The role of preaching and being preached to, as a key component of late-antique Christianity, has steadily gained scholarly interest, but encompassing studies are few – A. Olivar, La predicación cristiana antigua (1991) has remained the fundamental work of the last decades. This volume thus sets out to provide an up-to-date and comprehensive study on the preachers of the Latin West, offering both thematic and source-focused contributions.
The volume is presented in three sections: ‘Text and Context’, ‘Delivering, Listening to and Reading Sermons’ and ‘Latin Patristic Preachers’, the last of which offers case studies on preachers and sermon collections. Three studies are in French (F. Dolbeau on transmission, C. Gerzaguet on Ambrose of Milan, R. Gounelle on Pseudo-Maximinus), the rest are in English. Translations of Latin and Greek are generally given throughout, but this is not consistent. Each contribution includes a bibliography of editions and translations for homilies discussed and a secondary bibliography for further reading, enabling the use of this volume as a starting point for further research.
W. Mayer's introduction emphasises the multiple lives of sermons: from an initial context and audience, through being edited and transmitted to secondary audiences, a sermon continues being performative numerous times over. The constants are an audience, a preacher, a physical setting, and how these influenced one another. The ‘Text and Context’ section follows with two studies. Dolbeau provides an overview of the transmission of sermons from their fourth-century origins to the Middle Ages, noting that patristic sermons were increasingly reused in later centuries against the backdrop of cultural decline as less new exceptional preachers appeared. Less focused is J. Dresken-Weiland's chapter on visual art and iconography, which considers both Eastern and Western material and brings together many scattered mentions of paintings, textiles, statues and other art in church spaces. This study would have benefited from including images of the surviving pieces referenced. Dresken-Weiland highlights ekphrasis, the vivid imagined visual of something not in existence, as a tool often utilised by preachers to engage their audiences, and concludes that overall late-antique clergymen were not interested in church art. The chapter as a whole remains fragmented – it is unclear what conclusions are to be drawn from ecclesiastical art if indeed this art did not matter.
Part 2 follows with three studies, covering the topics of preacher–audience relationships, rhetoric and sermons, and the use of preaching in community and identity building. E. Rebillard gives a succinct overview of the relationship between audience and preachers, including a summary of past scholarship. Much of Rebillard's contribution overlaps with those of Mayer and Dolbeau, and a more thorough discussion could have been created by combining some of these efforts that are ultimately in agreement with each other.
G. Dunn provides an account of rhetoric, overviewing the key components of classical rhetoric and Augustine's self-acknowledged debt to this tradition. Dunn then provides examples of homiletic rhetoric in Maximus of Turin, Quodvultdeus of Carthage, Leo the Great and Caesarius of Arles. Through these examples, Dunn argues that the rhetoric employed sought to ‘instruct and move the congregations to adopt a course of action in their future lives that fitted better with Christian values’ (p. 104). Sermons were acts of communication seeking to influence behaviour and thought. This is a standout contribution due to its more thorough scope.
Dunn's findings are strengthened by P. Allen, who provides a discussion on Maximus of Turin and Peter Chrysologus, using the two to showcase preachers who were more concerned with pastoral preaching than theological nuances. Making the case that the two men preached in new bishoprics to mixed Christian and semi-pagan audiences, Allen demonstrates how Maximus and Chrysologus sought to build community identities through their preaching efforts.
After these thematic studies, the volume provides thirteen case studies. Gerzaguet begins with Ambrose, acknowledged as an oddity due to the lack of surviving sermons – Gerzaguet thus uses Ambrose's Ep. 36 to indicate Ambrose's reflections on preaching and briefly surveys spurious sermons and fragments. Gounelle focuses on two surviving Arian collections: the Pseudo-Maximinus collections of Verona (LI (49)) and Munich (Clm 6329). The Verona collection is of mixed, non-Nicaean character, and Gounelle summarises the topics of these sermons and patristic sources reused, and notes the preacher's pedagogical concerns and focus on clarity. For the Munich collection, Gounelle summarises past scholarship – a starting point, with little more currently available.
Boodts and Dupont take on the formidable task of summarising Augustine's sermons – given the vastness of this effort, their contribution details the editing history and categorisation of Augustinian homilies. This is useful in particular for those overwhelmed by the enormity of Augustinian material and its numerous editions. Boodts and Dupont provide discussion of editorial oversights and current debates.
N. De Maeyer and Partoens's study on Caesarius of Arles argues that Caesarius focused on pastoral and ecclesiastical reforms as many of his congregation lacked basic knowledge of Christian faith. Caesarius thus adapted his preaching based on the needs of his audience and made much use of past preachers. De Maeyer and Partoens compare Caesarius' s. 210 to Augustine's s. 261 to showcase how Caesarius reused older homiletic material. A useful appendix presenting the two texts is provided, making for a stimulating contribution.
B. Judic's chapter on Gregory the Great focuses on Moralia and Regula Pastoralis to examine Gregory's approach to preaching. A chronological table of dates for surviving sermons is provided. Judic demonstrates how Gregory's work was influenced by the cults of saints, daily life and biblical exempla. L. Bailey's contribution focuses on Valerian of Cimiez and the Eusebius Gallicanus sermon collection, emphasising community building and an optimistic Christian message of overcoming sin as successful evangelisation methods in fifth-century Gaul. Bailey discusses the main topics of Valerian's surviving sermons, while the EG collection is surveyed more succinctly, with comparison made to Valerian. For Jerome, A. Cain covers the authenticity, liturgical context and delivery of Jerome's sermons, giving examples of his simpler preaching style in contrast to his more complex works.
S. Voicu's contribution is a catalogue of Latin translations of Greek homilies, the authors too numerous to be listed, but ranging from ante-Nicene works of Melito of Sardis and Origen to key Eastern figures such as Basil and Chrysostom, and various minor preachers whose works have survived in Latin as well as Latin sermon collections of Greek homilies. Where applicable, Voicu gives CPG numbering throughout. This contribution is to be used as a reference tool and is accompanied by a thorough bibliography for further reading.
B. Neil analyses the preaching of Leo the Great, including the content and style, demonstrating how Leo shaped the liturgical calendar with his preaching, how he successfully simplified complex theology in his sermons and helped develop the cult of Peter and Paul in Rome. C. Weidmann addresses the two preachers called Maximus of Turin: Maximus I (fl. 408–432) and Maximus II (fl. 450s–460s). For Maximus I, the liturgical year with saints and martyrs was central, although his personal talents remain ambiguous: he was ‘neither an intellectual nor an outstanding preacher’ (p. 363), although he also was ‘a gifted preacher’ (p. 364). An overview of modern editions and the manuscript tradition is given. What is known of Maximus II is briefly summarised.
M. Tilley's contribution on Donatist sermons is a posthumous publication and thus lacks a final revision. Tilley briefly introduces Donatism and the difficulty of identifying Donatist texts. Tilley then gives a thematic, rhetorical and theological overview of Donatist sermons, with a detailed appendix of homilies used – this is a valuable resource. A. Bizzozero discusses Chrysologus’ preaching style and content, giving an up-to-date list of spurious and authentic sermons. L. Westra discusses the fourth-century Spanish preachers Potamius of Lisbon, Pacianus of Barcelona and Priscillian of Ávila, arguing that these sermons underline Christian preaching as a continuation of the classical rhetorical tradition of pagan public oratory. Lastly, R. McEachnie considers the fourth-century preachers Zeno of Verona, Chromatius of Aquileia and Gaudentius of Brescia, demonstrating how each preacher utilised sermons to implement changes in their communities. McEachnie makes the case for further study needed for these minor figures, often overlooked in favour of more prestigious contemporaries.
A. Ployd concludes the volume with a reflection on Augustine's en. Ps. 120 to highlight the approaches used throughout: contextual, exegetical and theological. Ployd emphasises that future studies must focus on context and rhetoric in order to further utilise sermons for new interpretations and findings: ‘In short, the sermons of Augustine of Hippo should no longer define our perspective on patristic preaching in the West’ (p. 480).
Overall, this is an extremely useful work, demonstrating the variety of uses of late-antique sermons. The personalities and aims of preachers in particular come through: some preachers were heavily theological, others more quotidian, some lively, others dry. The information contained in sermons thus varied, meaning that some preachers lend themselves to specific research questions more easily than others. From the case studies it also emerges that, during perilous times in Christian communities of mixed religious make-up, preaching was central in creating Christian identity and culture. To this end, the conscious use of a simpler and more approachable style and language was employed by often remarkably talented preachers in order to communicate with a broader and less educated audience.
While it is important that all contributions can be read individually, this does result in unnecessary repetition across the volume – the recording of Augustine's sermons and the evidence for it, for instance, is thrice mulled over (Dolbeau, Rebillard, Boodts and Dupont). Neither is the volume, of course, exhaustive: for instance, although the homilies of Quodvultdeus are mentioned in many of the studies, they would have made an interesting case study in their own right. The lengthiest discussion on Quodvultdeus, who certainly had plenty to say, is given by Dunn (pp. 117–20).
The strength of this work lies especially in its focus on preachers who have gained little attention and in the important inclusion of Arian and Donatist sermons. By showcasing lesser-known sources, the volume will hopefully generate renewed interest in the minor preachers of the Latin West. To this end, the contributions by Westra, Bailey and McEachnie are particularly stimulating. Lastly, the introduction expresses a wish for the volume to be a reference tool for graduate students and scholars alike, and in this it exceeds expectations. The editors have successfully kept readers in mind in compiling this accessible and comprehensive volume that will undoubtedly contribute to better-informed research on late-antique Latin preaching.
