Why did St. Anthony write the Sermones?

As he began the ministry of preaching in Romagna out of obedience, he also began writing the Sermones out of deference to the Bishop of Ostia, Rainaldo di Jenne, the future Pope Alexander IV. St. Anthony was also moved by strong feelings of charity when faced with the persistent requests for instruction by his confreres. In fact, with the beginning of a small theological school of the Friars Minor in Bologna, at the end of 1223 or the beginning of 1224, Anthony became a major protagonist in the intellectual evolution of the Order, by written permission of St. Francis.

Thanks to the diffusion of religious texts, the friars underwent a profound change, with unexpected and even revolutionary consequences (not all of which were positive) for the entire order and for the original ideals of the Franciscan movement. From a spontaneous movement, characterised by absolute simplicity and poverty, by means of a resolute choice, the Order of Friars Minor very rapidly became, a corporation of scholars, one of the most important expressions of the "intelligentia" of the Middle Ages in Western society, while at the same time it tried not to lose the primitive imprint of the 'little poor man'. Anthony was the pioneer of this turning point, bringing to it all the richness of his own Augustinian monastic education.

It was the same type of education that he received in the monastery of Santa Cruz in Coimbra. Within this theological school of thought, which flourished in the monasteries during its period of maximum splendour in the XII century, there was a certain pluralism among the various monasteries.

However, in these theologies there is a common denominator: they all promote the experience of God in love and of the pietas - simplicitas - humilitas of the monks and the canons regular. This is a concept of theology which is similar to that of St. Augustine and clearly in keeping with the Franciscan spirit.

The Sermones which we read today are not those which St. Anthony read aloud in front of the citizens of his day. There are more likely to be the fruit of his two duties: the teaching of the friars and the sermons preached to the faithful.

They thus have two facets, scholastic and pastoral.

Scholastic, because they reflect the method used for teaching and instructing the friars. This teaching was directed at the administering of the sacraments and preaching, which his students or the listeners would then exercise among the faithful.

Pastoral, because they explain how to preach to the faithful.

If the general scope of the Sermones, as one deduces from the Prologue, is the honour of God and the improvement of the soul, the specific aim is the education of friars and the desire to offer them help in their religious life, as well as provide them with the necessary instruction for both the proper administration of the sacraments and the well thought-out announcing of the Word of God.

The Sermones therefore are directly intended for confreres, to give them a means which would help them exercise the apostolate among the masses.

The various writers and authors who, in the past or recently, have sought to deepen their understanding of the nature of St. Anthony's Sermones, have expressed opinions which, on the whole, agree with one another. Here are a few.

"His sermones appear to be a mosaic of biblical texts which are juxtaposed, combined, concorded, linked, interwoven. A Biblical flavour pervades the Saint's style, with transparent and continual allusions to notable passages from Scripture" (L. Gonzaga de Fonseca).

"What are Saint Anthony's Sermons? They are not a manual or a theological summary … Neither can they be defined as a collection of comments on the holy Scripture… Nor are they a manual of biblical exegesis, nor the mystical exhibition of innumerable texts from the holy Scripture… Rather, they are a manual or preaching handbook which the Saint offered his fellow friars as a way to suggest themes, arguments, and thoughts to develop, when exercising their apostolic ministry, for the most disparate occasions."
(D. Scaramuzzi)

"In a more concise and precise manner, we can define the Sermons as the main work of the Saint. A liturgical, biblical, theological collection of sermons intended for the immediate, and especially the remote, preparation for preaching, in particular for the Minor Friars." (S. Doimi)