Géraud du Pescher () was a Franciscan theologian, preacher and canonist active in the 1330s.
Life A native of Puy-Saint-Front—the old quarter of Périgueux—Géraud had a close relationship with the court of Pope John XXII (). According to Jean de Roquetaillade, he advised the pope during the beatific vision controversy. According to the Legenda Aurea, he denied the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception in a sermon and was rebuked in a vision by the Virgin Mary while celebrating the Eucharist.
Géraud studied theology at the University of Toulouse. He received his master of theology and was granted a licence to teach in a papal bull issued by Benedict XII in 1335. He subsequently taught at the Franciscan studium in Toulouse.
Works Géraud's is one of the earliest (arts of preaching) by a Franciscan author. It was adapted and abridged by Austentius, another Franciscan from Périgord. In this form it is known from several manuscripts. The original text is known from only one, Todi 57. It was edited by Ferdinand Delorme in 1944., citing .
begins with the words . It is divided into eight main parts. Géraud claims to be writing in answer to the pleas of his colleagues for instruction in sermon writing. He answers in the affirmative his own question of "whether one can find some special technique in building collations and sermons". He denies that sermon composition can be learnt by imitation. His aims to teach sermon technique.
The first six sections of the are largely conventional step-by-step instructions in composing a sermon of the scholastic type. The first concerns the choice of a biblical theme and how to state it; the second the division of the theme; the third subdivisions and distinctions, especially the four senses of Scripture; the fourth how to demonstrate the truth of a division from authority; the fifth sermon development; and the sixth the different types of sermons and the difference between apostolic and modern preaching. In the last section Géraud condemns the use of extended nonbiblical allegories.
The seventh is the longest section. It is subdivided into twelve chapters. It is essentially a wordlist, "a tool to help the preacher find the rhymes" for rhymed divisions.. : "how to find appropriate words and combine them". Rhyming was a popular method of keeping sermons interesting when the audience was one's fellow clergy. The eighth section is essentially a grammatical addendum. Finally, Géraud introduces some example sermons. Only one of these is known to have survived, although Bernardino da Siena had seen some of the others.
At Easter 1333, Géraud wrote the , a commentary on the decretal by Pope Innocent III.
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Works cited