Conference paper
Preaching of the Church Fathers
Drago Tukara
; Catholic Faculty of Theology in Đakovo, J. J. Strossmayer University of Osijek, Đakovo, Croatia
Abstract
The author of the article enters the area of the rhetoric of ancient times. These were the times of the beginning and development of Christian preachers. Although many of the Church Fathers were brought up, educated and intellectually formed in the time of pagan orators, they tried to make their notion original. Thus the article brings to our attention the schemes of speeches, all of them original in their own way. It is emphasized that it is necessary to take into consideration one’s whole inner spiritual and outer material reality to form a speech or its scheme, for they are of the utmost importance for the creation of a successful and original speech.
In the first section of the article the author points to the spiritual expression of the Church fathers. The inner reality of every orator is accentuated, for the success of bringing listeners into the true pattern of following Christ depends on it. The second section reveals the meaning of numbers. Numbers were part of oratory, especially the biblical ones which contained a specific message. The author reveals and presents this message as useful and interesting. Together with numbers, the Church fathers would also use certain gestures of fingers to show the significance of the present and future life in Christ.
Keywords
preaching; Church fathers; theology; schemes; iconography; numbers; gestures of fingers; spiritual reality; Christian mystery
Hrčak ID:
62305
URI
Publication date:
20.12.2010.
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