Has preaching changed since the days of the Early Church?

Regular, systematic, exegetical preaching of Scripture is central to my vision of normal church ministry. As I continue to preach book by book with my church, I believe we are continuing a craft and tradition that has its roots in the Pentateuch, Jewish teaching methods, and the Apostolic Church. We do not have the opportunity to consider in detail the nature of these early manifestations of exegetical preaching; instead, I am asked to share some reflections on our appreciation for preaching in the post-biblical, early church era.

Among the preachers of the early church era whom I consider masters of their craft are Ambrose, Jerome, Gregory of Nazianzus, Chrysostom, Athanasius, Augustine, and Peter Christologus. However, when I read the sermons of these practitioners of exegetical preaching, I cannot help but notice that their preaching seems quite alien to the ideas we have about exegetical preaching today.

How can modern exegetical preaching be dependent on the preaching of the Early Church, which seems so unfamiliar to us?

Shared beliefs between ancient and modern

First, it is important to acknowledge the common faith we share with the patristic preachers. Both ancient and modern exegetical preaching practices are based on the conviction that Scripture is true in all that it asserts. Moreover, both then and now, it is believed that when the Bible is preached, God himself speaks to us.

In many places, the Fathers, such as Tertullian, asserted that everything that Scripture teaches is true. Augustine also declared:

«"I have learned to give this respect and honor only to the canonical books of Holy Scripture: in them alone do I most strongly believe that their authors were absolutely free from error.".

Such clear confirmations of the Bible's authenticity are valuable for reproducing the patristic view of Scripture.

But no less important are the conclusions that can be drawn from the actual use of Scripture in the numerous writings of the Church Fathers. Preaching was the primary means of using the Bible in the Early Church. When one biblical quotation is superimposed on another in a massive manner, it becomes obvious that the ancient preachers used Scripture so actively because they believed in its truthfulness and in the fact that through it God speaks directly to his listeners.

As Augustine preached, «Let us treat Scripture as Scripture: as the words of God.» Without such faith, there is little motivation to study the biblical text in detail in sermon preparation, as the Fathers did.

Why, then, do the sermons of the Early Church sound so different from those of modern Western preachers who also believe in the role of Scripture as the Word of God? Patristic sermons often contain obscure allegories, give meaning to numbers, and jump around to different places in the Bible in a way that may seem random. They may include reflections and digressions that seem to deviate from the text they are supposedly discussing. Is it not simply an illusion to claim that modern exegetical preaching is the descendant of such ancient sermons?

Exegetical Preaching in Interaction with Pagan Culture

Exegetical preaching is a craft, an art, and a pastoral discipline that interacts with pagan culture in general, and pagan oratory in particular.

Patristic preachers (as well as modern ones) were committed to exegetical preaching, taking radically different views of pagan scholarship. Some preachers wove quotations from pagan authors into the fabric of their sermons. For example, Ambrose has over a hundred quotations from Virgil in his extant sermons and used the medical author Galen to help explain the book of Genesis. Tertullian denounced pagan learning as hostile to theology. Yet his style of speech, which employed rhetorical techniques developed in pagan schools, reminds us that no one can completely escape his context.

The frequency of quoting pagan authors is only the most obvious way in which pagan learning influenced patristic sermons. At a deeper level, the pagan culture of the ancient world was fascinated by words—their meaning, formation, and significance. The accumulation of biblical quotations in sermons and the use of clear biblical passages to interpret less clear texts were techniques that preachers borrowed from pagan schools of Homer.

As during the Reformation, the educational background of patristic preachers profoundly influenced their ministry. The first manual for teaching preaching was written by Augustine, and it contained numerous chapters devoted to how best to use Cicero's lessons in oratory. Augustine saw value in pagan approaches to eloquence:

«"Why should those who tell the truth do so as if they are dull, boring, and half asleep?"»

However, although he recognized the importance of Cicero's lessons, Augustine ultimately believed that prayer and listening to good preachers were more important.

Much of what makes patristic sermons different from modern ones comes from the fact that in our ministries of exegetical preaching, we consciously or unconsciously use the best of the available pagan perspectives on hermeneutics and communication. The ancient preachers saw the Bible as the divine word, rich in truth for their hearers. They sought meaning in numerical patterns because pagan culture believed that beauty, truth, and meaning were present in the hidden depths of numbers. If this was the case in mathematics, persuasive speech, and philosophy, they believed that this should be even more evident in a text inspired by God himself. The context of secular learning shaped the ancient preachers’ approaches to their craft.

The same applies to the practical aspects of preaching. Some preachers wrote out their sermons in full and read them during the service. Others, like Augustine, meditated on a passage for a week, and then they delivered an impromptu sermon. In many schools of rhetoric, students were taught public speaking by having them read and memorize speeches. Quintilian, a famous pagan orator, argued that this approach was simple and insufficiently developed for real public speaking. Whether the preacher agreed with Quintilian or not, this influenced his approach to sermonizing from a synopsis.

It would be a great mistake to assume that our modern approaches to understanding and preaching the Bible are automatically better than those of the ancient preachers. It would also be wrong to overlook the fact that modern exegetical preaching is a descendant of patristic homiletics and shares its core beliefs.

Exegetical preaching develops in the history of the Church

Another reason why patristic sermons seem so unique is that they were preached by people from the context of church history in which they lived. In the ancient world, some preachers benefited from the cross-referencing of translations begun by Origen in his Hexapla. Augustine struggled with the question of whether he should adopt Jerome’s more scholarly translation of the Bible or stick with the version his church knew better. He decided to retain the less accurate translation for his church out of pastoral sensibilities, gradually integrating Jerome’s translation into his academic writings.

As church history developed, so did the tools and form of exegetical preaching. One of the most obvious areas in which this occurred was salvation history. In the early church, preachers were very aware that there was a progression in biblical history. Irenaeus developed a theology of "roll call" based on observable repetitions in salvation history, such as the tree in Genesis 2 and the "tree" (cross) on which Christ was crucified. Marcion's heretical rejection of the Old Testament and his interactions with Jewish scholars led many preachers to speak of the similarity and unity between the Testaments. Augustine's emphasis on grace in the Pelagian controversy led him to emphasize the distinction between law and gospel. All of these elements—and the virtually universal practice of allegory—were early attempts by preachers to engage biblical passages in a way that fairly reflected the integrity of salvation history.

Given the many developments in church history that offer new ways to nuance and formulate salvation history, it is understandable why patristic sermons can seem quite alien in their theological interpretations. In fact, the great preachers of the early centuries outlined possibilities for configuring unity and diversity within the canon—something we still struggle with and disagree about today.

Conclusion

Yes, exegetical preaching has certainly changed since the days of the Early Church. As the Church developed in different historical contexts, it constantly interacted with surrounding cultures, which led to adaptations in preaching. The need to view Scripture in light of the challenges posed by the development of pagan culture and theology forced preachers to use new methods and approaches.

Yet, despite these changes, the core shared convictions about the authority of Scripture have remained the same. Both patristic and modern preachers share the same passion to faithfully teach the Word of God, drawing on the best available cultural and theological resources. Therefore, if we were to ignore this contribution of the Early Church, we would not only be neglecting their achievements but also missing the opportunity to improve our preaching by drawing from their heritage what can enrich our ministry.