by St. Gregory of Nazianzus, the most florid of Cappadocia's triumvirate of genius. He was already a trained orator, as were many of his hearers, and it is no wonder, as Otto Bardenhewer[13] expresses it, "he had to pay tribute to the taste of his own time which demanded a florid and grandiloquent style". But, at the same time, he condemned those preachers who used the eloquence and pronunciation of the theatre. The most notable preachers of the century, St. Basil and the two Gregories (the "Clover-leaf of Cappadocia"), Sts. Chrysostom, Ambrose, Augustine and Hilary, were all noted orators. Of the number the greatest was St. Chrysostom, the greatest since St. Paul, nor has he been since equalled. Even Gibbon, while not doing him justice, had to praise him; and his teacher of rhetoric, Libanius, is said to have intended John as his successor, "if the Christians had not taken him". It is a mistake, however, to imagine that they preached only oratorical sermons. Quite the contrary; St. Chrysostom's homilies were models of simplicity, and he frequently interrupted his discourse to put questions in order to make sure that he was understood; while St. Augustine's motto was that he humbled himself that Christ might be exalted. In passing we might refer to a strange feature of the time, the applause with which a preacher was greeted. St. Chrysostom especially had to make frequent appeals to his hearers to keep quiet. Bishops commonly preached outside their own dioceses, especially in the great cities; polished sermons were evidently in demand, and a stipend was given, for we read that two Asiatic bishops, Antiochus and Severianus, went to Constantinople to preach, being more desirous of money than of the spiritual welfare of their hearers.
— Patrick A. Beecher, Homiletics, Catholic Encyclopedia 1913
Decline in the West
Part of a series on |
Rhetoric |
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After the age here described preaching was on the decline in the West, partly because of the decay of the Latin language (cf. Fénelon, "Dial.", 164), and in the East, owing to the controversies on
Middle Ages
This section's tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone used on Wikipedia. (February 2020) |
According to the Catholic Encyclopedia:
It has been commonly said by non-Catholic writers that there was little or no preaching during that time. So popular was preaching, and so deep the interest taken in it, that preachers commonly found it necessary to travel by night, lest their departure should be prevented. It is only in a treatise on the history of preaching that justice could be done this period. The reader is referred to Digby's "Mores Catholici", vol. II, pp. 158-172, and to Neale, "Mediæval Sermons". As to style, it was simple and majestic, possessing little, perhaps, of so-called eloquence as at present understood, but much religious power, with an artless simplicity, a sweetness and persuasiveness all its own, and such as would compare favourably with the hollow declamation of a much-lauded later period. Some sermons were wholly in verse, and, in their intense inclusiveness of thought, remind one of the Sermon on the Mount: —
Magna promisimus; majora promissa sunt nobis:
Servemus hæc; adspiremus ad illa.
Voluptas brevis; pœna perpetua.
Modica passio; gloria infinita.
Multorum vocatio; paucorum electio;
Omnium retributio(St. Francis, as quoted by Digby, op. cit., 159.)
The preaching of the time was characterized, first, by heavy use of Biblical quotation, integrated throughout, sometimes with a
Scholastic philosophy supplied an almost inexhaustible store of information; it trained the mind in analysis and precision; while, at the same time, it supplied a lucidity of order and cogency of arrangement such as we look for in vain in even the great orations of Chrysostom.[4]
Philosophy regards man only as an intellectual being, without considering his emotions, and makes its appeal solely to his intellectual side. And, even in this appeal, philosophy, while, like algebra, speaking the formal language of intellect, is likely to be wanting from the view-point of persuasiveness, inasmuch as, from its nature, it makes for condensation rather than for amplification. The latter is the most important thing in oratory – "Summa laus eloquentiæ amplificare rem ornando."
Renaissance
The next noted period in the history of preaching is the Renaissance, with the rise of humanism. The motto of two representative humanists, Reuchlin and Erasmus, was: "Back to Cicero and Quintilian." Erasmus on visiting Rome exclaimed: "Quam mellitas eruditorum hominum confabulationes, quot mundi lumina." Pierre Batiffol[19] says: "One Good Friday, preaching before the pope, the most famous orator of the Roman Court considered that he could not better praise the Sacrifice of Calvary than by relating the self-devotion of Decius and the sacrifice of Iphigenia."
This period ended shortly thereafter, dying out in the Reformation and post-Reformation period. The Council of Trent recommended preachers to turn aside from polemics; it also[20] pronounced that the primary duty of preaching devolved on bishops, unless they were hindered by a legitimate impediment; and ordered that they were to preach in person in their own church, or, if impeded, through others; and, in other churches, through pastors or other representatives.[4]
Notable French preachers
The French preachers of the classical seventeenth-century period were, according to
Conférences in Notre-Dame
The next important era is the so-called conférences in
Present day
As to preaching in the present day, we can clearly trace the influence, in many respects, of Scholasticism, both as to matter and form. As to matter, a sermon may be either moral, dogmatic, historical, or liturgical—by moral and dogmatic it is meant that one element will predominate, without excluding the other.
As to form, a discourse may be either formal, homily; or catechetical instruction. In a formal sermon, the influence of Scholasticism is most strikingly seen in the analytic method, resulting in divisions and subdivisions. This is the thirteenth-century method, which had its beginnings in the sermons of Bernard and Anthony. The underlying syllogism, too, in every well thought-out sermon is due to Scholasticism; how far it should appear is a question that belongs to a treatise on homiletics. As to the catechetical discourse, it has been so much favoured by
In recent days, organized missionary preaching to non-Catholics has received a new stimulus. In the United States, particularly, this form of religious activity has flourished; and the Paulists, amongst whom the name of Isaac Hecker is deserving of special mention, are to be mainly identified with the revival. Special facilities are afforded at the central institute of the organization for the training of those who are to impart catechetical instruction, and the non-controversial principles of the association are calculated to commend it to all earnestly seeking after religion.[4]
Homiletic Directory
In the Roman Catholic Church, the
Bibliography of historical development
John Chrysostom and Augustine
Practice preceded theory. Certain ideas are to be found in the Church Fathers, and these have been collected by Paniel in the introduction to his work "Geschichte der christlich. Beredsamkeit". The first to treat of the theory of preaching was
Augustine explains his homiletics in Book IV of DDC. He describes it practically in relation to the classical theory of oratory, which has five parts: inventio (the choice of the subject and decision of the order), dispositio (the structure of the oration), elocutio (the arrangement of words and figure of speech), memoria (learning by heart), and pronuntiatio (the delivery). He constructed this theory in four parts: the basic principles of rhetoric (DDC 4.1.1-4.56.10), a study on the rhetoric of Scriptural texts (DDC 4.7.11-4.11.26), an analysis of styles (DDC 4.12.27-4.21.50), and some peculiar rules of rhetoric for sermons (DDC 4.22.51-4.31.64). The essential part of Book IV deals with three styles of sermons (genera tenue / docere [to teach]; genera medium / delectare [to amuse]; genera grande / flectere [to persuade]), which was influenced by Cicero’s Orator 1.3.
Augustine stresses the importance of principle and discipline at the same time. Preachers need to practice again and again (DDC 4.3.4) so that they can use these styles in any situation of preaching (DDC 4.19.38). But they should pay attention to the priority of order. Continuous and diligent study of the Bible is more important than mere memorization, that is to say, they should pursue wisdom more than knowledge (DDC 4.5.7). The best is the combination of wisdom and eloquence as seen in the Pauline letters and prophetic writings (DDC 4.6.9-4.7.21). Yet, he does not praise eloquence itself; rather he prefers a concrete proclamation than a showing off of rhetorical technique (DDC 4.7.14-15). It is truth, not rhetoric, that preachers try to deliver (DDC 4.28.61).
The most significant practice and discipline is prayer. Augustine advises to be a prayer before being a preacher. Preachers should pray before and after his sermon (DDC 3.37.56; 4.15.32; 4.17.34; 4.30.63). Augustine himself was a good model of this practice. Before the preaching, he invited the congregation to pray (Epistula 29). After the sermon he also prayed (Sermones 153.1). For Augustine’s homiletics, the time of prayer is the most precious time, because that time is a time when all the audience meets God the Truth, and through that time they can understand the truth of God more fully. Prayer is a major means of grace in knowing God. Augustine says that love is the most important discipline in Christian life in his sermon, De disciplina christiana. If one adds another to Christian discipline besides love, prayer will come first.
The preacher should be a good example of all sermons. The manner of life can be an eloquent sermon (copia dicendi, forma vivendi; DDC 4.29.61). In most of the cases, it seems to be true that the sermon of a preacher cannot be better than his or her life, but vice versa seems also to be true: the sermon cannot be worse than the preacher’s life. The more a preacher endeavors after humility, discipline, and love, the better his or her sermon becomes. And now these three are always necessary for all Christian teachers: humility, discipline, and love. But the greatest of these is love. For "the goal of this command is love" (1 Tim. 1:5 cited in DDC 1.26.27; 1.35.39; 1.40.44; 4.28.61).[22]
Augustine's work "De rudibus catechizandis" is also relevant.
Hincmar says that a copy used to be given to bishops at their consecration.[4]
In the ninth century
In the twelfth century
Guibert's work was recommended by Pope Alexander as a model to all preachers. Francis of Assisi gave to his friars the same directions as are herein contained.[4]
Alain de Lille
To the same period belongs the "Summa de arte prædicatoriâ" by
Thomas Aquinas
Humanist writings
In the works of the two humanists,
Among the Dominicans,
In the "Rhetorica ecclesiastica" (1627) of Jacobus de Graffiis is contained a symposium of the instructions on preaching by the
The "Dialogues" of Fénelon, the works of Blaise Gisbert, Amadeus Bajocensis and Guido ab Angelis have already been referred to. In the nineteenth century homiletics took its place as a branch of pastoral theology, and many manuals have been written thereon, for instance in German compendia by Brand, Laberenz, Zarbl, Fluck and Schüch; in Italian by Gotti and Guglielmo Audisio; and many in French and English.[4]
Relation to secular rhetoric
Some assert the independent character of homiletics and say that it is independent in origin, matter and purpose. The upholders of this view point to passages in Scripture and in the Fathers, notably to the words of
Paul's own sermons are in many cases replete with oratory, e.g., his sermon on the Areopagus; and the oratorical element generally enters largely into Scripture. Lactantius regretted that there were so few trained preachers,[32] and Gregory, as well as Chrysostom and Augustine, made use of rhetoric in preaching. Gregory censured the use in the pulpit of the eloquence and pronunciation of the theatre. Demetrius, On Style, uses many of the tricks of speech.[4]
References
- ^ a b c d Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 13 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 644.
- ^ "homiletic". Oxford English Dictionary (1st ed.). Oxford University Press. 1933.
- ISBN 978-1-7252-2038-6.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Beecher, Patrick A. (1910). "Homiletics". In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 7. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
- ^ See Robert Reid, Andre Resner, Lucy Lind Hogan, John McClure, James Kay
- ^ (Christian Worship, p. 171, tr. London, 1903)
- ^ (Vetus et Nova Eccl. Disciplina, II, lxxxii, 503)
- ^ a b c "HOMILETICS - JewishEncyclopedia.com". www.jewishencyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2020-09-19.
- ^ "Course of Study". Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion. Retrieved 2020-09-21.
- ^ "Curriculum: Become a Rabbi". Hebrew College. Retrieved 2020-09-21.
- ^ ISBN 978-0664225797.
- ISBN 978-0664225797.
- ^ (Patrology, p. 290)
- ^ (Thomassin, ibid., ix, 504)
- ^ Digby, op. cit., 159.
- ^ For examples, the reader is again referred to the collection of "Mediæval Sermons" by Neale.
- ^ (Idea of a Univ., 1899, p. 280)
- ^ (Milton, "Tractate of Education")
- ^ (History of the Roman Breviary, p. 230)
- ^ (Sess. V, cap. ii)
- ^ a b Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Homiletic Directory, Vatican City, 2014
- ^ Woo, B. Hoon (2013). "Augustine's Hermeneutics and Homiletics in De doctrina christiana". Journal of Christian Philosophy. 17: 110–112.
- ^ (Neale, "Mediæval Sermons", Introd., xix)
- ^ (III, Q. lxvii, a. 2)
- ^ (Kirchenlex., pp. 201-202)
- ^ (in "Epistolæ præpositorum generalium ad patres et fratres S.J.")
- ^ Sermons for all the Sundays in the year, Dublin : Duffy (1882) by Alphonsus Liguori
- ^ 1 Corinthians 2:4: "And my speech and my preaching was not in the persuasive words of human wisdom, but in shewing of the Spirit and power"; also to I Cor., i, 17; ii, 1, 2; and II Cor., iv, 2.
- ^ Ep. ad Donat.
- ^ Adversus Nationes.
- ^ Institutionum divinarum.
- ^ Institutionum divinarum, V, c. i,
Further reading
- Aleksandrov, Andrian (2014). Post-Constantine Preaching: the Three Holy Hierarchs. - In: The Christian Paradigm of a United Europe. The Historical and Religious Dimension of the Reign of Saint Constantine the Great and his Present Reception. Editor:Sergiu Popescu, Publisher: Mitropolia Oltenia, Regional Development Foundation, pages: 85-104,
- Digby's "Mores Catholici", vol. II, pp. 158–172
- Neale, "Mediæval Sermons"
- Alistair Stewart-Sykes, From Prophecy to Preaching: A Search for the Origins of the Christian Homily, Leiden: Brill, 2001
- The older literature is cited exhaustively in WG Blaikie, For the Work of the Ministry (1873); and DP Kidder, Treatise on homiletics (1864).
- Woo, B. Hoon (2013). "Augustine's Hermeneutics and Homiletics in De doctrina christiana". Journal of Christian Philosophy. 17: 97–117.
External links
- Homiletic thought from an evangelical perspective
- Homiletics - Catholic Encyclopedia article
- Sermons & Material for Sermons
- The American Rabbi - Rabbinic resource of sermons, stories, anecdotes and writings for today's rabbis.