This doctoral thesis entails a research project to determine whether grass roots preachers in a southern Africa context can be instructed to prepare effective expository sermons. In order to make that determination it was necessary to first collect and analyze expository sermons from such preachers prior to any instruction. Then, on the basis of instruction in expository preaching in a seminar format, it was necessary to collect and analyze additional sermons from the same preachers. To that end we conducted two five-day seminars in Zimbabwe and South Africa respectively. The content of those seminars included two major elements. The first was a theology of preaching that is detailed in Chapter 1. Within a theology of preaching we have given treatment to various topics including the need for a theology of preaching, the Old Testament basis for preaching, the New Testament mandate for preaching, a definition and defense of expository preaching, and a discussion of the necessary qualities of effective expository preaching. The second element of the seminars involved a method of preaching detailed in Chapter 2. Within the method of preaching we have given treatment to various topics, including the role of the Holy Spirit in preaching, exegesis of the sermon text, and making the transition from the text to the completed sermon. Given the foundational material of Chapters 1 and 2, we developed the seminar materials found in Chapter 3. Chapter 4 includes the schedules by which the sermons were analyzed. Each sermon was subjected to the same schedule to determine its effectiveness as an expository sermon. Those results are then analyzed in Chapter 5 leading to the conclusion that grass roots preachers in a southern Africa context can indeed be instructed to preach effective expository sermons. / Practical Theologyy / D. Th. (Practical Theology)

This doctoral thesis entails a research project to determine whether grass roots preachers in a southern Africa context can be instructed to prepare effective expository sermons. In order to make that determination it was necessary to first collect and analyze expository sermons from such preachers prior to any instruction. Then, on the basis of instruction in expository preaching in a seminar format, it was necessary to collect and analyze additional sermons from the same preachers. To that end we conducted two five-day seminars in Zimbabwe and South Africa respectively. The content of those seminars included two major elements. The first was a theology of preaching that is detailed in Chapter 1. Within a theology of preaching we have given treatment to various topics including the need for a theology of preaching, the Old Testament basis for preaching, the New Testament mandate for preaching, a definition and defense of expository preaching, and a discussion of the necessary qualities of effective expository preaching. The second element of the seminars involved a method of preaching detailed in Chapter 2. Within the method of preaching we have given treatment to various topics, including the role of the Holy Spirit in preaching, exegesis of the sermon text, and making the transition from the text to the completed sermon. Given the foundational material of Chapters 1 and 2, we developed the seminar materials found in Chapter 3. Chapter 4 includes the schedules by which the sermons were analyzed. Each sermon was subjected to the same schedule to determine its effectiveness as an expository sermon. Those results are then analyzed in Chapter 5 leading to the conclusion that grass roots preachers in a southern Africa context can indeed be instructed to preach effective expository sermons. / Practical Theologyy / D. Th. (Practical Theology)

Près d’un quart de siècle après que le grand islamologue Jacques Berque eût formulé le vœu pieu de l’avènement d’un islam de France, l’on commence à voir émerger dans l’espace européen et hexagonal des travaux théologiques et canoniques qui se donnent pour tâche de relire la Tradition musulmane et proposent des paradigmes nouveaux – quoique toujours appuyés sur le corpus islamique – à cette présence musulmane minoritaire dans son environnement sécularisé. C’est le cas de l’imâm Tareq Oubrou, qui après trente années dans l’œil du cyclone de sa communauté, depuis les caves jusqu’à l’institutionnalisation de sa religion, s’est lancé dans un chantier théologico-canonique de relecture de sa Tradition scripturaire, de contextualisation de celle-ci dans le monde contemporain et de réévaluation de la normativité que promeut et promulgue le sunnisme classique depuis plusieurs siècles. Au-delà de ce travail en tant que tel, c’est d’abord la trajectoire d’un clerc musulman contemporain en France que nous étudierons ici, puis l’articulation de cette réflexion dans sa pratique de la fonction d’imâm au quotidien (à travers ses sermons, ses consultations juridiques, ses cours de tradition islamique, ses conférences…), et enfin la réception d’un tel type de discours et de praxis islamiques par les croyants-pratiquants français d’aujourd’hui, à l’échelle locale et nationale. C’est par la méthode ethnographique que nous prétendons pouvoir le mieux possible parvenir à nos objectifs de recherche. / Nearly a quarter century after the great scholar of Islam Jacques Berque declared his wishful desire to one day see emerge a “French Islam”, there start to surface in Europe in general, and France in particular, pioneering theological and canonical works that ambition to revisit the Islamic tradition and propose new paradigms – although still based on the Islamic corpus – to the presence of Muslim minorities in a secular context. That is certainly the case for imâm Tareq Oubrou. After more than thirty years sharing the struggles of his community all over Western France, he set himself on the theological-canonical journey of reappraising his scriptural tradition, contextualizing it in and for the contemporary world, and reevaluating the normativity that classical Sunni thought has been promoting and promulgating for centuries. Beyond these endeavors, it is first and foremost the trajectory of a contemporary Muslim leader in France that will be investigated here with attention to the articulations of his thought in the concrete context of the daily practice of his function of imâm as reflected in his sermons, legal consultations, lectures, and conferences, etc. Special attention will also be given to the reception of such particular Islamic discourses and praxis by French Muslims, both locally and nationally. We suggest that the ethnographic method is the most adapted approach for reaching our research objectives.

La thèse présente l'étude et l'édition critique du manuscrit Bodley 806, contenant un cycle complet de sermons dominicaux de la fin du quatorzième-début du quinzième siècle. Sont d'abord présentés les contextes historique et idéologique de l'époque, partie à laquelle s'ensuit une présentation de la nature même de l'édition, ainsi que l'argumentation de la position prise par le scribe du manuscrit Bodley 806 telle qu'elle transparaît à travers le texte qu'il compile. La quatrième partie de l'étude qui accompagne l'édition critique détaille les caractéristiques physiques, l'histoire du manuscrit, ainsi que sa structure et sa langue. Le cinquième chapitre présente les éléments qui étayent les thèses selon lesquelles le texte contenu dans le manuscrit a été compilé par une seule et même personne et que ce dernier en a influencé d'autres (sans qu'il soit pour autant leur source directe). La dernière partie de l'étude est consacrée aux conclusions générales et aux principes éditoriaux appliqués à l'édition. A la partie introductive succède l'édition du texte, où chaque sermon est accompagné de son apparat critique et ses notes explicatives. En annexe de cette édition se trouvent également un glossaire et trois indexes : l'un de citations bibliques, un autre de citations non-bibliques et le dernier de noms propres. / The thesis presents a study and a critical edition of manuscript Bodley 806 which contains a complete cycle of Sunday sermons from the late fourteenth-early fifteenth century. The study begins by laying out the historical and ideological scenes of the time in order to focus, in the second chapter, on the nature of the edition and the peculiarities it presents, along with the position of the compiler (such as it can be deduced from the text he is compiling). The fourth part of the study presents a complete physical description of the manuscript, its history as well as its structure and language, while the fifth focuses on those elements supporting the theory according to which the manuscript was compiled by a single person and that its text has influenced other texts from other manuscripts (although Bodley 806 is not their ultimate source). The last part of the study presents the general conclusions drawn after the establishment and study of the text, as well as the editorial procedures and principles applied to the text. After the study follows the critical edition of the text contained in manuscript Bodley 806 along with its critical apparatus and explanatory notes after each sermon, as well as a glossary and three indices: one of biblical quotations, one of non-biblical ones and one of proper names.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / This examination of the first five years of his preaching identifies key ways in which Augustine of Hippo transformed classical rhetoric into the pattern he would later outline in De doctrina christiana. This thesis argues that Augustine began his career as a priest giving sermons in line with the sophistic speeches he had taught before his conversion, but that by 396 he had "redeemed" his rhetoric to fit the new purposes of the Christian church. During these early years, Augustine reduced or removed the classical exordia and perorations in order to meld his sermons into the liturgy. He also humbled, but did not eliminate, his rhetorical polish as he shifted the main purpose of rhetoric from pleasing the elites to teaching the masses.

This thesis on medieval sermon manuscripts aims to increase our understanding of the Franciscan Berthold von Regensburg, who is considered to be the most significant German preacher of the late Middle Ages. For this reason, I have selected twenty-one Latin and six German codices, dating from the thirteenth to the fifteenth century. These codices have been analyzed to identify the writing material, internal structure and paratextual features. The underlying idea is that the codicological and paratextual organisation delivers insight not only into the date and provenance of the manuscripts, but also into their function and actual use. I set out, in my first chapter, with some general thoughts about the specific process of communication involved in sermon manuscripts. The focus of my second chapter is on the structural and guiding elements in manuscripts, such as indices, numbering systems and various types of rubrication. The third chapter is concerned with marginal annotations, which can refer to the content of the text, call for attention, or even aim to deter from reading or copying a particular passage. In chapter four, I discuss a number of current issues in codicology and the complexity of codicological structures, which leads me to the proposition of a new concept of ‘corresponding codicological units’. In the fifth chapter, I argue that the attribution of Berthold’s sermons to his name fades in the late-thirteenth century, in favour of the term Rusticanus, which fills the position of the author for the the most part of the fourteenth century. In my final chapter, I discuss different concepts of book ownership. By demonstrating the significance of material and structural features, I show the strength of a codicological approach in achieving a new, in-depth understanding of Berthold von Regensburg and medieval sermon culture in general.

Redemptive-historical preaching has incredible value to strengthen the preacher's arsenal, but its more radical proponents often resort to unyielding exclusivism, labeling non-conformist sermons as sub-Christian or worse. These exclusivistic leanings inevitably result in an unintended castigation of many faithful preachers throughout church history. Even a preacher like Martin Luther, with a near-universal reputation for Christ-centeredness, is unable to survive this redemptive-historical gauntlet unscathed. This dissertation contends that Martin Luther’s preaching fails to satisfy redemptive-historical standards for Christ-centered preaching, thereby suggesting those standards may be too narrow. The law-gospel paradigm in Luther's Christ-centered homiletic may function as a corrective to the potential overreach among redemptive-historical exclusivists. Certain criteria suggest Luther’s preaching fails to satisfy redemptive-historical standards. Bryan Chapell offers a succinct and well-tested litmus test for redemptive-historical sermons in his important work, Christ-Centered Preaching. Chapell outlines three types of non-redemptive sermons, aptly labeled "Deadly Be's:" (1) "Be Like" messages, which urge hearers to follow a Bible character's example, (2) "Be Good" sermons, which call hearers to obedience, and (3) "Be Disciplined" messages, which compel hearers towards greater diligence. Chapell's "Deadly Be's" will be used to measure Luther's redemptive-historical compliance. Chapter 1 introduces the main research problem and the thesis. Chapter 2 further introduces redemptive-historical preaching and its potential for exclusivism. Chapter 3 establishes Martin Luther as a potential corrective to the exclusivistic leanings of redemptive-historical preaching. Chapter 4 explores Luther's homiletical distinctives, with particular attention given to his law-gospel paradigm. Chapter 5 analyzes four sermons of the early Luther. Chapter 6 analyzes six sermons from Luther’s preaching in mid-career. Chapter 7 investigates six sermons from Luther’s preaching in his final years. Chapter 8 summarizes the basic principles gleaned from Luther's practices in an attempt to present a homiletical methodology for preaching Christ more effectively. Chapter 9 summarizes the main research problem and the effectiveness of Luther's preaching as a potential corrective. In many ways, his preaching both spawned and saved the Reformation. Those who desire to preach Christ more effectively should seriously reckon with his unique contribution to homiletics.

This thesis examines the biblical interpretation of the eminent Victorian Baptist pastor, Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892), who became one of the most renowned preachers in the English-speaking world. His Metropolitan Tabernacle in London was the world's first 'megachurch', with a weekly congregation of over 5,000; by the end of his life, more than ten thousand copies of Spurgeon's sermons were printed and distributed weekly. Through his example and his publications, he had an immense influence on preaching across the North Atlantic world. This thesis, the first sustained analysis of Spurgeon's biblical interpretation, argues that his preaching success lay in his distinctive approach to Scripture, and that Christ's crucifixion and the priority of conversion formed the interpretive lens through which Spurgeon approached biblical texts. Chapter one examines Spurgeon's early education and conversion, and explores some previously unpublished early sermons. Chapters two and five analyze Spurgeon's mature addresses and publications, including his magazine and biblical commentaries. Chapters three and four, respectively, address Spurgeon's use of the Old and New Testament in his preaching, with particular attention on the language of cross and conversion. Finally, chapter six considers the instruction that he provided to the hundreds of students who attended his Pastors' College.

Le dominicain Guillaume de Sauqueville a laissé peu de traces historiques, mais on connaît de lui une collection de 106 sermons de tempore et de sanctis conservée aujourd'hui dans cinq manuscrits en Europe. L'étude de sa prédication se fonde avant tout sur l'édition complète de ses sermons, inédits jusqu'à aujourd'hui. Guillaume de Sauqueville fut actif à Paris à l'extrême fin du règne de Philippe le Bel, il montre une bonne connaissance du milieu universitaire de son époque et fut très probablement étudiant au collège de Sorbonne. L'homme est très peu connu, il ne fait pas partie des intellectuels en vue de son époque et cette collection de sermons constitue aujourd'hui sa seule oeuvre clairement attribuée. Ses écrits témoignent d'une technique de prédication efficace au service d'un message théologique et moral. Guillaume s'efforce de bâtir des sermons compréhensibles de tous: le latin est sa langue d'écriture, mais il use à aussi de nombreuses reprises de la langue française. L'étude des sermons permet également de comprendre son travail de composition, notamment son usage des instruments de travail. Enfin, les thèmes de prédilection du dominicain témoignent d'un engagement dans des questions politiques, pas seulement pastorales, mettant enjeu des pouvoirs majeurs de la cité: l'université de Paris, le clergé et la royauté française.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School, 2003. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [97]-100, [15-16]).