The Irish standard., 1888-09-01
SERMONS MANY YEARS AGO.
A Few Observations on Preaching
Among the Christians Of the
First Part Of the Era.
PREACHING ON WEEK DAYS

PREACHING ON WEEK DAYS
In Alexandria, Wednesday Was Faverite
Day for Holding Divine
! Worship.
i Rev. DR.. Reuben Parsons says, in the
Ave Maria: In the early days Of
Christianity, who had Jhe right to
preach? Origen Q85 253) says that
''the bishops, priests and deacons teach
us, and rebuke our vices with severe
words.'' This remark, however, must
be understood as applying, in it's abso-
luteness, only to the Eastern churches,
which all, from the earliest days, ob
served the discipline inculcated in She
! (authentic or not) zap ostolic" canon,
decreeing that any bishop or priest who
neglects his clergy or people, and does
not teach them, is to be deposed. !"
Eusebius tells us that Origen preached
in Jerusalem and in Caesarea Of Pales-
tine, and Socrates says hat priests
preached in Cyprus and in Cappadocia.
Many of St. Chrysostom's finest homi-
lies were delivered before his elevation
to the episcopacy. Certainly the priests
of Alexandria we're forbidden to preach
In the fourth century; but this decree
YVES issued, as we are told by Socrates,
Sozomenas and Nicephorus, because of
the audacity Of Arius. In the West,
however, during the first centuries Of
Christianity, in most dioceses priests
were not allowed to preach, at least in
tbs presence of the bishop; and in
Africa this rule was so strictly observed
that it was not left TO the discretion Of
the bishop to relaxit. Valerius, bishop
of Bona, seems to have been the first
African bishop to allow priest to
preach before him, aud the privilege
was granted to St. Augustine. So i'll
dignant did
THE OTHER AFRICAN PRELATEs
show themselves because of this action
of Valerius. that st. Jerome was moved
to write: 'The custom Of some
churches, imposing silence ON priests
| in the presence Of t'5eir bishops is
aboninable One would think that The
bishops are jealous. or that they can
not condescend to listen" In Gaul the
discipline varied. Gennadius, writing
about the year 400, speaks of Museus, 8
priest OF Marseilles, as preaching in
461; but it is certain that in many Gaelic
dioceses preaching was the special Office
of the bishops, until the council Of
! Watson decreed, in 529, that every pax
ish should frequently enjoy such mln-
! istration. In the Iberian Peninsula, as
late as the year 619, WE find council
of Seville establishing that no priest
shall presume to preach in the presence
of his bishop. However, we must not
suppose that in those Western dioceses
where preaching was reserved to the
bishop, the laity heard the word Of
God only on the rare occasions of an
episcopal visitation; for at nearly every
meeting of the faithful the pastor read
q homily OF some father. That deacons
often preached, even in the first days OF
che church, is evident from Holy Writ;
this Office Of preachers caused Philip,
one of the seven deacons, to be styled
an evangelist (Acts, xxi) St. Ignatius,
who was martyred in the year 1O7,
praises the sermons of a deacon named
Philo, and encourages the eloquent Of
Hero, a deacon Of Antioch.
DURING THE FEARFUL PROSECUTIONS
of the first three centuries of our era,
the principal attention OF the pagan
tribunals was directed against the dea-
cons, not only because Of the church
treasures of which they we're the custod-
ians, but on account of their preaching
Office. 1t is interesting to observe here
that in many dioceses of the East it
would have been impossible to adopt
the Latin custom OF restrc ting the OBJ
| llgatlon OF preaching to the bishop: for
the Orientals had become SO fond OF
Sc1ut'ES lAtto 1leloCti!l1 ci1E Net' AfA~
/ lowed by second, and then by a third
generally, however, delivered by diff
| ferent c!ergvmen. When We're sermons
given to our ancestors in the faith:
just as with us, SO with them, sunday
was special day for preaching. Justin
Martyr lob. l67) says: con that day
which is named after the sun, all,
whether they dwell in the cities Or in
the country. assemble in one place, and
there listen to a reading of the apostolic
writings and of the prophecies, which
reading lasts as long as time permits;
then the presiding clergyman exhorts
the faithful to profit by what they have
heard. Clemens Romanus lob. 10O) and
St. Augustine both speak of sermons
delivered on Sunday after the gospel.
But there was preaching also on saints
ldays, as is plainly ndicated by the titles
II =. =