Homilius, Gottfried August, one of the most celebrated German organists and Church composers of the 18th century, was born at Rosenthal Feb. 2, 1714. In 1742 he became organist at the " Frauenkirche" at Dicsden, and in 1755 was promoted musical director. He died June 1, 1785. Among his published musical works those considered best are, Passionscantate (1755), and Weihnachtscantate (1777).— Brockhaus, Conv. Lex. viii, 76.
Homily (Gr. ojuXla, communion, a meeting; hence a discourse adapted to the people), the name of a certain class of sermons. It is now applied to a simple exposi- tion of a text, in contracUstinction from the discussion of a topic. In the early Church the term \6yoc, ora- tion, was applied to less famihar discoiu-ses; opiXia to the plainer, much as the term lecture is now used.
1. The distinction between the homUy and the ser- mon is thus set forth by Yinet . "The special character of the homily is, not that it has to do most frequently with recitals, or that it is more famiUar than otlier dis- courses, but that its chief business is to set in relief the successive parts of an extended text, subordinating them to its contour, its accidents, its chances, if we may so speak, more than can be done in the sermon, properly so called. Nothing lUstinguishes, essentially, the hom- ily from the sermon except the comparative predomi- nance of analysis ; in other terms, the prevalence of explanation over system. The difficulty as to unity pre- sented by this kiiid of discourse never amounts to im- possibility. We do not at random cut from the general text of the sacred book the particidar text of a homily. The selection is not arbitrary. The limit of the text is predetermined by reference to unity, which, therefore, we shall be at no loss to discover in it. Tlie only dan- ger is that unity of subject will be relinquished, as the thread of a path may be buried and lost beneath an in- tertwined and tufted vegetation. As the preacher ap- pears to be more sustained by his text in the homily tlian in the synthetic sermon, the former is thought to
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be more easy of execution. It certainly is more easy to make a homily than a sermon, but a good sermon is made with more facility than a good homily. The great masters in the art of preaching — Bourdaloue, for example — have not succeeded in homily. The most excellent judges in the matter of preaching have rec- ommended the homily" (Ilomiletics, p. 148 sq.).
2. In the primitive Church we find the style of the homily already in the discourses of Christ and his apos- tles. They frequented the synagogues of the Jews wherever they went, and in these it was customary, af- ter the reading of the Scriptures, to give an invitation to any one to comment upon what had been read. In this way the disciples frequently took occasion to speak of Christ and his doctrines. Thus we find in the Acts (i, 15 ; ii, 14 ; iv, 7 ; v, 29 ; vi, 34 ; xiii, 40, 41 : xvii, 22 ; XX, 18 ; xxii, xxiii, xxvi) brief notices of several ad- dresses made by Peter and Paul, and one by Stephen, which give us quite a distinct impression of their style of address. TertuUian and Justm MartjT inform us that a like practice was common in the churches of Africa and Asia. " We meet together to read the Holy Scriptures, and, when circumstances permit, to admonish one another. In such sacred discoiu-se we establish our faith, we encourage our hope, we confirm our trust, and quicken our obedience to the word by a renewed appli- cation of its truths" (Tertullian, Ajiol. p. 39).
(a) A similar mode of discourse we find again in the early Greek Chiu-ch, beginning with Origen (A.D. 320). This was in some respects, however, a new style of ad- dress, as it inclined to an allegorical mode of interpret- ing the Scriptures. But, aside from this characteristic, the sermons, or, rather, homilies of this period, were soon followed by all the preachers, as Origen was considered by all a standard who was to be imitated, wliile there were others less commendable. In general they were faulty in style, corrupt with "philosophical terms and rhetorical flourishes, forms of expression extravagant and farfetched, Biblical expressions unintelligible to the people, unmeaning comparisons, aljsnrd antitheses, spir- itless interrogations, senseless exclamations, and bom- bast." The causes Avhich contributed to form this style are due to the prevalence of pagan philosophy among the Christian preachers of this time, many of whom were converts from paganism, and had received an imperfect preparation before entering on the discharge olF their sacred office.
(b) In the early Latin Church, the homilies of this period are, if anything, even greatly inferior to those in the Greek. The cause of this was, as in the Greek Church, the imperfect education of those in the minis- trj-, more especially their ignorance of the original lan- guages of the Bible. See Eschenbiu-g, Versuch e. Gescli. del- offenil. Religionsvortrdge, p. 300 sq.
3. In the Church of Kome, at an early period, when few of the priests were capable of preaching, discourses were framed out of the fathers, chiefly expositor^', to be read from the pulpits. These were also called homilies. See HoMiLiARiujr.