When we talk about preachers, it's easy for famous figures from the Anglo-Saxon and Protestant world to come to mind, which we are accustomed to seeing in American films. Sometimes we might even imagine singular characters who use their voice and a microphone to deliver their messages, imbued with dramatic flair and exaggerated gestures. But the preachers we will discuss in this article have less to do with these flamboyant speakers.
BUILDING THE IDEAL SPEAKER
According to medieval doctrine, preaching should seek three specific goals: teaching, to present a series of ideas to the audience; delighting, to surprise and captivate the listener; and moving, to create sensations among the attendees and move them to act according to the dictates of faith. To meet these requirements, it was expected that preachers master oratory and be particularly eloquent and convincing when addressing their public. Thus, a good preacher should seek the attention of his audience, captivate his listeners, and dominate language like no one else in order to convey his message and thus convince and impress his audience.
In a society where most people could neither read nor write —it was hard enough to get many people to sign documents— the importance of speech was crucial for conveying messages, and one of the most important messages was religious. Preachers in this way made accessible to the majority of the population concepts such as sin, salvation, or Christ's message, which were not simple. The preacher was, above all, a transmitter of messages and an interpreter of scriptures.
Reaching the public wasn't easy. Preachers had to seduce their parishioners, whether from the pulpit of a church or in the center of a square. Any place and moment were good for addressing the masses. Although some speakers had an almost innate talent for brilliant addresses, it is true that during the modern centuries there proliferated guides for preachers in which advice was given to all those who wished to dedicate themselves to the art of sacred oratory.
The theorists of preaching agreed that speakers should possess several qualities, such as a good voice, confidence in what they were saying, and ease in conveying ideas and gesturing appropriately. Along with these skills, which could partly be learned, the importance of studying not only scriptures but also languages and all kinds of books, theological and otherwise, was always emphasized to enrich their spirit. In addition to this, there existed a series of moral virtues that every preacher should possess, such as integrity, purity, and good intentions. It was thus a corollary of indispensable aptitudes. Of course, having these attributes took years and much practice, but it was considered natural that mastery of an art so complex as oratory, cultivated since Cicero and before, entailed sacrifices and effort over time.
THE FORMAT: THE SERMONS
One of the most common forms that preaching took in modern centuries was the sermon. It consisted of speeches, addresses on a specific topic. The messages were religious content and based on teachings from the Bible, Church Fathers, or other people considered authorities in the matter at hand.
Fortunately for us, many of these sermons have been preserved in written form, either individually or in sermon collections that compiled several texts. Since these writings were published after oral preaching, words could be changed and content added or removed from the original sermon. We have hundreds of examples of these documents —beautifully edited on occasion— which bring us closer to the messages of these preachers.
The decision to publish sermons speaks to the fact that already in modern centuries, preachers themselves were aware of the importance of fixing their messages in writing not only for future generations but also for contemporaries who could access its content. Historian Félix Herrero echoes this by referring to the words of Fray Alonso de Silva (1648-1715), in his Evenings of Lent:
"No preacher ascends to the pulpit with the desire that doctrine enters one ear and leaves out the other, but rather for it to be turned over many times in consideration so as to benefit them. And undoubtedly sermons would have greater effect if, like those preached by the preacher, they remained imprinted on the memory of those who hear them."
Herrero Salgado, F. (1996) Sacred Oratory in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries. Madrid: Fundación Universitaria Española.
CONCLUSIONS
The importance of written word is a fact in our societies, but in the past it was not always so. When it came to conveying a message, captivating the audience and choosing the right words were essential aspects for gaining the attention of the congregation. Publications that have reached us today bring us closer to this reality and especially reveal the importance of spoken word in a society where audiovisual media —through listening to oral messages and visual contemplation of art— had much greater significance than we believe.
Bibliography
Herrero Salgado, F. (1996). Sacred Oratory in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries. Madrid: Fundación Universitaria Española.
Herrero Salgado, F. (2012). Sacred Oratory in the Eighteenth Century. Thematic and Rhetorical Study Through Sermon Texts. Madrid: Fundación Universitaria Española.
Núñez Beltrán, M.A. (2000). Sacred Oratory in the Baroque Era. Doctrine, Culture and Attitude Toward Life Through Sevillian Sermons of the Seventeenth Century. Sevilla: Universidad de Sevilla y FOCUS.
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