The Church in Fourth Century: from Constantine to Augustine Class #5: Preaching in the 4th Century

Preaching in a Christian Empire Before 311 AD After 311 AD One on one evangelization Public discretion, a call for courage and strength of resolve. A faith and hope fixed on the life to come that far exceeded the oppression and persecution of this life. Preservation, comfort and encouragement were paramount. Orientation of the “new majority”. More attention toward doctrine and understanding. A focus on morality as application of the true Christian life. A sense of victory, overcoming, of a new power and future. A substantial diminishing of attention toward the life to come.

Classical Antiquity expected great orators “One awaited from great men a public expression of the ideals that bound society together. A man in high public office had to be able to say at crucial moments in the life of the community what it all meant, where it was all going, and how much it was all worth.” (H. Old)

“If Christian preachers were to take the public responsibility that had by divine providence come their way, then they too would have to learn that art. And learn it they did. They learned it magnificently. The fourth century saw a flowering of oratory. It was Christian oratory, a true renaissance of the classical art in the service of the Christian faith.” (H. Old)

“It was a rather short age, lasting less than a hundred years, beginning toward the end of the fourth century and ending about the middle of the fifth. … It was in the year 410 that Rome fell to the barbarians, when Alaric and his Visigoths sacked the capital city of the Roman Empire. … The old Roman Empire was finished.” (H. Old)

The Alexandrian School of Exegesis: Allegory, hidden meaning looking for different levels of meaning in the text: plain, moral, mystical, typological. Gregory of Nazianzus 332-395) Gregory of Nyssa (332-395) Basil (330-379) Athanasius (296-373) Cyril of Alexandria (378-444) Cyril of Jerusalem (313-386)

Historical context & meaning The Antiochian School of Exegesis: Historical context & meaning Analytical/grammatical structures of language Literal sense and practical application Gregory of Nazianzus 332-395) Gregory of Nyssa (332-395) Basil (330-379) Chrysostom (349-407) Theodore of Mopsuestia (350-428) Theodoret of Cyrus (393-457) Athanasius (296-373) Cyril of Alexandria (378-444) Cyril of Jerusalem (313-386)

The Latin School of Exegesis: Applying a Classical education to the text Developing a true, exegetical style Differentiating among literal, allegorical, moral and anagogical senses. Ambrose (340-397) Gregory of Nazianzus 332-395) Maximus of Turin (?-420) Gregory of Nyssa (332-395) Basil (330-379) Chrysostom (349-407) Theodore of Mopsuestia (350-428) Theodoret of Cyrus (393-457) Augustine of Hippo (354-430) Athanasius (296-373) Cyril of Alexandria (378-444) Cyril of Jerusalem (313-386) Jerome (347-420)

Attention to Anniversaries and Festal Sermons Worship Services and Sermons given for the feasts of Christmas, Epiphany, Easter and Pentecost in remembrance of martyrs and noted church leaders who had died “Saint” begins to become a technical title

Preaching God’s Sovereign Grace New Covenant Presbyterian Church Preaching God’s Sovereign Grace to a World of Need 128 St. Mary’s Church Rd. Abingdon, MD 21009 410-569-0289 www.ncpres.org www.ephesians515.com