What is Eloquence? ? John Chrysostom on Rhetoric

One of my children asked me what "eloquence" means as we read 1 Corinthians 1. "For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and?not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power." I told him that eloquence is what he is beginning to learn in his great books, writing, and rhetoric courses. The Apostle Paul, John Chrysostom, and Augustine of Hippo all had something in common: they were eloquent. And not eloquent by natural gifting. They were trained in classical rhetoric.? We see from Scripture above, and in the quotes below, that these saints used powerful eloquence to move their listeners to action, including a warning against the mere "tickling of ears" so often associated with the wrong use of rhetoric.?Rhetoric must not just delight, it must move to action; not just be eloquent, but love the hearer.

John Chrysostom on Rhetoric

“It is this that ruins churches, that you do not seek to hear sermons that touch the heart, but sermons that will delight your ears with their intonation and the structure of their phrases, just as if you were listening to singers and lute-players. And we preachers humor your fancies, instead of trying to crush them. We act like a father who gives a sick child a cake or an ice, or something else that is merely nice to eat—just because he asks for it; and takes no pains to give him what is good for him; and then when the doctors blame him says, 'I could not bear to hear my child cry.' . . . That is what we do when we elaborate beautiful sentences, fine combinations and harmonies, to please and not to profit, to be admired and not to instruct, to delight and not to touch you, to go away with your applause in our ears, and not to better your conduct.” —John Chrysostom, Homily XXX

And Augustine:

"Since, then, the faculty of eloquence is available for both sides, and is of very great service in the enforcing either of wrong or right, why do not good men study to engage it on the side of truth, when bad men use it to obtain the triumph of wicked and worthless causes, and to further injustice and error?" —St. Augustine, On Christian Teaching

Properly understood, Rhetoric is the art of a good man speaking well.? Evil men will twist the good of Rhetoric, and use it for evil.?

It is essential that we teach our children eloquence, but the Gospel first. They must move men to action, but it must be righteous action.?

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and true rhetoric, true eloquence, flows from wisdom.?

That is partly why the study of rhetoric as the art of persuasion is the capstone of a classical k-12 education. Read good books, great books, learn logic, grammar, encounter good and bad ideas, and test them against Scripture and in the context of history. And then, hand the sword of Rhetoric to a student. He or she will cut themselves a few times, but no warrior learns to fight without practice and failure. And one of the things they will learn is the power and danger of words, and how essential it is to become the good man speaking well.?

Fitting Words Classical Rhetoric provides a foundation in classical rhetoric for the 10-12th grade student. It is a complete curriculum with ample exercises and practice, steeped in Scripture and the classical texts, as well as more modern examples.? Our prayer is that it will be a blessing to your family or school as an effective tool to teach eloquent men and women who fear God, and use eloquence to move men to godly action.

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(I mispronounce a word early in the video. 5 points for Gryffindor if you identify it and let me know)

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