The Ars Componendi Sermones of Ranulph Higden, O.S.B.

Since the publication of Th. Charland's Artes Praedicandi in 1936, several significant studies of the rise and development of Arts of Preaching have appeared. There are, however, a few aspects of both classical and medieval traditions surrounding these artes which have not been featured in earlier critiques and which contribute to an appreciation of the form, namely: the changing concept of the word "ars", the dialectical/logical emphasis of the schoolmen, and most importantly, the great pastoral movement of the high Middle Ages which can be posited as the ultimate impetus for an art's composition. The latter phenomenon separates the artes praedicandi from the artes dictaminis and poeticae and gives perspective on the shaping influences in preaching tradition. Finally, the specifically Higden material focuses attention on his singularly well-made manual for the construction of a thematic sermon, the Ars componendi sermones.