Holy Writ which is the foundation of preaching excels other sciences in a threefold way: because of its author, its matter, and the end which it has in view.
Its author: human genius, not however without the help of God, discovered for us the other sciences; but this science [Holy Scripture] is directly revealed to us by God himself, for “holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (II Pet. 1:21).
Its object: the other sciences treat only of those things which relate to reason, or nature, or to free will; this science, on the other hand, elevates itself to the things of God which infinitely surpass everything else.
Also the Divine Wisdom tells us: “Hear, for I speak of great things” (Prov. 8:6). Great things indeed, are the mysteries of the Trinity of God, His Unity, the Incarnation of the Son of God, and other subjects which nothing can surpass in dignity.
Its end: the other sciences have only in view either the government of temporal things, as the science of law, or the service of the body, as the science of medicine; or the instruction of the intellect imperfect and enveloped in ignorance, as the speculative sciences, while this science ought to gain for us eternal life.
Jesus Christ assured it when he said to the Samaritan woman: “He who drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him shall become in him a fountain of water springing up unto life everlasting” (John 4:13-14).
This signifies that the water of Divine Wisdom flows in order to lead us to eternal life, which is no other than God.
And this is why we can say that God Himself is the end of this science.
Holy Scripture is called Theology (from the two Greek words theos, God, and logos, word), for this reason, that all its words come from God, speak of God and lead to God.
Now it is precisely from these words and not from those taken from other sciences that all good preaching ought principally to come.
And since we appreciate a thing by the excellence of its composition, valuing a gold vase more than a lead one, think how much we should value preaching with contains such rare and sublime matter!
Humbert of Romans (c.1200-1277): Treatise on Preacing 1,1.
