Augustine, his sermons, and their significance

Abstract

Augustine’s sermons provide a unique source in explaining his influence from the 5th century onwards as a theologian and pastor, a minister of the Word preached and celebrated in the sacrament. Of particular value in this regard are his sermons on the Psalms. Issues of authenticity are also considered in this article. The influence of Augustine’s sermons was widespread through their tradition and adaptation by others. A substantial and reliable corpus of his sermons is available today. As a pastor, Augustine was anxious to challenge heresy in his preaching, especially to confront the Donatists, Manichaeans and Pelagians. His preaching is considered in the wider context of congregational worship with its origins in the synagogue. Of special importance are his preaching techniques, while his doctrine of ‘the inner teacher’ (magister interior) is equally significant. Essential elements of Augustine’s theory and practice became influential in the early days of the Protestant Reformation (Luther, Calvin and others). The author briefly touches on the question of their relevance for today’s congregational worship.

Letter or Sermon? The Analysis of Augustine’s "De Bono Viduitatis"

“…Augustine's style of explication and teaching is very clear and pastoral at the same time. The Bible represents for him a great source of inspiration and the point of departure of his thinking 51 .…”

“…The hermeneutical method used by Augustine, also known as interpretation according "scriptura per scripturam intellegi". This way of textual interpretation of the obscure or ambivalent places of texts using the other texts of the same author created in the time of Alexandrian philology and was used in the rabbinic exegesis as well 53 . The content of the letter as well as the content of the sermon is then thoroughly biblical 54 .…”

“…Preaching should also serve to edify and to convert, but that should be the word of God. The preacher could only minister the Word and bring it to the men 55 . That is why Augustine writes in the second chapter of his letter to Juliane:…”