Heritage & Theology
The History of Preaching
Habib Girgis’s address on the history and purpose of preaching, with his Spiritual Words appendix.
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About This Book
What gives preaching its authority, and why does the life of the Church depend upon it?
Delivered in Cairo in 1916, Saint Archdeacon Habib Girgis’s landmark address follows proclamation from the prophets through Christ and the apostles, then turns to the place of preaching within Coptic worship, canon law, pastoral life, and the renewal of the Church. Scripture, early Christian testimony, medieval Coptic writers, and the teaching of Pope Cyril V converge in a sustained call for clergy and teachers who know the faith, live it, and communicate it clearly.
Girgis does more than defend the sermon as a feature of public worship. He presents preaching as a ministry of salvation: a means by which faith is awakened, ignorance is answered, virtue is formed, and whole communities are strengthened. His historical survey becomes an urgent appeal to every servant entrusted with the word of God.
This English edition brings together Girgis’s three-part address and the separate appendix Spiritual Words, a collection of the author’s reflections first reprinted from Al-Karma. Carefully checked biblical quotations and concise scholarly notes make the work accessible while retaining its early-twentieth-century Coptic voice.
For clergy, servants, teachers, historians, and readers seeking the roots of modern Coptic renewal, The History of Preaching and Its Importance offers both a historical witness and a living summons: ‘Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season.’
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This edition is intended to improve access to the work. Advanced digital tools, including generative AI, were used in its production, with responsibility for the final text and editorial decisions remaining with the editor.
This access edition is intended for general reading, discovery and further exploration. It may also serve as a stepping stone for academic study. Some passages may remain uncertain or benefit from further refinement. Readers undertaking academic research or detailed theological study should consult the original-language sources, relevant manuscripts and specialist scholarship; this edition is not presented as a scholarly translation or critical edition.
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