The Sermons of John Donne, Volume V

The Sermons of John Donne, Volume V, edited by George R. Potter and Evelyn M. Simpson, brings together a substantial body of undated sermons, contextualized with editorial analysis, and situates them within Donne's career. The sermons display the range of occasions for which he preached, from Whitsunday to christenings, churchings, and parish duties, before the greater demands of his later ministry absorbed his energies. They reveal Donne working out his pastoral and theological voice within a rapidly shifting religious and political landscape, emphasizing the sacramental incorporation of individuals into the larger communion of saints, addressing controversies over the sign of the cross, and drawing on his earlier *Essays in Divinity*. The volume fills a crucial place in the edition, capturing Donne's development in the years before his great cathedral preaching and showing how his casuistry, poetic imagination, and pastoral urgency intertwined from the very outset of his ministry.

Format: Hardback
Length: 438 pages
Publication date: 29 April 2022
Publisher: University of California Press

The Sermons of John Donne, edited by George R. Potter and Evelyn M. Simpson, presents a substantial collection of undated sermons by Donne, contextualized with meticulous editorial analysis that reconstructs their likely chronology. Out of the 160 extant sermons, nearly half lack precise dating in the Folios, and this volume aims to situate them within Donne's career by drawing on manuscript evidence, internal references, and historical context. Many of the sermons fall between Donne's early years as Divinity Reader at Lincolns Inn (1616–1622) and his first years as Dean of St. Pauls. They showcase the range of occasions for which he preached, including Whitsunday, christenings, churchings, and parish duties, before the greater demands of his later ministry absorbed his energies.

The sermons collected in this volume reveal Donne working out his pastoral and theological voice within a rapidly shifting religious and political landscape. In baptismal and churching sermons, he emphasizes the sacramental incorporation of individuals into the larger communion of saints, while also addressing controversies over the sign of the cross or the role of women in devotion. Whitsunday sermons show his fascination with the Spirit as a moving, animating presence, often rendered through nautical metaphors rooted in his seafaring experiences. A number of sermons draw directly on Donne's earlier *Essays in Divinity*, reworking meditative material on divine names, the mystery of confession, and the paradoxical way sin is folded into providence. What emerges is Donne's characteristic balance: a preacher alert to polemical disputes of his day but more deeply concerned with guiding his hearers toward humility, penitence, and joy in forgiveness. Volume V thus fills a crucial place in the study of Donne's sermons, providing valuable insights into his pastoral care, theological development, and engagement with the religious and political issues of his time.

Weight: 804g
Dimension: 158 x 237 x 33 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780520372955