St. Caesarius of Arles: Sermons, vols. I–III (1–238)
Overview
Administrator, theologian, and preacher, Caesarius of Arles provides preaching typical of the age on the abandonment of vices and the pursuit of virtues. In 80 sermons, he addresses aspects of the ancient life in issues of morality and dogma, drawing from the Church Fathers before him. Recognizing the great need for solid content in preaching, he learned the craft of preaching from the writings of the Fathers and Doctors of the Church, drew up his own sermons, and disseminated them to learning clergy and priests under his tutelage.
Volume two contains one hundred and ten sermons attributed to St. Caesarius bishop of Arles for forty years (502–542). He is reputed to have been an outstanding spiritual leader presiding at some important synods in Gaul and perhaps second only to St. Augustine a most diligent and effective preacher. This reputation most probably accounts for the large number of sermons attributed to him.
In 1937, Dom Germain Morin, after some 50 years of exacting research published the Caesarean corpus of sermons. His studies led him to question in varying degrees the Caesarean authorship of 54 sermons in this volume which are therefore marked with an asterisk.
In 1971, Marie-José Delage published the results of a more recent study on the Caesarean sermons. The work of Delage indicates that Caesarius must have had access to a good collection of homilies from which he borrowed freely and frequently without ever mentioning the source. At the time of Caesarius this was not an unusual practice. The most frequently used author, as one might suspect, is St. Augustine. This usage ranges from using a complete sermon to which are added a simple introduction and appropriate conclusion, to quotations chosen from the several Augustinian sermons. Other authors used by Caesarius are: Origen (in Latin translation), Ambrose, Eusebius, Quodvultdeus and Cyprian.
Volume three completes the presentation of the homiletic works of Caesarius begun in 1956. Following upon the "Admonitions" and the sermons on Scripture contained in the first two volumes, Volume three presents the seasonal sermons, those on feasts of saints, and six addressed to monks. There is added the translation of a sermon published in 1953 and known only by title to Dom G. Morin, upon whose edition (1937–1942) these volumes are based. An Appendix supplies additional notes relating to the sources of the sermons contained in Volumes one and two, as well as the Indices to all three volumes.
As in the translation contained in Volumes one and two (FC 31, 47) moral counsel predominates. The sermons preached to the monks show a Caesarius who accommodates to those especially dedicated Christians an appeal for the avoidance of vices and the pursuit of virtue that more commonly he directs to layfolk. His fervid exhortation is not without its message to those men and women of today who will hear it.
For The Fathers of the Church series in its entirety, see Fathers of the Church Series (127 vols.).
Key Features
- Model sermons were designed to edify other clergy
- Virtue based teaching that preaches to the heart
- Three of 127 published volumes in a well-respected series on the Church Fathers
Top Highlights
“Harsh preaching provides remedies for souls that are sick, and arranges adornments for the healthy.” (Volume 1, Page 32)
“Above all, we must fear lest someone believes so strongly that he will receive God’s mercy that he does not dread His justice. If a man does this, he has no faith. Likewise, if he dreads God’s justice so much that he despairs of His mercy, there is no faith. Since God is not only merciful but also just, let us believe in both. Let us not despair of His mercy because we fear His justice, nor love His mercy so much that we disregard His justice. Therefore, we should neither hope wrongly nor despair wickedly. A man who hopes wrongly thinks he can merit mercy without penance and good works; one who despairs wickedly does not believe he will receive mercy even after the performance of good works.” (Volume 1, Page 72)
“We, too, who are seen to be some sort of spiritual doctors, though unworthy ones, must not always prescribe what is flattering and tender, but, sometimes, what is harsh and severe for those who appear sick in soul.” (Volume 1, Page 36)
“Therefore, with as great anxiety as we show when Christ’s Body is ministered to us, lest nothing fall out of our hands onto the ground, with as great anxiety we should see to it that God’s word which is dispensed to us may not perish from our hearts because we are thinking or talking about something else. The person who hears the word of God with inattention is surely no less guilty than one who allows Christ’s Body to fall on the ground through his own carelessness.” (Volume 1, Page 361)
“Furthermore, the children of Israel stood against their adversaries for forty days. Because of the four seasons and the four parts of the world, those forty days signify the present life in which the Christian people do not cease to fight against Goliath and his army, that is, the devil and his angels. Moreover, it would be impossible to conquer, if Christ the true David had not come down with His staff which is the mystery of the cross.” (Volume 2, Page 201)
- Title: Saint Caesarius of Arles: Sermons, Volumes I–III (1–238)
- Author: Caesarius of Arles
- Series: The Fathers of the Church
- Volume: 31, 47, 66
- Publishers: Catholic University of America, Consortium
- Print Publication Date: 1956–1973
- Logos Release Date: 2014
- Pages: 1216
- Era: era:modern
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subjects: Sermons, Early Christian; Sermons, Latin › Translations into English
- Resource ID: LLS:SRMNSVLM
- Resource Type: text.monograph.sermons
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-03-25T20:56:47Z