Divinity School Address

Formality in Christianity at the time of Emerson’s speech refers to obeying Christian rituals and observances without thinking about their meaning. Emerson sees formality as wrong because it emphasizes following rules for spiritual good instead of trusting in inherent virtue.

Emerson refers to historical Christianity in his section of grievances. While he is referring to the Unitarian denomination as the most proximate example, he is also referring to the state of Christianity inherited by him and his contemporaries. Specific grievances, such as the lifelessness of preaching, is referencing the state of the historical tradition of sermons.

The word Sabbath comes from the Hebrew word for rest. In a Christian context, the Sabbath is the day when members of a congregation meet for public worship and a sermon. The benefit of the Sabbath, for Emerson, is the meeting of people from all walks of life and the union of spirituality, which he refers to as “the jubilee of the whole world” (22). Therefore, in a speech that overwhelmingly derides tradition, the Sabbath is the one tradition that Emerson sees as valuable to Christianity. Emerson also invokes the sabbath to refer to the domain of the preachers. When he says that the “priest’s Sabbath has lost the spirit of nature” (13), he is saying that their religious meetings, and primarily the priest’s time of teaching, is operating outside of the natural order.