History of Preaching and Biblical Interpretation

Reading List

For use in the discussion group History of Biblical Preaching (Moodle) or (Zotero) and as a reading list / bibliography in Logos 4.

Topic 1: From Moses to the end of the Apostolic era

Note that the potential readings for this topic include all the introductory material as well as all material prior to 150 A.D.

Short list

Sermons

Old Testament

Moses’ first speech (sermon) Deuteronomy 1:6-4:43
Abijah’s sermon 2 Chronicles 13:4-12
Psalm 37

New Testament

Sermon on the Mount Matthew 5:3-7:27
Peter’s sermon Acts 2:14-36
Biblical Sermons | A Treasury of Great Preaching, Volume 1

History of preaching

Introduction | The Reading and Preaching of the Scriptures in the Worship of the Christian Church, Volume 1: The Biblical Period
Chapter I: The Roots of the Christian Ministry of the Word in the Worship of Israel. | The Reading and Preaching of the Scriptures in the Worship of the Christian Church, Volume 1: The Biblical Period
Chapter II: The Preaching of Christ and the Apostles | The Reading and Preaching of the Scriptures in the Worship of the Christian Church, Volume 1: The Biblical Period

Long list

History of preaching

Introduction | A History of Preaching, Volume 1
Lecture I: Specimens of Preaching in the Bible | Lectures on the History of Preaching

History of Biblical interpretation

Chapter 1: Introduction and Overview in A History of Biblical Interpretation, Volume 1: The Ancient Period by Alan J. Hauser, Duane F. Watson
Chapter 2: Inner-Biblical Exegesis in the Tanak in A History of Biblical Interpretation, Volume 1: The Ancient Period by Alan J. Hauser, Duane F. Watson
Chapter 3: Hebrew Into Greek: Interpretation In, Bt, and Of the Septuagint in A History of Biblical Interpretation, Volume 1: The Ancient Period by Alan J. Hauser, Duane F. Watson
Chapter 4: Philo of Alexandria as Exegete in A History of Biblical Interpretation, Volume 1: The Ancient Period by Alan J. Hauser, Duane F. Watson
Chapter 5: Biblical Interpretation in the Dead Sea Scrolls in A History of Biblical Interpretation, Volume 1: The Ancient Period by Alan J. Hauser, Duane F. Watson
Chapter 6: Interpretation of Scripture in the Targumim in A History of Biblical Interpretation, Volume 1: The Ancient Period by Alan J. Hauser, Duane F. Watson
Chapter 7: Rabbinic Midrash in A History of Biblical Interpretation, Volume 1: The Ancient Period by Alan J. Hauser, Duane F. Watson
Chapter 8: The Stabilization of the Tanak in A History of Biblical Interpretation, Volume 1: The Ancient Period by Alan J. Hauser, Duane F. Watson
Chapter 9: The Interpretation of the Tanak in the Jewish Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha in A History of Biblical Interpretation, Volume 1: The Ancient Period by Alan J. Hauser, Duane F. Watson
Chapter 10: Interpreting Israel’s Scriptures in the New Testament in A History of Biblical Interpretation, Volume 1: The Ancient Period by Alan J. Hauser, Duane F. Watson

Introduction in History of Biblical Interpretation, Volume 1: From the Old Testament to Origen by Henning Graf Reventlow
Chapter 1: Biblical Interpretation within the Bible in History of Biblical Interpretation, Volume 1: From the Old Testament to Origen by Henning Graf Reventlow
Chapter 2: Between the Testaments in History of Biblical Interpretation, Volume 1: From the Old Testament to Origen by Henning Graf Reventlow
Chapter 3: The Old Testament in the New in History of Biblical Interpretation, Volume 1: From the Old Testament to Origen (105-118) by Henning Graf Reventlow

Chapter 1: The Interpretation of the Old Testament in the New in The Use and Abuse of the Bible | by Henry Wansborough

Chapter 1: Scripture in the Church of the 1st and 2nd centuries (1-12) | Biblical Interpretation in the Early Church: An Historical Introduction to Patristic Exegesis
Biblical Exegesis in the Apostolic Period | by Richard N. Longnecker

Supplemental resources

On Sermons

Chirping Bird: poem by Johnny Christopher
The Background Of Psalm 37 In Leviticus 26:1-13 And Its Sequel In The Sermon On The Mount
Psalm 50 | Psalms, Part 1: With an Introduction to Cultic Poetry
Psalm 81 | Psalms, Part 2, and Lamentations
Divine Rhetoric: The Sermon on the Mount As Message and As Model in Augustine, Chrysostom, and Luther by Jaroslav Jan Pelikan
Sermons of Jesus Christ | chart of all the sermons of Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth: Sermon on the Mount
Gospel Preaching in Acts
Sermons in Acts charts | Embry Hills Church of Christ with lessons

Supplemental history

“Torah Instruction, Discussion, and Prophecy in First-Century Synagogues” | by Carl Mosser suggesting that the syngogue sermon form is post-first century
A Brief History of Expository Preaching by Dwayne Milioni | a three page outline

Definitions

Homily Form (Hellenistic and Early Christian) | The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary
Homily, Ancient | Dictionary of New Testament Background
Preaching | The Encyclopedia of Christianity, Volume 4
Preaching | The Modern Catholic Encyclopedia
Homily | The New Dictionary of Sacramental Worship
Preaching | The New Dictionary of Theology

Web introductions

Wikipedia: Sermon

Classification of sermons

Interlude: Tanhuma

Sermons

Midrash Tanhuma
Luke 4:21-27

Background

Wikipedia: Tanhuma
Chapter 1: The earliest Christian Preaching Section 2: Synagogue Sermons in A History of Preaching by O. C. Edwards Jr.
The Authority and Interpretation of Scripture in Jewish Tradition | Studies in Biblical Interpretation
Jewish Encyclopedia: Midrash Haggadah
What are the main homiletic midrashim?
Midrash and Method: Midrash as Sermon

Topic 2: The Second and Third Century – pre-Origen

Short list

Sermons

Note that multiple sources are given for each of the three sermons

The Second Epistle of Clement (of Rome – anonymous)

Page 19 | A Treasury of Great Preaching, Volume 1
Page 511 | Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume VII
Page 511 | Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume VII (Catholic Edition)
Page 138 | The Apocryphal New Testament
Early Christian Writings: 2 Clement | web source with resource links
The Seraphem Files: Second Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians | with notes

Melito of Sardis: Peri Pascha / On the Pasch

Clement of Alexandria: Who is the Rich Man that Shall Be Saved? (Quis Dives Salvetur?)

Page 586 | Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume II
Page 586 | Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume II (Catholic Edition)
Who is the Rich Man That Shall Be Saved? | web version
A homily of Clement of Alexandria, entitled: Who is the rich man that is being saved | by Percy Mordaunt Barnard

History of preaching

Chapter 3: The Second and Third Centuries (through Clement of Alexandria (251-306) | The Reading and Preaching of the Scriptures in the Worship of the Christian Church, Volume 1: The Biblical Period

Long list

History of preaching

Chapter 1: Preaching during the First Three Centuries | A History of Preaching, Volume 1 which may be supplemented by A timeline of the Roman Empire

History of Biblical interpretation

Clement of Alexandria | Historical Handbook of Major Biblical Interpreters
Chapter 2: Scripture in the Alexandrian Milieu | Biblical Interpretation in the Early Church: An Historical Introduction to Patristic Exegesis
Chapter 3: “The History of Preaching Christ from the Old Testament (I)” in Preaching Christ from the Old Testament: A Contemporary Hermeneutical Method by Sidney Greidanus
Chapter 11: The Apostolic Fathers and the Apologists in A History of Biblical Interpretation, Volume 1: The Ancient Period by Alan J. Hauser, Duane F. Watson
Chapter 4: The Early Centuries of the Common Era (105-174) in History of Biblical Interpretation, Volume 1: From the Old Testament to Origen by Henning Graf Reventlow
Chapter 2: The Second Century in The Use and Abuse of the Bible | by Henry Wansborough

Supplemental resources

Second epistle of Clement

Clement, Second Epistle of | The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary

Melito of Sardis

Melito of Sardis | Dictionary of the Later New Testament & Its Developments
177. Melito Of Sardis | History of the Christian Church
Clement of Alexandria | The Dictionary of Historical Theology
A Completely Different Reading of Melito’s Peri Pascha”
Barnabas’ Isaiah Text and Melito’s Pascal Homily
Melito of Sardis | bibliography
The Noetic Paschal Anthropos: Genesis 1:27 and the Theology of the Divine Image in Early Paschal Literature by Dragos Andrei Giulea

Clement of Alexandria

Topic 3: Origen

Short list

Sermons for discussion

Note that multiple sources are given for each of the three sermons

The First Homily (Song of Solomon 1:1-12)

Page 38 | A Treasury of Great Preaching, Volume 1
Example of Origen’s Preaching: The First Homily

Homily 8 Luke 1:46-51

Homily VIII On the fact that Abraham offered his son Isaac

Origen: Homilies on Genesis and Exodus translated by Ronald E. Heine

History of preaching

Chapter 3: The Second and Third Centuries: Origen and Our First Comprehensive Picture of Christian Preaching (306-352) | The Reading and Preaching of the Scriptures in the Worship of the Christian Church, Volume 1: The Biblical Period

Long list

History of preaching

Chapter 1: Preaching during the First Three Centuries | A History of Preaching, Volume 1

History of Biblical interpretation

Chapter 2: Scripture in the Alexandrian Milieu | Biblical Interpretation in the Early Church: An Historical Introduction to Patristic Exegesis
Origen | Historical Handbook of Major Biblical Interpreters
Chapter 12: Alexandrian and Antiochene Exegesis in A History of Biblical Interpretation, Volume 1: The Ancient Period by Alan J. Hauser, Duane F. Watson
Chapter 4: The Early Centuries of the Common Era (174-199) in History of Biblical Interpretation, Volume 1: From the Old Testament to Origen by Henning Graf Reventlow
Summary in History of Biblical Interpretation, Volume 1: From the Old Testament to Origen by Henning Graf Reventlow
Chapter 3: Origen in The Use and Abuse of the Bible | by Henry Wansborough

Supplemental resources

Origen | 131 Christians Everyone Should Know
Origen | The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary
Origen | The Encyclopedia of Christianity, Volumes 1-3
Origenism | The Encyclopedia of Christianity, Volumes 1-3
187. Origen | History of the Christian Church
The Works of Origen: links to Works of Origen in English, Greek, and Latin
Origen of Alexandria | bibliography
Coptic Orthodox Church Network: Origen’s Writings
Origen and the Inerrancy of Scripture by Michael W. Holmes
Literal and Allegorical Interpretation in Origen by Dan G. McCartney
Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Origen
Interpreting the Song of Songs: The Paradox of Spiritual and Sensual Love by Carl W. Ernst
The Works of Origen | Links to Works of Origen in English, Greek, and Latin

Additional Sermons

Homilies on Luke | Lienhard (1996)
Homilies on Genesis | Heine (1982)
Homilies on Exodus | Heine (1982)
Homilies on Leviticus | Barkley (1992)
Homilies on Numbers | Scheck (2009)
Homilies on Joshua | Scheck (2009)
Homilies on Judges | Scheck (2009)
Homilies on 1 Samuel | Scheck (2009)
Homilies on Psalms | Migne PG 12
Homilies on the Song of Songs | Lawson (1957)
Homilies on Isaiah | Migne PG 13
Homilies on Jeremiah | Smith (1998)
Homilies on Ezekiel | Scheck (2010)

Interlude: Gregory Thaumaturgus

Sermons

Four Homilies | Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume VI
Four Homilies | Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume VI (Catholic Edition)
Four Homilies | web source
Gregory Thaumaturgus, Homily concerning the Holy Mother of God | The Expositor 5th series vol.3 (1896) pp.161-173

Background

Gregory Thaumaturgus | 131 Christians Everyone Should Know
November 17 | The Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs and Other Principal Saints
Gregory Thaumaturgus, St. | The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church

Supplemental resources

Topic 4: Cyril of Jerusalem, Cyril of Alexandria, Hesychius of Jerusalem

Short list

Sermons

Note that multiple sources are given for each of the three sermons

Cyril of Jerusalem

First Catechetical Lecture of Our Holy Father Cyril, Archbishop of Jerusalem to Those who are to be Enlightened, Delivered Extempore at Jerusalem, as an Introductory Lecture to Those who had Come Forward for Baptism

Cyril of Alexandria

Homily on the Prodigal Son | From the Commentary on the Gospel of St. Luke, Homily 107
Cyril on Luke Sermon CVII

Hesychius of Jerusalem

Omitted for lack of readily availablity of an English translation of the homilies more certainly attributed to him.

History of preaching

Cyril of Jerusalem | The Reading and Preaching of the Scriptures in the Worship of the Christian Church, Volume 2: The Patristic Age
Cyril of Alexandria | The Reading and Preaching of the Scriptures in the Worship of the Christian Church, Volume 2: The Patristic Age
Hesychius of Jerusalem | The Reading and Preaching of the Scriptures in the Worship of the Christian Church, Volume 2: The Patristic Age

Long list

History of preaching

History of Biblical interpretation

Supplemental resources