“…das lehret uns der Catholische allein seeligmachende Glaub…” Theology in the Sermons of Austrian and Hungarian Dominicans in the 18th century

Abstract

Communication of religious knowledge, i.e., of principles of Catholic doctrine, has been considered to be a feature of Dominican preaching since the very beginning of the Order of Preachers. Although a preachers’ task is not identical to that of teachers, preachers ought to teach the people what they need to know to achieve salvation (munus docendi). The purpose of this article is to show that the friars of the Austro-Hungarian Dominican province of the 18th century were keenly aware of this role of preaching. This shall be accomplished by analyzing thirteenth sermons on saints delivered by nine preachers between the years 1704 and 1796. Theology of preaching, theology of grace, and ascetical and moral theology are the three key themes, which the sermons deal with.