homily
Quick Summary
A homily is a religious discourse, typically delivered by clergy, intended to offer moral guidance or spiritual uplift. These sermons often focus on practical applications of faith to everyday life, encouraging virtues like kindness and almsgiving.123
Historically, figures like St. John Chrysostom were renowned for their powerful homilies, which appealed to common people and addressed social issues such as wealth disparity. His preaching style was known for its clarity and directness, making complex biblical interpretations accessible.3
The term "homily" can also refer to overused expressions or clichés that have become commonplace.12
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English literatureProse styles…the preachers, and in the sermons of Donne and Lancelot Andrewes the clipped style is used to crumble the preacher’s exegesis into tiny, hopping fragments or to suggest a nervous, agitated restlessness. An extreme example of the loose style is Robert Burton’s Anatomy of Melancholy (1621), a massive encyclopaedia of…
Read More…the preachers, and in the sermons of Donne and Lancelot Andrewes the clipped style is used to crumble the preacher’s exegesis into tiny, hopping fragments or to suggest a nervous, agitated restlessness. An extreme example of the loose style is Robert Burton’s Anatomy of Melancholy (1621), a massive encyclopaedia of…
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IslamPrayer…Friday service consists of a sermon (khuṭbah), which partly consists of preaching in the local language and partly of recitation of certain formulas in Arabic. In the sermon, the preacher usually recites one or several verses of the Qurʾān and builds his address on it, which can have a moral,…
Read More…Friday service consists of a sermon (khuṭbah), which partly consists of preaching in the local language and partly of recitation of certain formulas in Arabic. In the sermon, the preacher usually recites one or several verses of the Qurʾān and builds his address on it, which can have a moral,…
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Russian literatureThe Kievan periodOther significant homiletic works were written by Clement of Smolensk, metropolitan of Russia from 1147 to 1154, and by St. Cyril of Turov (1130–82). The central genre of Old Russian literature was probably hagiography, and a number of interesting saints’ lives date from the earliest period. Both…
Read MoreOther significant homiletic works were written by Clement of Smolensk, metropolitan of Russia from 1147 to 1154, and by St. Cyril of Turov (1130–82). The central genre of Old Russian literature was probably hagiography, and a number of interesting saints’ lives date from the earliest period. Both…
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- oratory
Ecclesiastical speaking became vigorously polemical. The rhetorical principles of Aristotle and Cicero were adopted by ecclesiastical leaders who challenged rival doctrines and attacked the sins of the communities.
Read MoreEcclesiastical speaking became vigorously polemical. The rhetorical principles of Aristotle and Cicero were adopted by ecclesiastical leaders who challenged rival doctrines and attacked the sins of the communities.
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fable, parable, and allegoryParable…were largely established by the teachings of Christ. The New Testament records a sufficient number of his parables, with their occasions, to show that to some extent his disciples were chosen as his initiates and followers because they “had ears to hear” the true meaning of his parables. (It has…
Read More…were largely established by the teachings of Christ. The New Testament records a sufficient number of his parables, with their occasions, to show that to some extent his disciples were chosen as his initiates and followers because they “had ears to hear” the true meaning of his parables. (It has…
Read More