The Exegetical Methods of Some Sixteenth-Century Roman Catholic
Andrews University Seminary Studies, Summer 1985, Vol. 23, No. 2, 161-180. Copyright @ 1985 by Andrews University Press. THE EXEGETICAL METHODS OF SOME SIXTEENTH- CENTURY ROMAN CATHOLIC PREACHERS IN ENGLAND: FISHER, PERYN, BONNER, AND WATSON PART I ERWIN R. GANE Angwin, California 94508 In earlier articles, I have explored the exegetical methods of representative Anglican and Puritan preachers and also of late medieval sermons.' This article and a subsequent one will be devoted to the exegetical methods displayed in sermons of four Roman Catholic preachers in England who flourished in the six- teenth century: John Fisher (1469-l535), William Peryn (d. 1558), Edmund Bonner (l5OO?-l569), and Thomas Watson (1518- 1584). A major question is the extent to which the biblical exegesis and other homiletical concerns identify these preachers as being medi- eval or Renaissance oriented. Are they, for example, more akin to the medieval preachers or to the Anglican preachers we have dealt with in the earlier studies? The presentation that follows will of necessity first give an overview of the careers of these four preachers, noting the historical setting in which their preaching took place. Then, attention will be given to their specific exegetical techniques and homiletical concerns. 1. Overview of the Careers of the Preachers John Fisher John Fisher received his first degree at Michaelhouse, Cam- bridge, in 1483 at the age of fourteen, was appointed master in 1497, '"The Exegetical Methods of Some Sixteenth-Century Anglican Preachers: Latimer, Jewel, Hooker, and Andrewes," Parts I and 11, AUSS 17 (1979):23-38, 169- 188; "The Exegetical Methods of Some Sixteenth-Century Puritan Preachers: Hooper, Cartwright, and Perkins," Parts I and 11, AUSS 19 (1981): 21-36, 99-114; "Late-Medieval Sermons in England: An Analysis of Fourteenth- and Fifteenth- Century Preaching." A USS 20 (1982): 179-203.
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