Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Editorial conventions
- Notes on the text
- Sigla
- List of abbreviations
- Prolegomena
- Part I The Collections
- Part II Occasions of Preaching
- 39 Introduction
- 40 Preaching in the medieval Church and in the parishes
- 41 Bishops as preachers
- 42 Monastic preaching
- 43 The Friars
- 44 University preaching
- 45 Other occasions
- Part III Orthodox Preaching
- Final reflections
- Inventories
- Works cited
- Index
40 - Preaching in the medieval Church and in the parishes
from Part II - Occasions of Preaching
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 22 September 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Editorial conventions
- Notes on the text
- Sigla
- List of abbreviations
- Prolegomena
- Part I The Collections
- Part II Occasions of Preaching
- 39 Introduction
- 40 Preaching in the medieval Church and in the parishes
- 41 Bishops as preachers
- 42 Monastic preaching
- 43 The Friars
- 44 University preaching
- 45 Other occasions
- Part III Orthodox Preaching
- Final reflections
- Inventories
- Works cited
- Index
Summary
It may be profitable to begin the examination of preaching in the later medieval Church, and in the parishes in particular, with relevant decrees issued by the Fourth Lateran Council of 1215–1216. Under the leadership of Pope Innocent III, the council enacted legislation that was to affect the universal Church at all levels and in very practical ways. Part of this wide-ranging effort was canon 10, which stated:
Among other things that belong to the salvation of the Christian people, the basic food (pabulum) of the word of God is known to be absolutely necessary. For just as the body is nourished by material food, so is the soul nourished by spiritual food, because “man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Now, it often happens that the bishops, because of their manifold business, or because of bodily infirmity, or because of attacks by enemies or other reasons – without mentioning their defect of knowledge, which in them must be altogether reproved and not tolerated at all – that for these reasons the bishops are unable by themselves to minister the word of God to their people, especially throughout large and widespread dioceses.[…]
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Latin Sermon Collections from Later Medieval EnglandOrthodox Preaching in the Age of Wyclif, pp. 229 - 252Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2005