Gripla - 20.12.2016, Blaðsíða 250

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as illustrated in Jóns þáttr Halldórssonar. Even the language of the written
sermon could be changed upon delivery. Latin sermon collections were
popular during the Middle ages precisely because they were not fixed in
time and space. and even though Latin was used in writing down a ser-
mon, its actual performance was usually in the vernacular, depending on
the audience.56 thus although the Þorlákr sermon was written down in
Latin, it still could have been preached in old norse-Icelandic, as a well-
trained preacher could easily switch between the two languages, especially
when transforming the sermon into his native language.
Conclusion
Despite earlier scholarly beliefs, the Þorlákr sermon demonstrates that
thematic sermons were indeed preached in medieval Iceland. It draws on
the same thematic features and mechanisms of textual construction as
its counterparts all over Europe, especially outside major centres such as
Paris. the sermon is void of details relating to the saint, a typical feature
of thematic sermon preaching. It seems to have been forged from several
pre-existing sermons, rather than being an adaptation of a single model
sermon as was previously thought. the parts seem to have been assembled
by thematic association of the underlying scriptural quotations, and their
conventionality can, for instance, be seen in matching patterns found in
distinctiones. Evidence for the copy-paste technique being used elsewhere
in Europe places the Þorlákr sermon firmly in the context of this tradition,
rather than making it a peripheral phenomenon.
furthermore, it can be seen that in Iceland, too, the sermon was part
of a tradition of occasional preaching on the saints’ feasts, a supposition
which is supported by saga literature. While continental and modern in
its composition, it can also be characterised as Icelandic and traditional
through the focus on the Icelandic saint. the alleged lack of individual
detail is due to the sermon’s skeleton-like expression in writing. It would
have reached its full splendour during performance: enriched with details
from the saint’s vita and framed with appropriate prayers, a contemporary
audience would have found it to be a convincing example of a godly life at
the periphery that was worth imitating.
56 D’avray, Preaching of the Friars, 94–95.