Preacher

For other uses, seePreacher (disambiguation).

Apreacheris a person who deliverssermonsorhomiliesonreligioustopics to an assembly of people. Less common are preachers whopreach on the street,or those whose message is not necessarily religious, but who preach components such as a moral or socialworldvieworphilosophy.

Jesus of Nazarethwas anitinerantapocalypticpreacher in 1st-centuryJudea.

History

Preachers are common throughout most cultures. They can take the form of aChristianministeron a Sunday morning, or an Islamicimam.A Muslim preacher in general is referred to as adā‘ī,while one giving sermons on a Friday afternoon is called akhatib.

The sermon or homily has been an important part of Christian services since Early Christianity, and remains prominent in bothRoman CatholicismandProtestantism.Lay preacherssometimes figure in these traditions of worship, for example theMethodist local preachers,but in general preaching has usually been a function of theclergy.TheDominican Orderis officially known as theOrder of Preachers(Ordo PraedicatoruminLatin);friarsof this order were trained to publicly preach invernacularlanguages, and the order was created bySaint Dominicto preach to theCatharsof southern France in the early thirteenth century. TheFranciscansare another important preaching order; Travelling preachers, usually friars, were an important feature of late medieval Catholicism.

In most denominations, modern preaching is kept below about 40 minutes, but historic preachers of all denominations could at times speak for well over an hour, sometimes for two or three hours,and use techniques ofrhetoricand theatre that are today somewhat out of fashion in mainline churches.

In many churches in the United States, the titlepreacheris synonymous withpastororminister,and the church's minister is often referred to simply as "our/the preacher" or by name such as "Preacher Smith". However, among some Chinese churches, 'preacher' (Chinese:Truyện đạo) is different from 'pastor' (Chinese:Mục sư). A preacher in the Protestant church is one of the younger clergy, but they are not officially recognised as pastors until they can prove their capability of leading the church.

Other uses

Further information:Ecclesiastes § Composition

Preacheris also the supposed author of the Book ofEcclesiastes.Preacher is one translation of theHebrewwordקהלת(Qoheleth). There is much debate about the identity of this preacher; many believe it isSolomon.

See also

• Child preacher
• List of Christian preachers
• Clergy
• Da'i
• Maggid
• Preacher's kid

References

• Francis, Keith A.; Gibson, William (2012).The Oxford Handbook of the British Sermon 1689–1901.et al. Oxford University Press.ISBN978-0199583591– viaGoogle Books.

External links

• Media related toPreachersat Wikimedia Commons