Gerald R. McDermott (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195373431
- eISBN:
- 9780199871681
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195373431.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
Many books have been published on Jonathan Edwards (1703-58), widely regarded as the greatest American theologian. Some are by experts who typically write only for fellow specialists. Others are by ...
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Many books have been published on Jonathan Edwards (1703-58), widely regarded as the greatest American theologian. Some are by experts who typically write only for fellow specialists. Others are by popular authors who are unaware of recent scholarly discoveries. This book contains chapters based on the latest research on the subject of Edwards and the result is an introduction to North America’s most important religious mind on subjects he considered vitally important: revival, Bible, typology, aesthetics, literature, preaching, philosophy, and world religions. It also includes a survey of his life and career, extended reflections on his relevance to today’s church and world, and much more.Less
Many books have been published on Jonathan Edwards (1703-58), widely regarded as the greatest American theologian. Some are by experts who typically write only for fellow specialists. Others are by popular authors who are unaware of recent scholarly discoveries. This book contains chapters based on the latest research on the subject of Edwards and the result is an introduction to North America’s most important religious mind on subjects he considered vitally important: revival, Bible, typology, aesthetics, literature, preaching, philosophy, and world religions. It also includes a survey of his life and career, extended reflections on his relevance to today’s church and world, and much more.
Charles Wesley
Kenneth G. C. Newport (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198269496
- eISBN:
- 9780191600807
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198269498.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Literature
Charles Wesley was a man with real hymnographic genius, and not surprisingly it is chiefly for his poetic legacy that he is remembered. However, he was much more than just a hymn‐writer, and along ...
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Charles Wesley was a man with real hymnographic genius, and not surprisingly it is chiefly for his poetic legacy that he is remembered. However, he was much more than just a hymn‐writer, and along with his brother John, played a huge part in the birth and early growth of Methodism. To enable him to be assessed at his proper worth, major scholarship is required to bring all his prose works before a wider audience. Only twenty‐three sermons survive of the thousands he preached in his long life as a travelling evangelist, and as a more settled preacher. This volume collects together all these sermons, and presents a detailed text‐critical reading of them, with notes and indexes—including an index of the scripture quotations and allusions with which Wesley's work was totally saturated.There are four substantial introductory chapters, together making up a quarter of the book (90 pages out of 390). The first three examine in some depth the issues of Wesley and early Methodism; his preaching; and the theological characteristics and use of sources in his sermons. The fourth scrutinizes the sermon corpus in detail, considering the provenance and history of each of the twenty‐three sermons.Less
Charles Wesley was a man with real hymnographic genius, and not surprisingly it is chiefly for his poetic legacy that he is remembered. However, he was much more than just a hymn‐writer, and along with his brother John, played a huge part in the birth and early growth of Methodism. To enable him to be assessed at his proper worth, major scholarship is required to bring all his prose works before a wider audience. Only twenty‐three sermons survive of the thousands he preached in his long life as a travelling evangelist, and as a more settled preacher. This volume collects together all these sermons, and presents a detailed text‐critical reading of them, with notes and indexes—including an index of the scripture quotations and allusions with which Wesley's work was totally saturated.
There are four substantial introductory chapters, together making up a quarter of the book (90 pages out of 390). The first three examine in some depth the issues of Wesley and early Methodism; his preaching; and the theological characteristics and use of sources in his sermons. The fourth scrutinizes the sermon corpus in detail, considering the provenance and history of each of the twenty‐three sermons.
David D'Avray (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780198208143
- eISBN:
- 9780191716522
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198208143.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Medieval History
Before the advent of printing, the preaching of the friars was the mass medium of the middle ages. This edition of marriage sermons reveals what a number of famous preachers actually taught about ...
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Before the advent of printing, the preaching of the friars was the mass medium of the middle ages. This edition of marriage sermons reveals what a number of famous preachers actually taught about marriage, teasing out the close connection between marriage symbolism and social, cultural, and legal realities in the 13th century. The relation between genre, content, and gender is analysed, with particular attention to the likely impact of preaching, viewed as a means of intellectual power in competition with vernacular genres and other social forces. Its mass diffusion anticipated printing, but the means of production were those of the monastic scriptorium. The textual criticism and palaeographical analysis of these sermons undermine central assumptions of both medieval and early modern historians of the book, establishing a technique of textual criticism appropriate for texts of this kind. A pragmatic compromise between simple transcriptions which ignore stemmatic relation and full-scale editions attempting to fit all manuscripts into a genealogical table, this book addresses both the sermon literature of the period and the understanding of marriage and its religious and cultural significance in the middle ages.Less
Before the advent of printing, the preaching of the friars was the mass medium of the middle ages. This edition of marriage sermons reveals what a number of famous preachers actually taught about marriage, teasing out the close connection between marriage symbolism and social, cultural, and legal realities in the 13th century. The relation between genre, content, and gender is analysed, with particular attention to the likely impact of preaching, viewed as a means of intellectual power in competition with vernacular genres and other social forces. Its mass diffusion anticipated printing, but the means of production were those of the monastic scriptorium. The textual criticism and palaeographical analysis of these sermons undermine central assumptions of both medieval and early modern historians of the book, establishing a technique of textual criticism appropriate for texts of this kind. A pragmatic compromise between simple transcriptions which ignore stemmatic relation and full-scale editions attempting to fit all manuscripts into a genealogical table, this book addresses both the sermon literature of the period and the understanding of marriage and its religious and cultural significance in the middle ages.
Amy Nelson Burnett
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780195305760
- eISBN:
- 9780199784912
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195305760.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
This book describes the education and ministry of the Reformed ministers who served the church of Basel in the century after the city’s official adoption of the Reformation. It argues that growing ...
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This book describes the education and ministry of the Reformed ministers who served the church of Basel in the century after the city’s official adoption of the Reformation. It argues that growing homogeneity in social and geographical background and in amount of education was countered by a significant evolution in the content of that education, resulting in four distinct generations of clergy. These generational differences in turn influenced the preaching and pastoral care of the city-republic’s parish pastors. The evolution of the curriculum of the city’s university, especially the teaching of dialectic, contributed to the development of Reformed Orthodoxy in the theology faculty. Each generation of Basel’s pastors sought to inculcate a somewhat different understanding of the evangelical faith in their parishioners through their sermons, catechisms, and administration of the sacraments, moving from a general evangelical piety and rejection of late medieval Catholicism in the wake of the Reformation to a more self-conscious Reformed identity and the development of a Reformed religious culture. Over the last two decades of the 16th century, the church’s institutions for supervision of the clergy were strengthened, while the city magistrate and lay officials worked more closely with the clergy to oversee and enforce official standards of belief and conduct. Beginning with the third and fourth generations, it is possible to see the visible impact of both confessionalization and the professionalization of the clergy on popular religion.Less
This book describes the education and ministry of the Reformed ministers who served the church of Basel in the century after the city’s official adoption of the Reformation. It argues that growing homogeneity in social and geographical background and in amount of education was countered by a significant evolution in the content of that education, resulting in four distinct generations of clergy. These generational differences in turn influenced the preaching and pastoral care of the city-republic’s parish pastors. The evolution of the curriculum of the city’s university, especially the teaching of dialectic, contributed to the development of Reformed Orthodoxy in the theology faculty. Each generation of Basel’s pastors sought to inculcate a somewhat different understanding of the evangelical faith in their parishioners through their sermons, catechisms, and administration of the sacraments, moving from a general evangelical piety and rejection of late medieval Catholicism in the wake of the Reformation to a more self-conscious Reformed identity and the development of a Reformed religious culture. Over the last two decades of the 16th century, the church’s institutions for supervision of the clergy were strengthened, while the city magistrate and lay officials worked more closely with the clergy to oversee and enforce official standards of belief and conduct. Beginning with the third and fourth generations, it is possible to see the visible impact of both confessionalization and the professionalization of the clergy on popular religion.
Paul Bushkovitch
- Published in print:
- 1992
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195069464
- eISBN:
- 9780199854615
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195069464.003.0009
- Subject:
- History, World Early Modern History
Peter the Great did not come to the throne in August 1689 of a country possessing a simple, organic religious culture. The previous two centuries were periods of continuous change, gathering speed ...
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Peter the Great did not come to the throne in August 1689 of a country possessing a simple, organic religious culture. The previous two centuries were periods of continuous change, gathering speed after 1645. The starting point of these changes was the decline of the authority and central importance of monasticism, a decline that is visible after about 1530. Another large implication is that the evolution of religion in Russia in these centuries led the country down a road that rapidly converged with that of Western Europe. Both Reformation and Counter Reformation had resulted in an enormous increase in the role of preaching among Protestants and Catholics. The evolution of religious life and thought inside Russia brought the country up to the gate of Europe. Peter opened it.Less
Peter the Great did not come to the throne in August 1689 of a country possessing a simple, organic religious culture. The previous two centuries were periods of continuous change, gathering speed after 1645. The starting point of these changes was the decline of the authority and central importance of monasticism, a decline that is visible after about 1530. Another large implication is that the evolution of religion in Russia in these centuries led the country down a road that rapidly converged with that of Western Europe. Both Reformation and Counter Reformation had resulted in an enormous increase in the role of preaching among Protestants and Catholics. The evolution of religious life and thought inside Russia brought the country up to the gate of Europe. Peter opened it.
Amy Nelson Burnett
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780195305760
- eISBN:
- 9780199784912
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195305760.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
This chapter surveys Basel’s official theology established in the decade after the Reformation, as embodied in the Basel Confession of 1534, the catechism written by Johannes Oecolampadius and ...
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This chapter surveys Basel’s official theology established in the decade after the Reformation, as embodied in the Basel Confession of 1534, the catechism written by Johannes Oecolampadius and modified by Oswald Myconius, and the new Reformed liturgies. All of these proclaimed a general evangelical faith stressing the authority of Scripture alone, the deliberate rejection of Catholic beliefs and practices, and emphasis on high standards of moral behavior. After examining both printed sermons and reports of preaching, it concludes that religious instruction in the three decades was neither systematic nor uniformly imposed on Basel’s subjects.Less
This chapter surveys Basel’s official theology established in the decade after the Reformation, as embodied in the Basel Confession of 1534, the catechism written by Johannes Oecolampadius and modified by Oswald Myconius, and the new Reformed liturgies. All of these proclaimed a general evangelical faith stressing the authority of Scripture alone, the deliberate rejection of Catholic beliefs and practices, and emphasis on high standards of moral behavior. After examining both printed sermons and reports of preaching, it concludes that religious instruction in the three decades was neither systematic nor uniformly imposed on Basel’s subjects.
Amy Nelson Burnett
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780195305760
- eISBN:
- 9780199784912
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195305760.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
The humanist disciplines of dialectic and rhetoric were the foundation of Protestant homiletics. Early Lutheran homileticists adapted the principles of classical rhetoric to develop a new, topical ...
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The humanist disciplines of dialectic and rhetoric were the foundation of Protestant homiletics. Early Lutheran homileticists adapted the principles of classical rhetoric to develop a new, topical method of preaching. Reformed homileticists at the end of the century emphasized exegetical, rather than topical, sermons. Their homiletics texts were strongly influenced by Ramism, both in the organization of their works and in their recommendations for beginning preachers. Attendance at preaching services was fundamental to homiletic instruction in Basel; future pastors were expected to use their knowledge of classical rhetoric to analyze preached and written sermons. The theology professor Amandus Polanus wrote a strongly Ramist homiletics text that was later abridged by his student and successor, Johann Georg Gross.Less
The humanist disciplines of dialectic and rhetoric were the foundation of Protestant homiletics. Early Lutheran homileticists adapted the principles of classical rhetoric to develop a new, topical method of preaching. Reformed homileticists at the end of the century emphasized exegetical, rather than topical, sermons. Their homiletics texts were strongly influenced by Ramism, both in the organization of their works and in their recommendations for beginning preachers. Attendance at preaching services was fundamental to homiletic instruction in Basel; future pastors were expected to use their knowledge of classical rhetoric to analyze preached and written sermons. The theology professor Amandus Polanus wrote a strongly Ramist homiletics text that was later abridged by his student and successor, Johann Georg Gross.
Amy Nelson Burnett
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780195305760
- eISBN:
- 9780199784912
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195305760.003.0008
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
An analysis of sermons by three generations of preachers illustrates the evolution of preaching in Basel. While sermons from the 1560s were primarily exegetical homilies explicating the scriptural ...
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An analysis of sermons by three generations of preachers illustrates the evolution of preaching in Basel. While sermons from the 1560s were primarily exegetical homilies explicating the scriptural text, sermons from the 1570s and 1580s show the gradual acceptance of topical preaching in the city. The topical sermons of Johann Jacob Grynaeus combine Christocentric piety with attention to key Reformed doctrines, especially concerning the Lord’s Supper. The sermons of his contemporary, Johann Jacob Gugger, are more expository and popular. The extant sermon schemata of the next generation are strongly influenced by Ramism. They proceed by dichotomies and emphasize Reformed Orthodoxy rather than experiential piety.Less
An analysis of sermons by three generations of preachers illustrates the evolution of preaching in Basel. While sermons from the 1560s were primarily exegetical homilies explicating the scriptural text, sermons from the 1570s and 1580s show the gradual acceptance of topical preaching in the city. The topical sermons of Johann Jacob Grynaeus combine Christocentric piety with attention to key Reformed doctrines, especially concerning the Lord’s Supper. The sermons of his contemporary, Johann Jacob Gugger, are more expository and popular. The extant sermon schemata of the next generation are strongly influenced by Ramism. They proceed by dichotomies and emphasize Reformed Orthodoxy rather than experiential piety.
Andrew R. Holmes
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- January 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199288656
- eISBN:
- 9780191710759
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199288656.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
This chapter examines the various traditions and changes within Ulster Presbyterian preaching. The first section provides an overview of Old Light and Seceder preaching, drawing attention to the ...
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This chapter examines the various traditions and changes within Ulster Presbyterian preaching. The first section provides an overview of Old Light and Seceder preaching, drawing attention to the ‘free offer of the gospel’ and its importance to the development of evangelicalism within Presbyterianism. Section two begins with some general comments about the influence of Enlightenment ideas upon Presbyterian preaching, as mediated through university education and presbytery trials, before examining New Light preaching. Section three assesses lay attitudes towards preachers and their sermons. The final section examines the development of an evangelical style of preaching in the 19th century that was influenced by the prevailing cultural mood of the time, but was also deeply indebted to the Old Light and Seceder preaching of the previous century.Less
This chapter examines the various traditions and changes within Ulster Presbyterian preaching. The first section provides an overview of Old Light and Seceder preaching, drawing attention to the ‘free offer of the gospel’ and its importance to the development of evangelicalism within Presbyterianism. Section two begins with some general comments about the influence of Enlightenment ideas upon Presbyterian preaching, as mediated through university education and presbytery trials, before examining New Light preaching. Section three assesses lay attitudes towards preachers and their sermons. The final section examines the development of an evangelical style of preaching in the 19th century that was influenced by the prevailing cultural mood of the time, but was also deeply indebted to the Old Light and Seceder preaching of the previous century.
Gareth Lloyd
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- May 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199295746
- eISBN:
- 9780191711701
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199295746.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
The most important relationship of Charles Wesley's life was with his brother John. From their days at Oxford University and involvement with the holy club, John and Charles forged an exceptionally ...
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The most important relationship of Charles Wesley's life was with his brother John. From their days at Oxford University and involvement with the holy club, John and Charles forged an exceptionally strong bond that was to become one of the most important contributory factors to the success of Wesleyan Methodism. Even though John was the dominant partner until 1749, Charles played an invaluable role in the birth and early years of the Methodist movement and in some aspects of ministry, he was his brother's superior.Less
The most important relationship of Charles Wesley's life was with his brother John. From their days at Oxford University and involvement with the holy club, John and Charles forged an exceptionally strong bond that was to become one of the most important contributory factors to the success of Wesleyan Methodism. Even though John was the dominant partner until 1749, Charles played an invaluable role in the birth and early years of the Methodist movement and in some aspects of ministry, he was his brother's superior.
Gareth Lloyd
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- May 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199295746
- eISBN:
- 9780191711701
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199295746.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
One of the ways in which the strength of the Wesley brothers' partnership proved of fundamental importance to the future of Methodism was in the controversies that plagued the Evangelical Revival ...
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One of the ways in which the strength of the Wesley brothers' partnership proved of fundamental importance to the future of Methodism was in the controversies that plagued the Evangelical Revival virtually from its beginnings. The Wesley brothers engaged in conflict with other evangelical groups as well as the parent Church of England and it was in this struggle that Wesleyan Methodist identity was forged. The brothers' combined strength of character and combative nature proved decisive in elevating the Wesleyan movement to the forefront of the Evangelical Revival.Less
One of the ways in which the strength of the Wesley brothers' partnership proved of fundamental importance to the future of Methodism was in the controversies that plagued the Evangelical Revival virtually from its beginnings. The Wesley brothers engaged in conflict with other evangelical groups as well as the parent Church of England and it was in this struggle that Wesleyan Methodist identity was forged. The brothers' combined strength of character and combative nature proved decisive in elevating the Wesleyan movement to the forefront of the Evangelical Revival.
Gareth Lloyd
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- May 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199295746
- eISBN:
- 9780191711701
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199295746.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
The traditional image of Charles Wesley is that of a loyal Anglican whose attachment to the parent Church of England led to his isolation within Methodism in his later years. There is a contradiction ...
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The traditional image of Charles Wesley is that of a loyal Anglican whose attachment to the parent Church of England led to his isolation within Methodism in his later years. There is a contradiction in this viewpoint as Charles Wesley, despite his protestations of Anglican loyalty, contributed a great deal to the establishment of an evangelical popular movement. The more that one examines the activities of Charles Wesley, the clearer it becomes that he was in fact a radical conservative, whose high Sacramental theology was combined with the promotion of new worship practices such as congregational hymn singing and the class meeting. This mix of different elements produced a Methodist movement that was a combination of High Church theology, strict discipline, and innovative forms of structure, devotion, and worship.Less
The traditional image of Charles Wesley is that of a loyal Anglican whose attachment to the parent Church of England led to his isolation within Methodism in his later years. There is a contradiction in this viewpoint as Charles Wesley, despite his protestations of Anglican loyalty, contributed a great deal to the establishment of an evangelical popular movement. The more that one examines the activities of Charles Wesley, the clearer it becomes that he was in fact a radical conservative, whose high Sacramental theology was combined with the promotion of new worship practices such as congregational hymn singing and the class meeting. This mix of different elements produced a Methodist movement that was a combination of High Church theology, strict discipline, and innovative forms of structure, devotion, and worship.
Amy Nelson Burnett
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780195305760
- eISBN:
- 9780199784912
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195305760.003.intro
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
The Reformation transformed the clergy from a socially heterogeneous order with its own privileges and range of responsibilities to a more homogenous social group charged specifically with the tasks ...
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The Reformation transformed the clergy from a socially heterogeneous order with its own privileges and range of responsibilities to a more homogenous social group charged specifically with the tasks of preaching and pastoral care. Changes to university education caused by both humanism and the Reformation contributed to the formation of distinct generations of Protestant clergy. Because of their relative homogeneity, Basel’s pastors make a suitable case study to illustrate the impact of changes in education on their outlook and ministry.Less
The Reformation transformed the clergy from a socially heterogeneous order with its own privileges and range of responsibilities to a more homogenous social group charged specifically with the tasks of preaching and pastoral care. Changes to university education caused by both humanism and the Reformation contributed to the formation of distinct generations of Protestant clergy. Because of their relative homogeneity, Basel’s pastors make a suitable case study to illustrate the impact of changes in education on their outlook and ministry.
Nicholas Lossky
- Published in print:
- 1991
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198261858
- eISBN:
- 9780191682223
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198261858.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
This chapter focuses on Lancelot Andrewes's preaching of the liturgical character. Inspired by his fidelity to the Church and his own personal dedication to being in communion with the Catholic ...
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This chapter focuses on Lancelot Andrewes's preaching of the liturgical character. Inspired by his fidelity to the Church and his own personal dedication to being in communion with the Catholic Church at all times and in all places, Andrewes compiled a collection of prayers that represented the prayers of the Church and reflected his own personal life. His prayers were deeply rooted in his experience and at the same time were ecclesial in nature. Like his prayers, Andrewes's sermons were not individualistic; rather they were expressions of communal faith marked by traditional forms of liturgy. In all his sermons, Lancelot Andrewes sought above all to awaken the English Church of his time to the spiritual experience that was his. Devoid of pedantry and with an unusual sense of pedagogy, Andrewes placed all his learning at the service of attaining the end which was to convert his hearers to the experience of God in the rectitude of the lex credendi.Less
This chapter focuses on Lancelot Andrewes's preaching of the liturgical character. Inspired by his fidelity to the Church and his own personal dedication to being in communion with the Catholic Church at all times and in all places, Andrewes compiled a collection of prayers that represented the prayers of the Church and reflected his own personal life. His prayers were deeply rooted in his experience and at the same time were ecclesial in nature. Like his prayers, Andrewes's sermons were not individualistic; rather they were expressions of communal faith marked by traditional forms of liturgy. In all his sermons, Lancelot Andrewes sought above all to awaken the English Church of his time to the spiritual experience that was his. Devoid of pedantry and with an unusual sense of pedagogy, Andrewes placed all his learning at the service of attaining the end which was to convert his hearers to the experience of God in the rectitude of the lex credendi.
David Albert Jones
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199213009
- eISBN:
- 9780191707179
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199213009.003.0009
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
This chapter investigates the third key role of clergy: to teach and deepen people's knowledge about the Christian faith. It explores the evidence for the clergy's activity in instructing children in ...
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This chapter investigates the third key role of clergy: to teach and deepen people's knowledge about the Christian faith. It explores the evidence for the clergy's activity in instructing children in the Christian faith by means of catechizing, and in promoting and managing charity schools, Sunday schools and, in the early 19th century — National Schools. It also considers the evidence for their teaching adults by means of distributing tracts, establishing parochial libraries, and preaching sermons. The evidence of the approach of parish clergy to preaching is examined.Less
This chapter investigates the third key role of clergy: to teach and deepen people's knowledge about the Christian faith. It explores the evidence for the clergy's activity in instructing children in the Christian faith by means of catechizing, and in promoting and managing charity schools, Sunday schools and, in the early 19th century — National Schools. It also considers the evidence for their teaching adults by means of distributing tracts, establishing parochial libraries, and preaching sermons. The evidence of the approach of parish clergy to preaching is examined.
Amy Nelson Burnett
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780195305760
- eISBN:
- 9780199784912
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195305760.003.0010
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
Preaching and catechization were the primary responsibilities of Basel’s Reformed pastors. Rural pastors preached twice weekly; by the end of the 16th century, church attendance on Sundays was ...
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Preaching and catechization were the primary responsibilities of Basel’s Reformed pastors. Rural pastors preached twice weekly; by the end of the 16th century, church attendance on Sundays was satisfactory although the clergy still complained about weekday attendance. Catechism instruction was also held more frequently than before. Although pastors in rural parishes complained that teenagers did not attend catechism instruction, many were satisfied with their parishioners’ knowledge of the catechism. The general level of religious knowledge at the end of the century was much higher than it had been in the decades immediately following the Reformation. Enforcement of edicts requiring attendance at worship and catechism instruction played a key role.Less
Preaching and catechization were the primary responsibilities of Basel’s Reformed pastors. Rural pastors preached twice weekly; by the end of the 16th century, church attendance on Sundays was satisfactory although the clergy still complained about weekday attendance. Catechism instruction was also held more frequently than before. Although pastors in rural parishes complained that teenagers did not attend catechism instruction, many were satisfied with their parishioners’ knowledge of the catechism. The general level of religious knowledge at the end of the century was much higher than it had been in the decades immediately following the Reformation. Enforcement of edicts requiring attendance at worship and catechism instruction played a key role.
Amy Nelson Burnett
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780195305760
- eISBN:
- 9780199784912
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195305760.003.0012
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
In the century after the Reformation, Basel’s clergy gradually met the criteria of professionalization. Central to this transformation was the church’s control over the education and appointment of ...
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In the century after the Reformation, Basel’s clergy gradually met the criteria of professionalization. Central to this transformation was the church’s control over the education and appointment of its clergy. Basel may not have been typical, but it clearly illustrates trends that occurred in other, larger territories over a somewhat longer time period. The case of Basel also reveals the important connection between the development of rhetoric and dialectic instruction at the university and the evolution of both theology and preaching, and it indicates some possible differences between Lutheran and Reformed preaching. It questions the older interpretation of Basel’s confessional history, indicating instead the persistence of a non-confessional form of Protestantism into the 1570s. Together with the Senate’s relative lack of concern with church affairs during this time, this suggests that confessionalization, if defined as a process imposed from above, did not begin until the last two decades of the century, coinciding with the entry of the third generation into the ministry.Less
In the century after the Reformation, Basel’s clergy gradually met the criteria of professionalization. Central to this transformation was the church’s control over the education and appointment of its clergy. Basel may not have been typical, but it clearly illustrates trends that occurred in other, larger territories over a somewhat longer time period. The case of Basel also reveals the important connection between the development of rhetoric and dialectic instruction at the university and the evolution of both theology and preaching, and it indicates some possible differences between Lutheran and Reformed preaching. It questions the older interpretation of Basel’s confessional history, indicating instead the persistence of a non-confessional form of Protestantism into the 1570s. Together with the Senate’s relative lack of concern with church affairs during this time, this suggests that confessionalization, if defined as a process imposed from above, did not begin until the last two decades of the century, coinciding with the entry of the third generation into the ministry.
Susan Karant-Nunn
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195399738
- eISBN:
- 9780199777198
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195399738.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity, Religion and Society
The Reformation of Feeling looks beyond and beneath the formal doctrinal and moral demands of the Reformation in Germany in order to examine the emotional tenor of the programs that the ...
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The Reformation of Feeling looks beyond and beneath the formal doctrinal and moral demands of the Reformation in Germany in order to examine the emotional tenor of the programs that the emerging creeds—revised Catholicism, Lutheranism, and Calvinism/Reformed theology—developed for their members. As revealed by the surviving sermons from this period, preaching clergy of each faith both explicitly and implicitly provided their listeners with distinct models of a mood to be cultivated. To encourage their parishioners to make an emotional investment in their faith, all three drew upon rhetorical elements that were already present in late medieval Catholicism and elevated them into confessional touchstones. Looking at archival materials containing direct references to feeling, this book focuses on treatments of death and sermons on the Passion. It amplifies these sources with considerations of the decorative, liturgical, musical, and disciplinary changes that ecclesiastical leaders introduced during the period from the late fifteenth to the end of the sventeenth century. Within individual sermons, it also examines topical elements—including Jews at the crucifixion, the Virgin Mary's voluminous weeping below the Cross, and struggles against competing denominations—which were intended to arouse particular kinds of sentiment. Finally, it discusses surviving testimony from the laity in order to assess at least some Christians' reception of these lessons on proper devotional feeling. This book presents a cultural rather than theological or behavioral study of the broader movement to remake Christianity. As it demonstrates, in the eyes of the Reformation's formative personalities, strict adherence to doctrine and upright demeanor did not constitute an adequate piety. The truly devout had to engage their hearts in their faith.Less
The Reformation of Feeling looks beyond and beneath the formal doctrinal and moral demands of the Reformation in Germany in order to examine the emotional tenor of the programs that the emerging creeds—revised Catholicism, Lutheranism, and Calvinism/Reformed theology—developed for their members. As revealed by the surviving sermons from this period, preaching clergy of each faith both explicitly and implicitly provided their listeners with distinct models of a mood to be cultivated. To encourage their parishioners to make an emotional investment in their faith, all three drew upon rhetorical elements that were already present in late medieval Catholicism and elevated them into confessional touchstones. Looking at archival materials containing direct references to feeling, this book focuses on treatments of death and sermons on the Passion. It amplifies these sources with considerations of the decorative, liturgical, musical, and disciplinary changes that ecclesiastical leaders introduced during the period from the late fifteenth to the end of the sventeenth century. Within individual sermons, it also examines topical elements—including Jews at the crucifixion, the Virgin Mary's voluminous weeping below the Cross, and struggles against competing denominations—which were intended to arouse particular kinds of sentiment. Finally, it discusses surviving testimony from the laity in order to assess at least some Christians' reception of these lessons on proper devotional feeling. This book presents a cultural rather than theological or behavioral study of the broader movement to remake Christianity. As it demonstrates, in the eyes of the Reformation's formative personalities, strict adherence to doctrine and upright demeanor did not constitute an adequate piety. The truly devout had to engage their hearts in their faith.
Kenneth G. C. Newport
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198269496
- eISBN:
- 9780191600807
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198269498.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Literature
This chapter considers Wesley as the powerful and successful preacher he clearly was. Contemporary sources are cited and analysed, together with entries from Wesley's copious and largely unpublished ...
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This chapter considers Wesley as the powerful and successful preacher he clearly was. Contemporary sources are cited and analysed, together with entries from Wesley's copious and largely unpublished Journal. The open‐air preaching is examined, and what can be observed of Wesley's style is set in the context of the eighteenth‐century sermon genres.Less
This chapter considers Wesley as the powerful and successful preacher he clearly was. Contemporary sources are cited and analysed, together with entries from Wesley's copious and largely unpublished Journal. The open‐air preaching is examined, and what can be observed of Wesley's style is set in the context of the eighteenth‐century sermon genres.
Philip N. Mulder
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195131635
- eISBN:
- 9780199834525
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195131630.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
With the Revolutionary trauma and Anglican Church swept away, Presbyterians, Baptists, and Methodists could turn their full attention to each other as they competed for converts and ascendancy in the ...
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With the Revolutionary trauma and Anglican Church swept away, Presbyterians, Baptists, and Methodists could turn their full attention to each other as they competed for converts and ascendancy in the religiously free nation. The insular Presbyterians and Baptists struggled to keep pace with the Methodists by experimenting with some of their tactics, including warm, extemporaneous preaching, lively music, and itinerancy, yet ultimately they relied on their traditional distinctions in appeals for converts. Methodists forged ahead with their universal designs and waves of quarterly and annual meetings that fostered outdoor preaching events and camp meetings, but as they encountered their competitors, they had to define their distinctive message, and, doing so, they addressed their Calvinist rivals on the enemies’ terms: the controversial spirit that the Methodists had hoped to convert.Less
With the Revolutionary trauma and Anglican Church swept away, Presbyterians, Baptists, and Methodists could turn their full attention to each other as they competed for converts and ascendancy in the religiously free nation. The insular Presbyterians and Baptists struggled to keep pace with the Methodists by experimenting with some of their tactics, including warm, extemporaneous preaching, lively music, and itinerancy, yet ultimately they relied on their traditional distinctions in appeals for converts. Methodists forged ahead with their universal designs and waves of quarterly and annual meetings that fostered outdoor preaching events and camp meetings, but as they encountered their competitors, they had to define their distinctive message, and, doing so, they addressed their Calvinist rivals on the enemies’ terms: the controversial spirit that the Methodists had hoped to convert.
