On the Preparation and Delivery of Sermons

CHAPTER 5The Text1. MEANING OF THE TERM The word "text "is derived from the Latin "texere "("to weave"), which figuratively came to signify to put together, to construct, and hence to compose, to express thought in continuous speech or writing. The noun "textus "thus denotes the product of weaving, the web, the fabric, and so in literary usage the fabric of one's thinking, continuous composition. The practice arose of reading the continuous narrative or discussion of some author and adding comments, chiefly explanatory, or of taking the author's own writing and making notes at the sides or bottom of the page. Thus the author's own work came to be called the "text," as distinguished from the fragmentary notes and comments of the editor or speaker. This use of the word still survives, as when we speak of the text of ancient authors or others, meaning their own original composition; and textual criticism is the science of determining what was their exact language. Early preaching was of thenature of running commentary on the connected train of thought, or text, of Scripture, which was so named to distinguish it from the preacher's comment or exposition. As the practice grew of lengthening the comments into an organized speech and of shortening the passage of Scripture used, text has come to mean the portion of Scripture chosen as the suggestion or foundation for a sermon. 2. USE OF THE TEXT The history of the word text, like that of homiletics, points back to the fact, which is also well-known otherwise, that preaching was originally expository. The early Christian preachers commonly spoke on passages of considerable length, and their sermons were largely exposition.This practice was modified, and the use of a short text or a brief passage became common. In the early twentieth century, it was not uncommon to have a sermon without a text. At the present time, the expository sermon is gaining inBroadus, John A. is the author of 'On the Preparation and Delivery of Sermons', published 1979 under ISBN 9780060611125 and ISBN 006061112X.