Ministerium sermonis.

The Sermones ad populum are a part of Augustine’s work that, especially in its relation to the rest of the Augustinian corpus, deserves more attention. Frequently studied topics are the transmission of the sermons, the bishop’s homiletic methodology, his use of Scripture and classical rhetoric, his view on the episcopate, his theology of proclamation and his opinions about the cult of the martyrs. Augustine’s sermons also serve as an invaluable source for the study of the North African Church and its liturgical practices at the end of the fourth and the beginning of the fifth century. The dating and the chronology of the sermons have likewise been the object of many publications. As a matter of fact, they are still much debated.

On May 29-31, 2008, the research units History of Church and Theology and Literary Studies: Latin Literature of the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven organized an international conference on Augustine’s Sermones ad populum in collaboration with the Scientific Committee of the Series Latina of Corpus Christianorum (Brepols Publishers), the Revue bénédictine (Maredsous) and the Augustinian Historical Institute (Heverlee). The conference was intended to bring together scholars who have recently made important contributions to the study of Augustine’s work in general and his preaching in particular, as well as specialists in the field of Early Christian homiletics.

This volume elaborates the contributions presented during the conference and includes articles by I. Bochet, P.-M. Bogaert, L. De Coninck, R. Dodaro, V.H. Drecoll, H. Drobner, A. Dupont, M. Lamberigts, G. Partoens, E. Rebillard, P. Tombeur, P. Van Geest, H. Van Oort, D. Weber, C. Weidmann, J. Yates.