Origins

The origins of the Christian homily are obscure, partly owing to the lack of a precise definition for the genre in the first and second centuries ce. Numerous texts, including sections of the gospels and epistles, have been labelled ‘homiletic’ in style and structure, but the arguments of some scholars have been circular and thus inconclusive (Stewart-Sykes 2000; Donfried 1974: 26). The general consensus, however, is that ‘homiletic’ describes a discourse which is directed towards an audience, thus employing a conversational style and techniques associated with oral delivery. Such ‘homilies’ sometimes, but not always, reflect a religious setting and employ some form of biblical exegesis. Parallels with Hebrew midrashy especially haggadahy have been noted (Bergen 1965: 55), but contemporary Jewish literary evidence is lacking. Some scholars have cited the influence on Christian homiletics of the pagan diatribe, or informal speeches aimed at engaging audiences’ attention, employed by Stoic and Cynic wandering philosophers in Late Antiquity (Bultmann 1910: 107-9; Kennedy 1983: 182; Uthemann 1998), but conversational methods of public speaking may have been so pervasive in this period that this is also difficult to prove. Many scholars regard II Clement, dated to approximately 98-100 ce, as the earliest complete homily to survive in the Christian tradition since it appears to have been delivered orally to a congregation. Melito’s discourse On Paschuy dated to between 160 and 170 ce (Hall 1979; Stewart-Sykes 2001), may represent an early example of a more poetic style of homily intended for a liturgical context. The close relationship between homiletics, epistolography, and hymnography even in this period is striking and suggests the inexpedience of establishing precise boundaries between the various literary genres.