“THE WORDS OF THE LORD ARE ALWAYS SWEET”: PREACHING GOD’S WORD IN THE ANCIENT CHURCH

This essay seeks to outline the sort of preaching that was key in this advance of the Church. In doing so, some of the details of the social context in which this preaching took place are first noted along with a very few details of the earliest sermons and preachers. Then, a number of examples from the golden age of patristic preaching, namely, the fourth century, are examined to help contemporary readers appreciate the value of the sermons from this period as well as recognize that the ancient Church regarded preaching as a key vehicle for Christian teaching.