Sermones

A sermon is an oration or lecture by a preacher (who is usually a member of clergy). Sermons address a scriptural, theological, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law, or behavior within both past and present contexts. Elements of the sermon often include exposition, exhortation, and practical application. The act of delivering a sermon is called preaching. In Christian churches, a sermon is usually preached in a place of worship, either from an elevated architectural feature, known as a pulpit or an ambo, or from behind a lectern. The word sermon comes from a Middle English word which was derived from Old French, which in turn originates from the Latin word sermón meaning discourse. A sermonette is a short sermon (usually associated with television broadcasting, as stations would present a sermonette before signing off for the night). The Bible contains many speeches without interlocution, which some take to be sermons: Moses in Deuteronomy 1-33; Jesus' sermon on the mount in Matthew 5-7 (though the gospel writers do not specifically call it a sermon; the popular descriptor for Christ's speech there came much later); and Peter after Pentecost in Acts 2:14-40 (though this speech was delivered to nonbelievers and as such is not quite parallel to the popular definition of a sermon). In modern language, the word sermon is used in secular terms, pejoratively, to describe a lengthy or tedious speech delivered with great passion, by any person, to an uninterested audience.

Se denomina sermón u homilía al género de la oratoria que consiste en un discurso de tema religioso, por lo general pronunciado durante el culto cristiano. El sermón se pronunciaba, en la primera liturgia cristiana, en latín, pero después, en vista de que el pueblo ya no entendía el latín culto, empezó a pronunciarse en lengua vernácula, mientras que el resto de la liturgia continuaba pronunciándose en latín. Algunos autores piensan que ese fue el origen de cierto transvase de voces, proverbios y cuentecillos cultos a la lengua vulgar, dando origen a buena parte de la . El sermón podría ser dogmático, místico, ascético o parenético. Era dogmático si trataba de dogmas; los que explicaban los misterios, eran los sermones místicos; los que trataban sobre las prácticas religiosas, se denominaban ascéticos y los que versaban sobre cuestiones morales, parenéticos. Estos últimos se subdividían a su vez en homilías, y sermones propiamente dichos. También existe el (antes de comulgar), la (glosando las virtudes de un difunto) y el panegírico (en honor de un santo).