Matthew of Cracow was one of the most significant members of Prague University during its pre- hussite era. In addition to that, he is considered as one of the main representatives of the reform movement focused on correction of Christian life in the society of the second part of 14th and the beginning of 15th century. From his rich literary output, the work known as Dialogue of Reason and Consciousness of Frequent Communion deserves a special regard. It is one of many texts dealing with Eucharist theme that originated in Czech Lands in the second part of the 14th century. Among them, the Dialogue stands out because of its enormous popularity, reflected in high number of manuscripts. Despite that fact, modern historiography did not pay adequate attention to the Dialogue so far. The first part of this theses sums up results of previous research concerning Matthews life and work. The second part is focusing on the Dialogue itself. It analyzes the manuscript evidence of the Dialogue in the scholarly literature, outlines historical context of its formation and introduces the actual content of the Dialogue. In the last part of this theses comes a critical evaluation of the only existing edition of the Dialogue. Based on detailed analysis, it is shown that the original edition from 1974 suffers from...

The final chapter of Luke 24 exhibits a peculiar interest in the body of Jesus, which has historically led to theologians interpreting the passage as mainly concerned with christological matters. The phrase “body of Christ” can be understood in regard to the Eucharist meal, but also as employed by Paul to speak of the community of believers. Could the focus on the body in Luke 24, and its climactic recognition scene with Jesus breaking the bread, invoke symbolism related to the corporate community? If so, it could serve as an elegant narratological transition onto Acts. This paper presents a narrative–rhetorical analysis of Luke24:1–53 and a semantic–rhetorical analysis of Did 9:3–4, investigating the use of the symbolism and the ideas associated with the bread of the Eucharist as the body of Jesus. Both analyses are concerned with the historically situated author–reader and utilizes Relevance theory from the field of linguistics to help determine whether the suggested symbolism maybe at play in Luke 24. The study concludes that the bread of the Eucharist carries symbolism that communicates how God’s Wisdom is shared among, and existing within, the community of believers, and that this understanding underlies the entire narrative of Luke 24—adding an ecclesiological layer to the passage.

[pt] Na última ceia, com seus apóstolos, Jesus lega para toda a humanidade a celebração memorial da salvação de sua páscoa redentora. A Igreja, desde seus primórdios, sente-se como herdeira deste legado mantendo vivo, de forma ininterrupta, o cumprimento da ordem de iteração do Senhor: fazei isto em memória de mim. A celebração da Eucaristia constitui o núcleo central da liturgia da Igreja, em torno do qual orbitam todos os seus momentos de oração. Além disso, pela ação do Espírito Santo, na liturgia, a Igreja é constituída e se manifesta. Em tudo isso, o Espírito Santo ocupa papel central, que não pode, de forma nenhuma, ser relativizado ou esquecido. Tais fatos ressaltam com que gravidade a Igreja é chamada a crescer sempre mais na compreensão do mistério de Cristo, e na sua missão de conduzir os fiéis a uma participação mais ativa e consciente. Este trabalho intenta realizar um estudo das fórmulas oracionais utilizadas para celebrar a Eucaristia, ressaltando a ação do Espírito Santo e a sua dinâmica eclesiogenética no gesto litúrgico. A metodologia da pesquisa é predominantemente mistagógica. Os textos da liturgia serão cortejados com destaque, como voz de autoridade para ensinar. Na realização de uma mistagogia da Eucaristia, a dinâmica do Espírito Santo e a geração da Igreja serão ressaltados, a fim de que se faça um autêntico estudo pneumático-mistagógico, isto é, uma pneumatologia que se manifeste como uma epicletologia eclesiogenética. / [en] At the last supper, with his apostles, Jesus bequeaths to all humanity the memorial celebration of his Redeeming Passover. The Church, from its beginnings, feels a truly heir to this legacy, keeping alive, uninterruptedly, the fulfillment of the Lord s iteration order: do this in memory of me. The celebration of the Eucharist constitutes the central nucleus of the Church s Liturgy, around which all her moments of prayer revolve. Furthermore, through the action of the Holy Spirit, in the Liturgy, the Church is constituted and manifests itself. In all of this, the Holy Spirit occupies a central role, which cannot, in any way, be relativized or forgotten. These facts emphasize how seriously the Church is called to grow ever more in the understanding of the Mystery of Christ, and in his mission to lead the christians to a participation more active and conscious. This work intends to carry out a study of the prayer formulas used to celebrate the Eucharist, highlighting the action of the Holy Spirit and its ecclesiogenetic dynamics in the liturgical action. The methodology of the research is predominantly mystagogical. The liturgy texts will be courted prominently, as an authoritative voice to teach. When performing a mystagogy of the Eucharist, the dynamics of the Divine Pneuma and the generation of the Church will be highlighted, in order to make an authentic pneumatological-mystagogic study, in other terms, a pneumatology that manifests itself as an ecclesiogenetic epicletology.

This study attempts to analyze the Eucharist in the Synoptic Gospels including their co-texts (Matt 26:14–35; Mark 14:10–31; Luke 22:3–23, 31–34), via a Mode Register Analysis based on Systemic Functional Linguistics. The purpose of this study is threefold: (1) to model a linguistic methodology and to apply it to each text of the Eucharist and its co-texts in the Synoptic Gospels, (2) to find meaningful linguistic characteristics of each designated text via a comparative analysis based on the preceding study, and finally (3) to suggest a balanced and plausible hypothesis which may offer convincing explanations of the Synoptic Gospels' construction process. The thesis of this study is as follows: in the Synoptic Gospels' construction process, each constructor reflected the oral Gospel tradition(s) significantly, as the one who had formed/contributed the tradition (probably Matthew), or the one who delivered it (probably Mark), or the one who preserved it (probably Luke), though there is also the possibility that each of them made use of written sources including the other Gospel(s).

<p>This thesis examines the metaphorical expressions of Robert Southwell and John Donne in light of the instability created in metaphorical thought by Reformational debates. I argue that the theological doctrines regarding the Eucharist and Biblical interpretation had associated consequences for figurative thought and that the violence with which these doctrines were interrogated in early modern England created a crisis of figurative representation that contributed to the elaborate experimentation of metaphor (layerings, argued conceits, rapid transitions between tropes, etc.) found within the poetry of Southwell and Donne.</p> <p>My first chapter traces the theological landscape of early modern England, noting the continental Catholic and Protestant positions which defined the Reformational debates, as well as roughly locating the position of the English Church in the centre of these debates. While each of these doctrinal positions contains certain understandings about metaphorical thought, this chapter argues that it is the general uncertainty and the society-wide fluctuations between these ideas that defines my concept of the “theological aesthetic.” In my final two chapters I look at specific metaphors in the works of Robert Southwell (“Saint Peter’s Complaint,” “Christ’s bloody sweat,” and “The prodigal childs soule wracke”) and John Donne (“The Cross,” “Holy Sonnet 10: Batter my heart, three- personed God,” and “Holy Sonnet 2: I am a little world made cunningly”). Close analysis of these poems reveals that Southwell’s poetry often combines imagery and tropes in complicated ways to form multifaceted metaphors, while Donne’s poetry often functions as a meditation upon the possibilities of figurative language to create meaning.</p> <p>This thesis does not attempt to form a comprehensive theory of early modern metaphor, but rather examines how the theological debates of the Reformation questioned the representational efficacy of figurative language, allowing metaphor to be redefined by the experiments of early modern poets like Southwell and Donne.</p> / Master of English

This thesis is an examination of the eucharistic doctrine of ten Scottish theological writers in the tradition of Scottish Episcopacy; five from the seventeenth century, two from the eighteenth century, and three from the nineteenth century. The doctrine espoused by each one throughout the stated period, 1620–1875, is found to agree with the other writers considered herein, because each writer turned to many of the same Church Fathers as the source of his doctrine and his interpretation of Holy Scripture. The argument of this thesis is that all of the writers, rejecting the Tridentine, Lutheran, Bezan-Calvinist, and Zwinglian definitions of the Eucharist, maintained a material sacrifice in the Eucharist, which is an offering to God the Father of bread and wine as the propitiatory memorial of Christ’s death on the Cross, commanded by Christ himself at the Last Supper. The sacrifice is propitiatory because it is the means of representing the one sacrifice of Christ on the Cross to God the Father, thereby pleading the benefits of the Cross for the communicants. The bread and wine do not change substance, but become effectively the body and blood of Christ. Three of the ten writers produced eucharistic rites, one in the seventeenth century, and two in the eighteenth century. It is argued that each of these rites is expressive of the Eucharist as being a commemorative and representative sacrifice. Each rite explicitly offers bread and wine to the Father, invokes the Holy Spirit’s action over the elements, and prays that by receiving the consecrated bread and wine as the body and blood of Christ, the communicants will receive the forgiveness of sins, the continuing grace of the Holy Spirit, and eternal life.

This thesis is an examination of Lancelot Andrewes' (1555-1626) Eucharistic theology which is explored in order to see how far he might act as a catalyst for ecumenism with Rome on the topic of Eucharistic sacrifice. The purpose of the thesis is to develop a fuller exposition of Andrewes' Eucharistic theology as a unique theologian who maintained a view of sacrifice that was denied by Protestants on the continent of Europe and by most within the English Church of his day. In the first four chapters Andrewes' own views are not always juxtaposed to more contemporary views. This is intentional in order to develop his own thought before looking at him as an ecumenical partner on sacrifice. The first chapter explores Andrewes as a theologian within his own context of ecclesiology, placing Andrewes within a more Catholic framework as opposed to Puritanism that was becoming politically influential during the reign of King James I. The second chapter then looks at Andrewes' view of Eucharistic instrumentality where I characterise him as an ‘effectual instrumentalist' over against some contemporary scholars who place him alongside John Calvin who is sometimes described as a ‘symbolic instrumentalist'. I find Andrewes closer to a Catholic framework of instrumentalism. The third chapter further explores Andrewes' view of presence where I conclude that he should be characterised as one holding to an objective view of presence and give him the Cappodocian label as a Transelementationist. This is to emphasise that Andrewes did encourage the faithful to look for Christ in the elements themselves, which goes beyond Christ's presence within the faith of the believer alone. The fourth chapter is the lengthiest chapter as it develops Andrewes' views of sacrifice. I see him as someone immersed in the sacrificial nature of the Eucharist defined within the writings of the Fathers of the first five centuries. It was here that Andrewes is able to be set fully within the framework of a Catholic view of the mystery as the Christian sacrifice offered to God in return for the gift of the Christ-event to the world. Andrewes' description of the offering as containing a propitiatory effect in the application of the forgiveness of sins through ‘instrumental touching' was a unique understanding of someone in the Church of England during the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. In the final chapter, I juxtapose Andrewes with Catholic teaching as it is explored in contemporary Catholic theology as well as, perhaps more importantly, within papal documents and authoritative Catholic statements on the sacrifice of the Mass. This is to show how similar Andrewes is in his description of the sacrifice of the Eucharist to Rome and how he goes further in that direction than any of his contemporaries or even modern ecumenical statements in Anglican and Roman Catholic dialogue.

This thesis examines how, in late-medieval England, uses of Scripture and associated written discourses expanded to encompass the sacramental functions hitherto privileged to the bread and wine of the Mass. This process, reflecting the longstanding if implicit importance of scriptural symbolism to the medieval Eucharist, also bears witness to a major cultural shift in this period: the assignment to words of the same powers that had underpinned the function of visual, non-verbal symbols in medieval religion and society. As Chapter Two demonstrates, this process was starkly exposed in John Wyclif’s vision of an English religion centred upon the sacrament of the preached word of Scripture, rather than on the Mass. As Chapter Three shows, this was the vision that Wyclif’s followers sought to realize, even if they may have achieved their aims only within a limited band of followers. However, Wyclif’s vision was powerful precisely because its relevance was not confined to Wycliffites. Chapter Four charts how the same substitution was taking place through the dissemination in English of ‘Scripture’, which, in its broadest sense, encompassed meditations upon depictions of Christ crucified as well as preaching. The greatest danger of Wycliffite thought to the late-medieval Church rested in its potential to increase lay awareness of this process. This threat was reflected in the restrictions placed by the English Church upon lay use of religious writings in the early fifteenth century. Nonetheless, as Chapter Five shows through a reading of one of Wyclif’s sternest critics, Thomas Netter, the eucharistic function of ‘Scripture’ had not disappeared but had to be occluded. This occlusion represents the most significant shift in the eucharistic function of ‘Scripture’ in the fifteenth century, allowing its use to develop further without threatening the Mass. This thesis concludes that the unacknowledged yet increasingly central role of ‘Scripture’ helps to explain why, at the Reformation, a scripturally-based religion seemed so quickly to supplant one to which images had been fundamental.

Certains symptômes sont les indicateurs incontestés des très graves problèmes que connaît l’Église. S’ils existent aussi dans des confessions et des religions diverses, seuls seront examinés ici ceux qui concernent l’Église catholique. Parmi les plus significatifs figurent un fort déclin dans la participation à des activités religieuses comme les célébrations eucharistiques dominicales, surtout chez les jeunes, une pénurie presque catastrophique de prêtres ordonnés, une perte de prestige et d’influence de l’enseignement dispensé par l’Église. Ces symptômes varient en intensité selon les pays, mais les statistiques indiquent qu’ils se multiplient. Nombre de ces problèmes sont attribuables à l’extrême vélocité de changements qui surviennent partout et à l’apparente inaptitude de l’Église à s’adapter, en raison notamment de son attachement à la pensée néo-scolastique et à la tradition tridentine. Cette fidélité absolue à une tradition vieille de quatre cents ans l’empêche de se faire à un environnement en évolution rapide et radicale. Des changements appropriés s’imposent pratiquement partout dans l’Église. Or, pour que ceux-ci soient efficaces et respectueux de la nature propre de l’Église, la tradition est un guide qui ne suffit pas. S’appuyant sur les termes de l’encyclique Ecclesia de Eucharistia, « le moment décisif où elle (l’Église) a pris forme est certainement celui où a eu lieu l’institution de l’Eucharistie, dans la chambre à l’étage », la thèse présentée suit le plus près possible l’interprétation donnée aux paroles de Jésus, ceci est mon corps, telles qu’elles ont été prononcées la première fois. Selon cette évidence, il est permis d’affirmer que les caractéristiques définitoires de l’Église provenant de ces mots sont agape, unité, service. Tel doit être le principe directeur des changements. C’est sur une telle base que sont décrits les secteurs où les changements s’imposent ainsi que les aspects visés. Ces changements comprennent les points suivants : liturgie, sacrements, catéchèse, mystagogie, théologie, structure, gouvernance de l’Église et ses enseignements, évangélisation. Ces secteurs exigent des efforts sérieux dans la préparation des personnes touchées par ces changements et dans l’attention portée à l’exigence primordiale voulant qu’agape, unité et service soient les principes actifs et évidents régissant l’Église. / Unmistakable symptoms indicate some very serious problems in the Church. While they also plague other denominations and religions, this work deals specifically with the Roman Catholic Church. The most significant symptoms include a drastic decline in participation in religious activity, such as Sunday eucharistic celebrations, especially among younger people, a near-catastrophic shortage of ordained priests, and a loss of the prestige and influence of the teaching authority of the Church. The intensity of these symptoms varies in different areas of the world, but statistical data show that they are spreading. Many of the problems are due to the incredibly fast changes occurring in the world and the apparent inability of the Church to adapt to them, especially in its strong attachment to neo-scholastic thinking and Tridentine tradition. Exclusive reliance on a tradition developed four hundred years ago is unsuitable in a rapidly and radically changing environment. Appropriate changes are necessary in practically all areas of the life of the Church. For these to be successful and also true to the nature of the Church, tradition alone is an insufficient guide. Based on the statement of the encyclical Ecclesia de Eucharistia, the “decisive moment in her [the Church] taking shape was certainly the institution of the Eucharist in the Upper Room,” this thesis returns as closely as possible to the interpretation given to the words of Jesus, this is my body, when they were first uttered. On the evidence available, it can be asserted that the defining characteristics of the Church, given by these words, are agape, unity and service. This must be the guiding principle of changes to be implemented. It is on this basis that the areas in which changes are needed and the aspects to be changed are described. These include liturgy, sacraments, catechesis, mystagogy, theology, the structure and governance of the Church, its teachings, and evangelisation. Within these areas serious effort must be made to properly prepare those involved in the changes and to focus on the pre-eminent requirement of making agape, unity and service the active and obvious principle that governs the Church.

Les relations œcuméniques se cristallisent autour du ministère et un blocage semble avoir été atteint sur ce point. Depuis cinquante ans, les Églises luthériennes et réformées dialoguent au plan international avec l’Église catholique sur cette question et de nombreux rapports ont été édités. Cette étude analyse les convergences fortes, les légitimes différences et les divergences qui apparaissent dans ces dialogues au sujet de l’apostolicité de toute l’Église, de l’importance du sacerdoce commun des baptisés, de la nécessité d’un ministère ordonné au service de la prédication et de l’administration des sacrements, de l’importance constitutive pour l’Église d’un ministère d’episkopè en charge de veiller à sa fidélité à l’Évangile et à son unité au plan supra-local. Elle montre que le ministère n’est pas la question ultime mais révèle des enjeux ecclésiologiques fondamentaux qui apparaissent dans le lien entre communion eucharistique et communion ecclésiale, la structuration de l’Église sur le plan universel et son rapport aux Églises locales, la présence en plénitude de l’Église de Jésus-Christ dans une ou plusieurs Églises particulières. Elle pose des jalons de réflexion pour avancer vers une reconnaissance mutuelle des ministères qui, si elle n’est à l’ordre du jour, demeure encore possible. / Ecumenical relations tend to crystallize around the question of ministry, a subject on which current dialogue seems to be blocked. For fifty years, the Lutheran and Reformed Churches have been engaged in dialogue at the international level with the Roman Catholic Church on this question. Numerous reports have been produced. This study analyzes the strong convergences, the legitimate differences and the divergences which appear in these dialogues on the apostolicity of the Church, the importance of the common priesthood of the baptized, the necessity of a special ministry conferred by ordination for the service of preaching and administration of the sacraments and the essential importance for the Church of a ministry of episkopè to protect the integrity of the faith and preserve the unity of the church. The study demonstrates that ministry is not the ultimate question, but one that reveals fundamental ecclesiological issues which appear in the connection between eucharistic and ecclesial communion, the structuring of the Church on a universal level and its relationship with local Churches, the presence in fullness of the Church of Jesus Christ in one or several particular Churches. The study offers a reflexion which prepares the ground for moving forward to a mutual recognition of ministries which, although not currently on the agenda, nevertheless still remains possible.