Tolkien, Old Norse Poetry and Preaching

J. R. R. Tolkien was captivated by Old Norse poetry and described it this way:

“Old Norse poetry aims at seizing a situation, striking a blow that will be remembered, illuminating a moment with a flash of lightning- and tends to concision, weighty packing of the language in sense and form …” (The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun, 7)

It strikes me that this description ought also be true of preaching.

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