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Forty Gospel Homilies
At the dividing line between Antiquity and the Middle Ages, scholar-diplomat-pastor-writer-pope Gregory the Great drew on his profound knowledge of Scripture and his personal experience to preach the Gospel. These forty homilies show the practical concerns Gregory faced as well as the theological expectations he had of his flock.
- GenresCatholic
389 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
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About the author
Pope Gregory I
277 books61 followersborn perhaps 540
From 590, Saint Gregory I the Great, known pope, increased authority, enforced rules of life for the clergy, and sponsored many notably important missionary expeditions of Saint Augustine of Canterbury in 596 to Britain.
Commonly vigilant Gregory guarded the doctrine of the Church. He founded numerous monasteries, including a school for the training of church musicians. He collected the melodies and plainsong, so associated and now Gregorian chants. In his time, he served as a monk, an abbot, and a leader of Italy. He also momentously influenced the Catholic Church through doctrine, organization, and discipline. People thought of his foremost skill in grammar, rhetoric, and dialectic in all Rome, Gregory of Tours tells us. Gregory sent as a patron of England. Gregory wrote Dialogues , one accomplishment, a book on the Lives of the Saints. Boniface VIII proclaimed him as a doctor of the church in 1295.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Gr...
From 590, Saint Gregory I the Great, known pope, increased authority, enforced rules of life for the clergy, and sponsored many notably important missionary expeditions of Saint Augustine of Canterbury in 596 to Britain.
Commonly vigilant Gregory guarded the doctrine of the Church. He founded numerous monasteries, including a school for the training of church musicians. He collected the melodies and plainsong, so associated and now Gregorian chants. In his time, he served as a monk, an abbot, and a leader of Italy. He also momentously influenced the Catholic Church through doctrine, organization, and discipline. People thought of his foremost skill in grammar, rhetoric, and dialectic in all Rome, Gregory of Tours tells us. Gregory sent as a patron of England. Gregory wrote Dialogues , one accomplishment, a book on the Lives of the Saints. Boniface VIII proclaimed him as a doctor of the church in 1295.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Gr...
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November 13, 2016
Gregory the Great (540-604) may well have been the most devout Pope the church has ever had. He served, of course, before the Great Schism, so there was only one church at the time. He initially resisted the papacy, preferring a life of private devotion, but eventually assumed the duties of being Pope.
The challenge with this book--why it doesn't get five stars--is that during this time in church history, each Scripture was read and taught for its "literal" meaning and its allegorical meaning, and Gregory often gives more attention to the allegorical meaning. Such a reading requires great creativity and occasional deep insights, but it's not how we would treat/understand/use/teach Scripture today. If you want the best of Gregory, I would encourage you to read his Pastoral Rule before reading this one.
The four stars was cemented (I was thinking of giving it 3 stars) by the final homily, forty, on Luke 16:19-31, the story of Lazarus the beggar and the rich man. It was so powerful, and so prophetic, I think the book is worth getting for this homily alone.
There are many better classics to start with if you want to read ancient books. But having already gone through so many of them, I was grateful for this journey with Gregory.
The challenge with this book--why it doesn't get five stars--is that during this time in church history, each Scripture was read and taught for its "literal" meaning and its allegorical meaning, and Gregory often gives more attention to the allegorical meaning. Such a reading requires great creativity and occasional deep insights, but it's not how we would treat/understand/use/teach Scripture today. If you want the best of Gregory, I would encourage you to read his Pastoral Rule before reading this one.
The four stars was cemented (I was thinking of giving it 3 stars) by the final homily, forty, on Luke 16:19-31, the story of Lazarus the beggar and the rich man. It was so powerful, and so prophetic, I think the book is worth getting for this homily alone.
There are many better classics to start with if you want to read ancient books. But having already gone through so many of them, I was grateful for this journey with Gregory.
Displaying 1 of 1 review