Humanismus light? Karmeliterpredigten und -reden des 15. Jahrhunderts und ihr Einfluss auf die "civitas"

Abstract

Medieval sermons of Carmelite provenance are exceedingly rare. Until recently, only a single example was known; that number has now grown to approximately 400. These sermons not only address issues central to the everyday life of urban society but also offer important insight into the Carmelites' sense of identity and mission. It is important, however, to make a distinction. While fifteenth-century Carmelite sermones largely conformed to prevailing conventions, their orations, that is, 'addresses' or 'speeches', clearly surpassed contemporary standards through their remarkable rhetorical sophistication and refinement. – In the fourteenth century contributions to this genre were still subsumed under the term sermon and only gradually did the distinction in naming come into use. – The excellence of Carmelite orationes is best exemplified by several composed by the order's most prominent humanist, Battista Spagnoli da Mantova (†1516).