Homiletics: Difference between revisions

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." [[Fénelon]] (Second Dialogue) describes it as portrayal; [[De Quincey]], as a holding of the thought until the mind gets time to eddy about it; [[John Henry Newman|Newman]] gives a masterlyan analysis of it;<ref>(Idea of a Univ., 1899, p. 280)</ref> his own sermons are remarkable for this quality of amplification as are those of [[Bourdaloue]] on the intellectual, and those of [[Massillon]] on the intellectual-emotional side, v. g. the latter's sermon on the Prodigal Son. Philosophy, indeed, is necessary for oratory; philosophy alone does not constitute oratory, and, if too one-sided, may have an injurious effect – "Logic, therefore, so much as is useful, is to be referred to this one place with all her well-couched heads and topics, until it be time to open her contracted palm into a graceful and ornate rhetoric".<ref>(Milton, "Tractate of Education")</ref> What has been here stated refers to philosophy as a system, not to individual philosophers. It is scarcely necessary to say that many Scholastics, such as Sts. Thomas and Bonaventure, were noted preachers.<ref name=CE/>

In a discussion of the history of preaching, a reference to the mystics is called for. The tendency of mysticism is, in the main, the opposite to that of philosophy. Mysticism makes for warmth; philosophy, for coldness – "Cold as a mountain in its star-pitched tent stood high philosophy." The next noted period in the history of preaching is the Renaissance. This period, too,ended isshortly treated in its proper place. As to preachingthereafter, Humanismdying contributed more to oratorical display than to pietyout in the pulpit. The motto of its two representative types, Reuchlin and [[Erasmus]], was: "Back to Cicero and Quintilian." Erasmus on visiting Rome exclaimed: "Quam mellitas eruditorum hominum confabulationes, quot mundi lumina." [[Pierre Batiffol]]<ref>(''History of the Roman Breviary'', p. 230)</ref> 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]]." Fortunately, this period did not last long; the good sense of ecclesiastics rebelled against it, and the religious upheaval that soon followed gave them something else to think of. In the Reformation and post-Reformation period the air was too charged with controversy to favour high-class preaching. The [[Council of Trent]] recommended preachers to turn aside from polemics; it also<ref>(Sess. V, cap. ii)</ref> 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.<ref name=CE/>