Select sermons of S. Leo the Great on the incarnation

by Leo the Great, W Bright

Select sermons of S. Leo the Great on the incarnation is an unchanged, high-quality reprint of the original edition of 1886. Hansebooks is editor of the literature on different topic areas such as research and science, travel and expeditions, cooking and nutrition, medicine, and other genres.As a publisher we focus on the preservation of historical literature.Many works of historical writers and scientists are available today as antiques only. Hansebooks newly publishes these books and contributes to the preservation of literature which has become rare and historical knowledge for the future.

288 pages, Paperback

Published July 8, 2016

About the author

Pope Leo I, also known as Leo the Great, was Bishop of Rome from 29 September 440 until his death. Leo was a Roman aristocrat, and was the first pope to have been called "the Great". He is perhaps best known for having met Attila the Hun in 452 and persuaded him to turn back from his invasion of Italy.

Reviews

[Michael O'Brien · Rating 4 out of 5]

As part of my research into the relations between the Papacy and the Eastern churches, I read this book to see how one of the early popes, Leo the Great, believed and taught. Leo is revered as a saint in both East and West, Orthodox and Roman Catholic alike. Rightly so, he was a godly man of erudition, courage, and wisdom in a time wherein the West, civilization everywhere else was on the verge of collapse and degeneracy. While having to address the various heresies attacking the Church from within, Leo also faced the challenge of protecting his flock from the depredations of the barbarian invasions increasingly breaking down the Empire.

In his sermons, unlike some of those of his contemporaries, Leo is relatively brief and concise. I estimate each homily likely would have taken about 15-20 minutes to deliver. Yet, Leo speaks volumes -- explaining some of the more complex doctrines of the Church in a way that a common man of limited education could easily understand while at the same exhorting hearers to live a better life centered around apprehending a closer relationship with God via His Son, Jesus Christ.

About half of this book is notes from the author about various points of interest from Leo's sermons and writings; however, these really get into the weeds on the nuances and connotations of Leo's Latin . Unless you have a knowledge of Latin, this part may not be of much use. To be honest, not knowing Latin, much of this was overhead --- graduate level theology and Latin is required in my opinion to really mine the gems from this latter part.

But don't let that dissuade anyone from reading this book --- the sermons and "The Tome of Leo" are great works of Early Christian literature.

I recommend this book for those into theology, researchers into Early Christian doctrine, and those desiring to read the writings of the one of the great leaders of the Christian Church in its first centuries.