Catecheses and Homilies

Abstract

This chapter seeks to draw out the diverse ways in which biblical interpretation was expressed in early Christian preaching and catechetical instruction. Issues discussed include: current theories about the role played by biblical interpretation in the origin and early shaping of the homiletic/catechetical genres, and the fluidity of the boundary between catechetical lecture and homily. Preaching and teaching, it is argued, constituted a primary encounter with the Bible for the majority of early Christians. Attention is further paid not just to the variety of ways in which the Bible was interpreted but also to the variety of Bibles interpreted across different languages, authors, and geographic regions.