sacramental theology for ordained ministry (mt002)

St Michael’s College, Cardiff

Distance-Learning Short Courses

MT002 Sacramental theology for

ordained ministry

Module tutor: Stephen Roberts

[email protected]

Introduction

Welcome

Welcome to this distance learning module. It is designed as part of a preparation for the exercise of

ordained Anglican ministry for those who already have some experience of lay ministry and theological

study. The module looks at the nature of sacraments in general terms, at the particular sacrament of

the Eucharist, and considers what it means to describe ordination itself as a sacrament.

Aim

The aim of this module is to provide an introduction to sacramental theology in general and the

theology of particular sacraments, primarily the Eucharist and ordination, in order to provide resources

for theologically reflective practice in the ordained ministry of a priest within the Anglican tradition.

Outcomes

At the end of this module you should be able to do the following:

Provide a sacramental understanding of the nature of ordained ministry in general

Reflect theologically on what that means for your ministry in particular

Describe some key features of sacramental theology

Give an account of what it means to call the Eucharist a sacrament

Exercise ordained ministry in a way that reflects a sacramental understanding

Course contents

Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 2

Unit 1: Seeing the world sacramentally ........................................................................................................ 5

Unit 2: The ritual reason why........................................................................................................................ 9

Unit 3: Christian sacramental theology ...................................................................................................... 11

Unit 4: The development of sacramental theology .................................................................................... 13

Unit 5: The Reformation and Anglican sacramental theology.................................................................... 16

Unit 6: The Eucharist as sacramental meal ................................................................................................ 18

Unit 7: The Eucharist as sacrament of the Church ..................................................................................... 21

Unit 8: Ordination as sacrament ................................................................................................................. 23

Unit 9: The Eucharist, ordination and the mission of the Church .............................................................. 25

Unit 10: Sacramental ministry and mission ................................................................................................ 27

Conclusion to the module ........................................................................................................................... 29

Additional required readings ...................................................................................................................... 30

Approach to learning There are ten units which are designed to be followed over the course of approximately twenty weeks,

so allowing a fortnight per unit. Each unit will follow this structure:

First you will be asked to reflect on your own existing understanding of the topic for that unit, or to

consider a related question. This is to ensure that what you learn from the reading and other course

materials builds on and connects with your existing knowledge and understanding. It is important to

note at the outset that you already have a developed sacramental theology, whether you recognize it or

not. That is why it is also important for your learning that you write down your responses to these

questions before proceeding.

Then you will be guided through a range of learning resources that will explore the topic from different

perspectives and in different ways. These may include readings from core text books or the reading

pack, poetry and other forms of art, Youtube clips and other online resources. At various points you will

be asked to write down reflections on what you are learning, sometimes in response to particular

questions and sometimes more generally.

You will notice that there is less reading to do in the first two units and the last two units, with the more

intensive reading being concentrated in units 3 – 8. This is because the first two units are designed to

ground the module in your own experience and so are more reflective; and because the last two units

are trying to bring together what you have learned from the module by getting you to use the resources

of the module in thinking about contemporary issues and your own ministry.

Sometimes there will be a section entitled ‘Extra’. This is optional and can be seen as what you might

call some ‘bonus content’ that you can explore if you want to and have the time.

At the end of each unit you will be asked to write a short summary (about 500 words) of what you

have learned by engaging with the material for that topic, thus producing a learning journal giving an

account of your experience of the module.

The course is designed to be followed online on Moodle and so there are sometimes links to webpages

and other resources in the text. In the handbook, the actual web address can be found in a footnote at

the bottom of the page.

Supervision

You will have a tutor assigned to you to support you in working through the module. You can ask them

any questions you have about the module: things you don’t understand, anything you want to check out

with someone else. This can be done by telephone, e-mail, skype or face to face. The main contact

with your tutor, however, will be a fortnightly e-mail exchange in which you send the work you have

done for that unit to your tutor and they reply with comments. The work you send should include your

initial reflection / response to questions; responses to questions relating to specific material; and your

final summary of what you have learned. Whilst the final summary should be coherent, structured and

well written, the rest of the material is not expected to be ‘polished’ academic work but an indication of

your engagement with the material: it should be intelligible to your tutor but can be more note-like in

quality.

Assessment

At the end of the module you should have a learning journal of around 5000 words. You are asked to

look back over this and distil from it a 2000 word account of your understanding of the sacramental

ministry of the ordained.

Core texts

You will need access to these two books, both of which are freely (and not too expensively) available to

buy, or from the library:

Ross Thompson SCM Studyguide to The Sacraments London: SCM, 2006

John Macquarrie A Guide to the Sacraments London: SCM, 1997

Other readings

You will be provided with other readings to supplement these two core texts, either in the form of a

reading pack or in pdf format on the Moodle page for this module.

Unit 1: Seeing the world sacramentally

Initial reflection: What does the word ‘sacrament’ mean to you? Does the word ‘sacramental’ mean

anything different? (Remember: jot down your initial responses to these questions before moving on.)

Read the following poems. What do they all have in common? (Make a note of your answer,

and any other reflections inspired by the poems).

‘God’s Grandeur’ by Gerard Manley Hopkins

THE WORLD is charged with the grandeur of God.

It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;

It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil

Crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?

Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;

And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil;

And wears man’s smudge and shares man’s smell: the soil

Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.

And for all this, nature is never spent;

There lives the dearest freshness deep down things;

And though the last lights off the black West went

Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs

Because the Holy Ghost over the bent

World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings

‘A Daisy in April’ by Saunders Lewis

Yesterday I saw a daisy

Like a shining mirror of the dawn.

The day before I walked over it without thought.

Yesterday I saw. I well know

The energy and the passion of spring and its zest,

Creating the crystalline shilling,

The longing of the art of the heath,

The ruby and the gem in the marsh.

The field where the April cuckoo sang

Has become the milky way:

The firmament turned upside down

Millions of the suns in the heavens

Are placed beneath my feet,

To gild the grass of this grey earth.

Orion on the hillsides

Arcturus and Sirius are

Sparks of the fire of God’s living coals;

Stars like seraphim

In the splendid azure sky.

Yesterday, I saw a daisy.

‘The Elixir’ by George Herbert

Teach me, my God and King,

In all things thee to see,

And what I do in anything,

To do it as for thee:

Not rudely, as a beast,

To runne into an action;

But still to make thee prepossest,

And give it his perfection.

A man that looks on glasse,

On it may stay his eye;

Or if he pleaseth, through it passe,

And then the heav’n espie.

All may of thee partake:

Nothing can be so mean,

Which with his tincture (for thy sake)

Will not grow bright and clean.

A servant with this clause

Makes drudgerie divine:

Who sweeps a room, as for thy laws,

Makes that and th’ action fine.

This is the famous stone

That turneth all to gold:

For that which God doth touch and own

Cannot for lesse be told.

When you have noted what you think they have in common and any other responses

to the poems, try to think of (and note down) any passages of the Bible that might express similar

ideas.

Listen / Look. Choose a favourite piece of music, or a favourite picture / painting if you are more

engaged by fine art than music; spend some time appreciating it and reflect on how you respond to it,

what it ‘does’ to or for you, how it affects you. Jot down some of your thoughts.

Everything you have been doing so far has been getting you to think about what has been

called ‘the sacramental universe’, which is a way of describing the whole world as sacramental. We

can call this ‘a sacramental view of the world’. In order to understand this more fully, read Chapter 1

of John Macquarrie’s Guide to the Sacraments, entitled ‘A Sacramental Universe’. Consider and note

your responses to some or all of the following questions to help your reading:

What does Macquarrie mean by a ‘sacramental universe’?

Why does he talk about ‘duality’?

How do you respond to the description (from Joseph Martos) of sacraments as ‘doors to the

sacred’?

How does Macquarrie qualify the notion of the world as sacramental?

This quotation from the first page of the chapter sums up a lot of what this unit has been trying to get

across:

Perhaps the goal of all sacramentality and sacramental theology is to make the things

of this world so transparent that in them and through them we know God’s presence

and activity in our very midst, and so experience his grace.

Here, finally, are some passages from the Bible that reflect or in different ways support

something of this view of the world. Can you articulate the ways in which they do so?

Exodus 3.1-5

Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock

beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2There the angel of

the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing,

yet it was not consumed. 3Then Moses said, ‘I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and

see why the bush is not burned up.’ 4When theLord saw that he had turned aside to see, God

called to him out of the bush, ‘Moses, Moses!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ 5Then he said, ‘Come

no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy

ground.’

Psalm 19

The heavens are telling the glory of God;

and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.

Day to day pours forth speech,

and night to night declares knowledge.

There is no speech, nor are there words;

their voice is not heard;

yet their voice goes out through all the earth,

and their words to the end of the world.

John 9.1-7

As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who

sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ 3Jesus answered, ‘Neither this man

nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in

him. 4We*must work the works of him who sent me* while it is day; night is coming when no

one can work. 5As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.’ 6When he had said

this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s

eyes,7saying to him, ‘Go, wash in the pool of Siloam’ (which means Sent). Then he went and

washed and came back able to see.

[Extra: A wonderful celebration of sacramentality can be found in the film Babette’s Feast in which

the savouring of the sheer taste and sensuality of a banquet becomes an experience of the

transcendent. You can read about, and at least watch a trailer on IMDb1. You may also be able to

watch it online, buy the DVD or download the film to watch.

If this way of thinking about the world as sacramental is capturing your imagination and you want to

explore it further, then David Brown has written many books that would help you, but particularly a

trilogy dealing with ‘the question of religious experience through culture and the arts’.2 In these three

books David Brown offers a deep and sustained engagement with many dimensions of physical

experience and how this can be sacramental.]

Summary of learning. Now look back over what you have read, watched, listened to, browsed and

thought about during this unit, referring to your notes and considering what you have learned. Then

write a paragraph (about 500 words) summarising what you have gained from your study.

1 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092603/?licb=0.7257334333844483 2 David Brown, God and Grace of Body: Sacrament in Ordinary (Oxford: OUP, 2007), p.vi. This is the second volume, the first being God and Enchantment of Place: Reclaiming Human Experience (Oxford: OUP, 2004), and the third God & Mystery in Words: Experience through Metaphor and Drama (Oxford: OUP, 2008)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092603/?licb=0.7257334333844483

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092603/?licb=0.7257334333844483

Unit 2: The ritual reason why

Initial reflection: How do you respond to the description of a sacrament as ‘a religious ritual’? How do

you understand the relationship between the ‘sacramental universe’ described in the previous unit

and the particular sacraments of the Christian church?

Introduction: In the previous unit we began to think theologically about a sacramental vision of the

world. This broad conception of sacramental theology will remain important throughout the module.

However, we will also be thinking about some quite particular Christian rituals called ‘the

sacraments’. Most of our thinking about these will be theological, but in this unit we consider some

important aspects of what it is to be a human being that make sacraments as ritual action important

for Christian faith and life.

Watch. In Unit 3 we will begin exploring sacramental theology in more depth, but in this video,

theologian and former Bishop of Durham Tom Wright talks about sacraments. He points us towards

important theological aspects, but at this stage you should listen out for (and note down) some of the

things he says about how sacraments are important to us as physical human beings. (It would also be

good to note what Wright describes as the theological basis of sacraments).

Tom Wright rightly observes that ‘the most important things in life are difficult to put into

words.’ This is why different religions through the centuries have discovered ‘the importance of doing

things with our bodies’ (to quote Wright again). It is often interesting to note where different writers

start in exploring a topic. John Macquarrie, as we have seen, begins with a theological exploration of

‘the sacramental universe’. Joseph Martos, on the other hand, begins with a discussion of

‘Sacraments in all Religions’. Read this first chapter of Doors of the Sacred (supplied), and consider

the following questions (don’t be put off by the fact that, as a Roman Catholic, he seems to be writing

for fellow Catholics; most of what he writes is relevant for all Christians):

What does he say about the origins of the word ‘sacrament’?

How does he approach the idea of a sacramental universe slightly differently?

How does he argue for the value of understanding sacraments from the perspective of the human

sciences?

How do you respond to the way in which Christian ‘doors to the sacred’ are here described

alongside other doors?

Watch. This Youtube playlist collects together 11 videos of global, worship rituals from different

religious traditions. Spend some time watching some or all of each of the videos. Some (if not all!) of

them may seem very strange and unfamiliar. What are the strengths and weaknesses of thinking of

Christian sacraments alongside these other religious rituals?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hrWprl6LdM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r33ouYZ-Gt0&list=PL4410849ACDD46C8B

What rituals have been (and perhaps continue to be) important in your spiritual life?

What is the place of religious ritual in the modern world? What do you make of the suggestion that

doing strange things is normal for religious people?

In fact, whilst religious rituals may seem rather strange,

rituals are an important part of human life: ‘going for a

coffee’ with someone is a ritual way of expressing and

deepening friendship; families have their own rituals to

celebrate their togetherness at Christmas; organisations

from sports clubs to parliament have distinctive ritual ways

of transacting their business.

In an intriguing discussion of ‘Liturgy as Starbucks’, Quinn Fox argues that Churches shouldn’t be

afraid of the strangeness of their ritual activity. Starbucks is flourishing and you have to learn a whole

new language to get a coffee there! [You can read the article here3.]

At this stage you should find it helpful to read chapters 1 & 2 of Thompson’s SCM

Studyguide. This may help to clarify some of the ideas and concepts that have been introduced so far.

Is Thompson’s approach here closer to Macquarrie or Martos? What do you think of his three-

dimensional framework for thinking about rite with its six aspects?

Whatever the strengths and weaknesses of considering Christian sacraments as ‘rites among rites’, in

the next unit we will be moving from this more general understanding of sacraments and the

sacramental to thinking much more specifically about Christian sacramental theology. But this has all

been very important background that will help our understanding of the sacraments in the life of the

church. It will also be of particular importance when thinking about the relationship between the

sacraments and mission.




3 http://www.rca.org/page.aspx?pid=3168

Extra: For more on the relationship

between ritual in human life and

Christian worship you might like to

read Chapter 2, ‘Card Games’, from

Faith in Momentum by George

Guiver CR (SPCK, 1990)

http://www.rca.org/page.aspx?pid=3168

http://www.rca.org/page.aspx?pid=3168

Unit 3: Christian sacramental theology

Initial reflection: Spend some time thinking about your own experience of the Christian sacraments.

What do they mean to you? How have they been important in your Christian life?

Introduction: So far we have been considering in fairly general terms some theological and

anthropological (ritual) background to the Christian sacraments. In the material for this unit we are

moving into much more explicitly Christian theological territory. Historically speaking, Christian

sacramental theology arises in the particular rather than in the more general terms that we have

taken as our starting point for this module. That is to say that Christians baptised, celebrated the

Eucharist, anointed with oil and practiced the laying on of hands (both for healing and ordination)

long before they started developing any underlying sacramental theology. Even in this unit, though,

we are not yet starting from the beginning: that would be too straightforward! Instead we are

thinking about some more contemporary understandings of sacramental theology, although this does

draw on some earlier theological thought.

Watch this video of Simon Oliver talking to Tom O’Loughlin4 about sacramental theology. They cover

a lot of ground and you aren’t expected to take it all in at this stage: we will return to some of the

themes that they cover in subsequent units. But try and pick out from this discussion a basic

understanding of sacramental theology. Here are some questions to guide your reflections:

What is the relationship between the sacramentality of the world as a whole and the Christian

sacraments? How is the incarnation important in understanding this relationship?

What understanding of ‘sign’ is contained in this discussion?

What do you make of the importance they place on the relationship between the sign and what it

signifies?

What is the classic definition of a Christian sacrament that goes back to Augustine?

The conversation you have watched talks about Christ as the primordial sacrament. In order

to understand more of what this means and the importance of this idea in recent theological thinking,

read Chapter 4 of John Macquarrie’s Guide to the Sacraments, entitled ‘Christ as the Primordial

Sacrament’. Here are some questions to help focus your reading:

Why does Macquarrie supplement Kenan Osborne’s table with a third column?

In what sense is the idea of Christ as ‘primordial sacrament’ a new one?

4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRQWIS4LTs4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRQWIS4LTs4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRQWIS4LTs4

What are the two senses in which Christ is central to sacramental theology?

Where does the Church fit into this scheme of sacramental theology?

Listen and reflect. Listen to Morten Lauridsen's sacred motet 'O Magnum Mysterium'. There are

various renditions available on Youtube, but here is a particularly good one.5 As you listen, prayerfully

reflect on your experience of Christ the primordial sacrament in the light of your reading. Here is a

translation of the words to assist your reflection:

O great mystery

and wonderful sacrament,

that the animals should see

the new-born Lord lying in a manger.

Blessed is the Virgin

whose womb was worthy

to bear Christ the Lord.

Alleluia!

[Extra. If you are pushed for time it is much better to spend time engaging reflectively with the

readings for each unit than to try and cram in extra reading without really processing what you are

reading. However, if you are in the happy position of being able to take a more leisurely approach to

study then you may find it useful at this point to read other chapters from the two core texts:

Macquarrie chapters 2, 3 & 5 and Thompson Chapter 3.]

In order to consolidate your understanding of Christ as the primordial sacrament, read

Chapter 5 of Ross Thompson’s SCM Studyguide to the Sacraments.

How does his list (following Schillebeeckx) of the seven ways in which the sacraments express the

mystery of Christ (p.62) relate to the table at the end of Macquarrie’s chapter 4?

On the basis of everything that you have read, watched and thought about so far, which

key Christian doctrines would you say are important for our understanding of sacramental theology?




5 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwtPP5nFEmg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwtPP5nFEmg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwtPP5nFEmg

Unit 4: The development of sacramental theology

Initial reflection: Everything we have considered so far should be suggesting that the sacraments are

a wonderful gift from God; yet they have divided Christians perhaps more than anything else in

Christian history! Can you think of any explanation for this? From your previous studies, what

controversies are you aware of in early Christianity (or later) which involved debates about the

sacraments?

Introduction. As well as drawing on other key themes of Christian doctrine (the doctrine of creation,

Christology and ecclesiology in particular), sacramental theology is an important area of Christian

doctrine in its own right. In this unit and the next we explore some of the historical factors,

particularly theological controversies, which have shaped sacramental theology. Some of the key

tenets of sacramental theology were forged in the crucible of the early Church and the various

conflicts that engulfed its life. As was so often the case in the development of early Christian

theology, it was only when some Christians articulated a particular conception of the nature of the

sacraments and their place in the life of the Church that other Christians, believing those

understandings to be inadequate, came to formulate alternatives. Sometimes this has led to rather

polarised views and we do well to look critically at these developments, trying to come to a rounded

understanding of the place of the sacraments in Christian faith and life.

Watch. Watch the section on the Donatists from this Yale lecture6 (20:40 – 26:2) noting the key

features of their understanding of the sacraments and the illustrations the lecturer uses to explain

them.

[Background reading. As background to the main focus of this unit it would be helpful to read up on

Cyprian of Carthage and on Augustine’s response to the Donatists. Cyprian and Augustine are key

figures in the early development of sacramental theology as forged in controversies arising from the

response to persecution. Any general text on early Christian history or theology should contain

relevant chapters, for example:

Chadwick H., The Early Church, Penguin Books, 1993

Evans, G.R. (ed.), The First Christian Theologians, Blackwell, 2004

Hall, S.G., Doctrine and Practice in the Early Church, SPCK, 1991]

6 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzibwdsl_SI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzibwdsl_SI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzibwdsl_SI

Begin by reading the first part of the chapter on The Sacraments from Alister McGrath’s

Christian Theology: An Introduction (in the reading pack) as far as p.406. This gives a useful

introduction to the topic. Here are some questions to guide your reading:

Why does he say that the term sacrament is difficult to define?

Why is North Africa so important for the development of sacramental theology?

Does the relationship between the sacraments and solidarity which McGrath describes begin to

explain why, paradoxically, the sacraments have also been so divisive?

What is the relationship between ‘sacrament’ and ‘mystery’?

How does Augustine conceive the relationship between a sign and what it signifies when talking

about a sacramental sign?

What does ex opere operato mean?

Now read Chapter 4 of Thompson’s SCM Studyguide, pp.43 – 52, using the following questions to

focus your response:

How was Christian sacramental theology shaped by its

relationship to other religious and philosophical

traditions?

How does the New Testament image of ‘the seal’ influence

the development of sacramental theology?

What is the difference between ‘valid’ and ‘fruitful’ in

sacramental theology?

How does sacramental understanding develop differently

in Eastern and Western Christianity? Do you incline more

to an Eastern or Western approach, as they are described

here?

What are the two ways in which sacraments were seen by

Aquinas as signs of God’s grace?

Can you articulate the relationship between ‘matter’ and

‘form’ in sacramental theology?

Note the idea of ‘character’ which will be important when thinking about ordination.

How would you evaluate the contribution that Aquinas makes to sacramental theology?

Why does Thompson describe a sacrament as ‘a holy hug’?!

[Extra background: As background to

the development of early Christian

sacramental thought and practice

here is a fascinating In Our Time

episode1 in which Melvyn Bragg

discusses Mithraism, the ancient

mystery religion. Awareness of the

plurality of religious practice as part

of the context of early Christianity

relates back to our approach to the

Christian sacraments as ‘rites among

rites’ in Unit 2. How do you respond

to this?]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQWX689T-YY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQWX689T-YY

As someone who is, or will be, a minister of the sacraments, how do you respond to the

idea that the validity of a sacrament does not depend on the worthiness of the minister? What is

attractive about this belief? Are there dangers associated with it?




Unit 5: The Reformation and Anglican sacramental theology

Initial reflection: What are the sacraments for? Why do we have them? How many are there?

Introduction: In this unit we look at the Reformation controversies relating to sacramental theology

whilst also considering some more general principles of sacramental theology. It should be clear by

the end of this unit why it can be difficult to make definitive statements about the theology of the

sacraments: some of the deepest divisions in the Western Church have had sacramental theology as

central points of contention and those divisions run through the Anglican Church, there being those

who think in much more Catholic terms and those whose perspective is more shaped by Reformation

perspectives. The aim of this module is not to convince you of a particular understanding of the

sacraments but to give you a broad understanding of some of the issues whilst allowing you to

develop your own understanding within the broad spectrum of Anglican tradition.

Read the rest of chapter 4 from Thompson’s SCM Studyguide, pp.43 – 59, with these

questions to guide you:

What spiritual experience and fundamental conviction lies behind Luther’s critique of medieval

sacramental theology and practice?

What alternative terminology to ‘sacrament’ is preferred by some reformers?

What does Thompson mean when he says that ‘the reformers are not as subjective about the

sacraments as they sometimes sound to our ears’ (p.54)?

How does Calvin carve out a middle way between Luther and Zwingli? And how does his view

differ from that of Aquinas?

How does sacramental theology relate to other key doctrines in different approaches?

In the teaching of the Council of Trent, what does it mean to see the Eucharist as an ‘extension of

the incarnation’ (p.57)?

Why did the Council of Trent consider some Protestant sacraments to be valid and not others?

Re-read pp.404-5 from McGrath’s Introduction, then continue reading from p.406 to p.411.

These questions relate to the first section:

What two things are necessary for a sacrament in Luther’s theology?

What conception of ‘sacrament’ is central for Zwingli and how does his interpretation of this shift

over time?

In the second section McGrath goes beyond the controversies associated with sacramental theology

to develop a rich theology of sacraments and their place in Christian life. He draws on a wide range of

theologians to explore four conceptions of the sacraments that are (at least potentially)

complementary and not incompatible.

Which model(s) most reflect your existing understanding?

In the light of your study for this module so far, which models do you find most convincing?

In the light of the ordained ministry you will be exercising, which do you find most helpful?

How would you evaluate Melanchthon’s argument that the sacraments are ‘a gracious divine

accommodation to human weakness’ (p.408)? Does this suggest that human beings are more

spiritual than physical, or that our fleshy nature is not part of our true identity? How does this

relate to our reflections on the sacramental universe in Unit 1?

Notice the quotation from Augustine on p.409: ‘In no religion… can people be held together…

unless they are gathered together with some common share in some visible signs or sacraments.’

How does this relate to our consideration of sacraments as rites among rites - things that human

beings need to do - in Unit 2?

What are some of the ways of understanding the relationship between the theology of the

sacraments and the theology of the Church (ecclesiology)?

If you want to reflect more on an integrated understanding of the place of the sacraments in Christian

life, then an article by Ellen T. Charry called Sacraments for the Christian Life7 would be worth reading.

Finally for this unit, in the midst of all the controversy of the reformation period and the

internal diversity of Anglicanism, is there a distinctively Anglican understanding of the sacraments?

Richard Giles has offers an Anglican understanding of the sacraments under the title ‘Bouqets and

Bandages’. This is taken from his book ‘How to be an Anglican: A beginner's guide to Anglican life

and thought (2nd ed.)’ and is an engaging read that you can evaluate in the light of the other

reading for this unit.




7 http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=527

http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=527


Unit 6: The Eucharist as sacramental meal

Initial reflection: What does the Eucharist mean to you? What is the significance of the Eucharist as a

ritual, as something we do? In what ways does the Eucharist engage your senses and how important

to you is this?

Here is a poem by Welsh poet Bobi Jones. Read it and reflect on its significance for our

understanding of the Eucharist.

There’s something religious in the way we sit

At the tea table, a tidy family of three.

You, my love, slicing the bread and butter and she,

The red-cheeked tot a smear of blackberry jam, and me.

Apart from the marvellous doting

Of a world’s interchange with each other... there’s tea.

Stupid, they say, to think of the thing as an ordinance.

And yet all the elements are found to change in our hands.

Because we sit and share them with each other

There’s a miracle. There’s a binding of unmerited graces

By the cheese, and through the apples and the milk

A new creation of life is established, a true presence.

And talking to each other, breaking words over food

Is somehow different from customary chatting.

I know perfectly well that the generations must,

Of necessity, have performed this petty action.

And surely their pattern has long since burrowed

As part of our consciousness. Then too, back beyond the epochs

Is depending, turning back to the fountainhead,

And listening on the connecting wires to a Voice

That is at the same time food — he expresses

Himself here from the beginning. All would acknowledge

That the food itself is a pleasure:

The spirit grows stronger too in its wake.

Still tea is not worship . . . But it overcomes

Things so the spirit may happily hop

In our hearts. Assimilating heaven’s carol

Into our constitutions, we are a choir, our throats

Blending calories and words together in the presence

Of the unseen Conductor who laid the table. Bobi Jones Having Our Tea

This links us back to our earlier reflections on the nature

of sacramentality. The Eucharist is, in origin, a meal; the

Eucharist is food; it involves the physical act of eating.

The poem by Bobi Jones connects the sacramentality of

the Eucharist to the everyday act of sharing food

together in a family. The simple human action of eating

together is freighted with the divine. In its origins the

Eucharist arises out of the human experience of eating

together. But it can also reflect back on that context of

human community and have political significance. Read

this article from an edition of the Bible Society’s

magazine The Bible in Transmission looking at ‘Food

Matters’. The article is called ‘Eating and the Eucharist’8

by Ángel F Méndez-Montoya and considers the

significance of God’s love becoming food to eat and

share with others in the Eucharist. If you want to explore this idea further, then here is an article by

Kelton Cobb called Table Blessings.9

We have begun this unit by considering the Eucharist as a meal. In the remainder of the unit we will

look at the origins and earliest development of this meal.

Read chapter 8 of Thompson, pp.123 – 135 and consider the following questions:

How do you understand Thompson’s description of ‘natural symbols’ as a base onto which the

Christian Eucharist is grafted? How does this relate to the different approaches to sacramental

theology explored in Units 1 & 2?

What might be the significance of the variety of Jewish antecedents for the Eucharist (i.e. it is not

just the Passover)?

Based on the evidence from the period being discussed in this chapter, what is your position on

the debate about an ‘open table’?

What is an agape and what is its relationship to the Eucharist?

Next read Macquarrie chapters 10 and 11 to consolidate your understanding of the origins of the

Eucharist and of the significance of the Eucharist as a sacramental meal.

8http://www.biblesociety.org.uk/uploads/content/bible_in_transmission/files/2013_summer/BiT_Summer_2013_Mendez-Montoya.pdf 9 http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=1003

Extra: The film Of Gods and Men is a

remarkable film on many levels and you can

read up about it on IMDb. One of the most

moving scenes occurs near the end of the

film following a celebration of the Eucharist.

It is a meal shared together by the monks, a

sort of ‘last supper’ which conveys

something of the sacramental potential of

all our eating together. Try to get hold of

the DVD or watch it online: it is enriching in

so many ways, but will certainly enhance

your appreciation of the Eucharist as a

shared meal.

http://www.biblesociety.org.uk/uploads/content/bible_in_transmission/files/2013_summer/BiT_Summer_2013_Mendez-Montoya.pdf





http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1588337/

What do you think of the argument that the importance of the miracles of feeding 4000 or 5000

people lies not in the impressive nature of the miracle but with the significance of eating

together?

Why is eating together so important theologically, and how does it challenge contemporary

practices?

How important is the reliability of the description of the Last Supper to your understanding of the

Eucharist?

Does it matter whether the Last Supper was a Passover meal or not?

Why can’t the Last Supper be described as ‘the First Eucharist’?

What does Macquarrie mean by the shift in emphasis from eschatological focus to anamnesis?

Why did the Eucharist become separated from a meal and what is the significance of this?

What do you think of Macquarrie’s statement of certain ‘dangers’ associated with attempts to

recover the sense of the Eucharist as a meal?

How do you respond to his emphasis on the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist?




Unit 7: The Eucharist as sacrament of the Church

Initial reflection. How do you understand the presence of Christ in the Eucharist? Why do you think

the Eucharist has been such a source of controversy in the history of Christianity? What is the

relationship between the Eucharist and the Church?

Continue reading McGrath’s Introduction, from p.411 – 420, on the Eucharist. Notice how,

building on the previous section, he begins by developing a broad conception of the Eucharist and its

central place in Christian life and thought before exploring the more difficult territory of how to

understand the presence of Christ in the Eucharist. There is much that unites Christians in thinking

about the Eucharist. When it comes to theories of the presence of Christ in the Eucharist, positions

held within Anglicanism range from the Zwinglian at one extreme to Transubstantiation at the other.

Which conception described by McGrath most corresponds to your own understanding?

Finish reading chapter 8 of Thompson and then read chapter 9. This should help to consolidate your

understanding of Eucharistic theology. [Extra. You can read chapter 10 if you want to develop your

understanding through being introduced to some contemporary relfections on the nature and

significance of the Eucharist for theology and Christian life.]

Are you more drawn to the upward movement of the orthodox liturgy or the downward

movement of the Western tradition as described on p.138?

After reading Thompson’s account of different theologies of the Eucharist, do you see you own

understanding any differently?

How do you respond to a sacrificial conception of the Eucharist?

Now read Macquarrie chapter 12 with the questions below to guide you. [Extra: You may also find it

useful to read chapter 13 on the Eucharist as sacrifice and chapter 14 on the reservation of the

sacrament. Whether you find the conception of the Eucharist as sacrifice a helpful one or not, it is not

uncommon in the Anglican Church; and reservation of the sacrament is quite widely practiced such

that it is good to have a theological understanding and appreciation of the practice.]

Macquarrie talks about some of the particular ways in which Anglican sacramental theology has

tried to walk a middle path between the bread and wine as being ‘literally’ the body and body of

Christ and ‘just symbols’. Both these positions are caricatures: no one who thinks about these

things seriously believes bread and wine are ‘literally’ the body and blood of Christ (that is not

what transubstantiation means); and there is nothing ‘just’ about a symbol. But Anglicanism, in

steering a middle path between Protestantism and Catholicism, feels the tension in Eucharistic

theology acutely. Is this a problem, or a potential strength for Anglican understandings of the

Eucharist?

How do you evaluate his argument that transubstantiation is not the extreme doctrine of the

Eucharist which some consider it to be but, rather, a subtle and sophisticated account using the

best philosophical resources of the time?

How convincing do you find his descriptions of more recent attempts (e.g. by Schillebeeckx) to do

what Aquinas in his time attempted to achieve?

Notice how Macquarrie relates the discussion back to his earlier discussions of sacramental

theology more generally. Think back to the work of the first two units and consider how the

various attempts to make sense of the mystery of the Eucharist might be evaluated in the light of

those earlier reflections.

In looking at different theologies of the Eucharist we become aware of how this sacrament of

the Church which, to use the words of Henri de Lubac ‘makes the Church’, has often been a source of

division rather than of unity. As noted above, there are very different conceptions of the Eucharist in

Anglicanism. One way of moving beyond this is to think less about the precise nature of Eucharistic

theology and focus more on the practice of its celebration. Clearly these things cannot be completely

separated – how it is celebrated will depend in part on how it is understood – but a focus on the

Eucharist as something the Church ‘does’ may be a way of empathising the , One of the most notable

shifts in Anglican worship over the last 100 years has been the way in which the Eucharist has become

much more central to the Church’s liturgical life. This is in part due to the influence of the Parish

Communion movement. Read the short section on this movement and its ecumenical relations in

Martin Stringer’s A Sociological History of Christian Worship (Cambridge: CUP, 2005), pp.215 – 222.

What were the key features of Hebert’s vision of the ‘Parish Communion’?

What were some of the implications, in terms of liturgical revision, of the implementation of this

vision?

How does it relate to your experience of the place of the Eucharist in Church life?

What is the significance of this vision for your own exercise of ordained ministry?




Unit 8: Ordination as sacrament

Initial reflection: What does ordination mean to you? Do you view it as sacramental? Do you view it

as a sacrament? What is the difference between the two? What other categories do you use to think

about the nature of ordained ministry?

Introduction: A detailed history of Christian ministry would be a module in its own right. Our aim in

this unit is to explore what it means to think of ordained ministry in sacramental terms. There are

other important categories for thinking about the nature of ordained ministry. Bishops, priests and

deacons are all ministers of the Word, for example; and they are all called to be pastors. But the

sacramental nature of ministry is our focus here and, as we will see in the next unit, this is important

for understanding some areas of controversy in church life.

Chapter 12 of Thompson The Sacraments (pp.199 – 218) looks at ordination and marriage

under the heading ‘Symbols of Vocation’. Read the whole chapter but focus particularly on what he

has to say about ordination. Here are some questions to guide your reading:

What do you make of his description of ordination and marriage as ‘the two sacraments by which

sacraments perpetuate themselves’? (p.199)

Notice how (p.200) he relates ordained Christian ministry to other types of ‘minister’. How does

this relate to the approach to the sacraments we explored in Unit 2?

Are there any elements of the brief early history of ordained ministry that surprise you?

Do you understand the distinction between the threefold ministry as being of the esse or the bene

esse of the church (p.204)?

Do you incline to an ‘ontological’ or ‘functional’ view of ministry (p.205)?

What view do you take of the idea of ‘apostolic succession’?

Which descriptions of ordained ministry (pp.207 – 8) do you find most appealing? You may find it

helpful to do the exercise on p.208.

How do you measure up against the list of qualities on pp.208-9? Spend some time reflecting on

these.

Now that you have this orientation to a sacramental understanding of ordination, read John

Macquarrie’s longer discussion in chapters 16 – 18 with these questions to guide you:

Chapter 16

What is the relationship between ordination and baptism/confirmation in the view of Christian

ministry explored in chapter 16?

Why might ‘clericalism’ and ‘anti-clericalism’ be equally dangerous in thinking about ordained

ministry?

How does Macquarrie conceive of the relationship between the twelve apostles and the ordained

ministry of the priest?

What is the outward sign of the sacrament of ordination?

Chapter 17

What is the ‘inward spiritual reality (res)’ of the sacrament of ordination?

Why is ‘process’ important for Macquarrie’s understanding?

Does he advocate a ‘functional’ or ‘ontological’ understanding of ordained ministry?

What’s the problem with the word ‘training’ to describe preparation for ordination?

What are the two senses (in terms of etymology) of the word ‘priest’? Which would you tend to

emphasise in your own understanding?

Chapter 18

How do Bishops connect the church today to the church of the apostles?

What is meant, according to Macquarrie, by ‘apostolic succession’?

What do you make of the fact that Macquarrie spends a lot more time talking about Deacons and

Bishops than he does about what he describes (in the previous chapter) as the ‘largest order’,

namely that of the Priesthood?

Watch. In this Youtube video10 from Bristol Diocese, which elements of the sacramental theology of

ordination you have been reading can you see expressed? How does the theology you have been

reading relate to your own sense of vocation? What have you read that affirms you in this calling?

Are there aspects of what you have read that you find difficult or challenging, or that you disagree

with?




10 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hu4nDL8Boiw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hu4nDL8Boiw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hu4nDL8Boiw

Unit 9: The Eucharist, ordination and the mission of the Church

Initial reflection. Imagine you are in a Church Council meeting discussing how the Church can be

more effective in mission. Someone suggests that the main Sunday service could be more mission

focussed if it were not Eucharistic. How do you respond to this suggestion? Spend some time on this

question, trying to make use of as many resources as you can from earlier units in the module.

Browse and reflect. As the churches respond to the challenges of our contemporary situation, the

way in which the Eucharist plays its central role in the liturgical life of the Church can be subject to

challenge and change. One of the ways of responding to the missionary context in which the

churches in Britain now find themselves is Fresh Expressions, a joint venture of the Church of England

and the Methodist Church, but one with wider significance. If you are not familiar with Fresh

Expressions, then have a browse of the website.11

A particular question that can arise in the context of a fresh expression is the way in which the

sacramental life of the Church is celebrated within these missional congregations. Have a look at this

article,12 particularly focussing on the section ‘What about the Sacraments?’ which comes about half

way down the page. As well as some general models of the way in which the Eucharist may feature in

a fresh expression there are some specific examples given. Spend some time thinking and reflecting

on these models. Which do you think achieves the best balance between faithfulness to the Eucharist

as sacrament and the particular challenges of finding new ways of being and ‘doing’ church?

Watch. This short Youtube clip13 is only a trailer for a DVD (which you can buy if you want to!), but it

gives you a flavour of how some within the more sacramental traditions of Anglicanism are thinking

about the place of the Eucharist in the mission of the Church. Thinking back to the scenario you

reflected on at the beginning of this unit, are there ideas in this clip that either support or challenge

your response? Does the celebration of the Eucharist have the potential to open up the sacramental

world and so have a place in worship that is mission focussed?

A particular debate that has arisen within Anglicanism, not least as it affects the issues

relating to fresh expressions, is the question of lay presidency at the Eucharist. For a good

introduction to this question, read the introduction to Nicholas H. Taylor Lay Presidency at the

Eucharist? An Anglican Approach (London: Mowbray, 2009), pp.1-10. This is an important issue to

reflect on in relation to this module because it brings together questions about the nature of

ordination and its place in relation to the sacramental life of the Church as well as questions

specifically about the nature of the Eucharist. [Extra: If you have time, it would be worth reading

11 http://www.freshexpressions.org.uk 12 http://www.freshexpressions.org.uk/guide/about/proper/up 13 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIUqRSWpSss

http://www.freshexpressions.org.uk/

http://www.freshexpressions.org.uk/guide/about/proper/up

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIUqRSWpSss

http://www.freshexpressions.org.uk/

http://www.freshexpressions.org.uk/guide/about/proper/up

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIUqRSWpSss

other chapters of the book because they are very pertinent to the themes of the module, e.g.

Chapters 4, 5 & 8.] Use as many resources from the module as you can to develop your own response

to this question before reading Taylor’s conclusion (pp.263-266).

Why is the language of ‘presiding’ now preferred to that of ‘celebrating’ to describe the role of the

priest in the Eucharist?

Who does ‘celebrate’ the Eucharist?

What factors have led some to challenge the tradition of presiding at the Eucharist being reserved

to a Bishop or Priest.

Do you think the issue as significant as Taylor claims in his conclusion?

What do you think of his conclusions?




Unit 10: Sacramental ministry and mission

Initial reflection. Can you encapsulate what you have learned from your study of this module in one

sentence? Try to come up with a short, concise, ‘mission statement’ to inspire you in your exercise of

a sacramental ministry.

Introduction. The aim of this week’s work is to bring together all that you have done during the

course of this module to build an integrated sacramental understanding of the nature of ordained

ministry and mission.

Think back to the start of the module. Our consideration of sacramental theology didn’t begin with

specific Christian sacraments but with more general reflections on the world as sacramental and on

the place of ritual in religious life. This was a deliberate learning strategy: you were being asked to

build your understanding of the Christian sacraments on the foundations of an appreciation of human

experience more broadly. The value of this approach is that your understanding of the topic does not

exist in isolation from the rest of life. Hopefully you can relate your appreciation of the Christian

sacraments to your experience of the beauty of nature, of love, of the arts, of food, drink and ordinary

life. Hopefully you can see the strangeness of the sacraments as being quite normal too.

What has this got to do with mission? One way of thinking about mission is thinking about how

people might learn to appreciate and connect with the Christian faith. The approach to learning in

this module relates to a corresponding approach to mission in which people are invited to come to

God through Jesus Christ in ways that connect with their human experience of the beauty of nature,

of love, of the arts, of food, drink and ordinary life. With such a view of mission, the sacraments can

be seen as having great importance. Rather than being seen as obscure, alien rituals which hide the

simple truth of the Gospel, they are a wonderful way of embodying the Gospel in the physical and

tangible world of human life and experience.

Seen in this way all the sacraments, and not just the Eucharist, can be vehicles of mission as was

tentatively suggested in the previous unit. There is a theological reason for this. We have seen that a

centre-piece of sacramental theology is contained in the Latin phrase ex opera operato – it is in the

doing of the thing that the sacrament takes effect, not because of the doer. Or, to put it more

positively and more simply: the sacraments are God’s doing not ours. Here is where the link to

mission comes. Much recent thinking in the theology of mission is captured in another Latin phrase,

missio Dei, meaning ‘God’s mission’. Mission is no longer seen primarily as something that we do, but

as something God does. This doesn’t let us mere mortals off the missionary hook, though. We have

an important part to play, but in playing it we are not making mission happen; rather, we are joining

in with God’s mission. In the sacraments, God’s sacramental activity of populating the world with

doorways into the sacred, comes to a particular focus in particular sacramental acts. In mission, God’s

universal activity of making himself known and inviting us into relationship comes to particular

expression, sacramental action being a part of this.

A sermon by Austin Farrer called Walking Sacraments (reading pack) offers an evocative

image to ‘think with’ about the relationship between sacramental theology and the mission and

ministry of the ordained. It was preached at the first celebration of the Eucharist by a young priest

and captures much of what the reflections above have been pointing towards. Before moving on,

write some notes about your reflections on this sermon.

For a more developed contemporary theology of sacramental ministry, read the article by Benjamin

Gordon-Taylor entitled The Priest and the Mystery: A Case of Identity (in reading pack). Here are

some questions to guide your reading:

What is your image of a priest? And do you conform to it?

What do you think of the priest as a woman or man of mystery?

Why does a strong theology of baptism call for ‘an equally penetrating theology of ordination’

(p.4)?

Gordon-Taylor is talking about parallel developments in the Anglican and Roman Catholic

Churches. How much of this do you recognise from your own experience of Anglicanism? Does

the question of the identity of the priest resonate with your experience?

Notice (p.7) that he refers to the debate about lay presidency that we considered in the previous

unit. What does his discussion in this article contribute to your thinking about that question?

How does he use the language of ‘mystery’ to describe the relationship between priests and

Scripture?

How many different uses of the language of ‘mystery’ can you find in the article? What is the

significance of Rudolf Otto’s conception? [Extra: If you have time, you might like to do some

research into Otto’s Idea of the Holy.]

What is the importance of the work of Dom Odo Casel for the discussion?

What is the difference between ‘mystery’ in the West and in the East (p.11)?

The section on pp.12-13 is particularly important in articulating the distinctiveness of the priest in

a way that tries to avoid any hint of superiority. Is this successful?

How would you evaluate the argument (pp.14-15) that it is precisely in a context where it seems

counter-intuitive, that a sacramental and mysterious conception of the spirit-filled priesthood

needs more strongly emphasising?

In the final pages of the paper Gordon-Taylor develops a theology of the priesthood that is rooted

in Christology. What are the strengths and weaknesses of his approach?

How might this sacramental theology of the priesthood using the language of mystery be

developed to articulate the mission of the ordained priest?

Whilst there is still an important sense that God sometimes works in spite of us and not

because of us, does the vision of sacramental ministry being put forward here begin to address the

dangers associated with the theology that says the effectiveness of the sacraments is not dependent

on the holiness of the minister? In the understanding being put forward here, the person of the priest

is important in how God communicates grace. A priest is more than simply an empty vessel: who we

are communicates what God is. This is quite a responsibility. It is also quite exciting!




Conclusion to the module

Now that you have come to the end of this module you should have a learning journal of around 5000

words as well as all your notes in response to the questions and invitations to think, ponder and

reflect. You are asked to look back over this and distil from it a 2000 word account of your

understanding of the sacramental ministry of the ordained.

Additional required readings

Joseph Martos Doors to the Sacred: A Historical Introduction to Sacraments in the Catholic Church

(Liguori, Missouri: Liguori/Triumph, 2001), Chapter 1: ‘Sacraments in All Religions’

Austin Farrer ‘Walking Sacraments’ in Leslie Houlden (ed.) Austin Farrer: The Essential Sermons

(London: SPCK, 1991), pp.101-104

Benjamin Gordon-Taylor ‘The Priest and the Mystery: A Case of Identity’, in George Guiver (ed.)

Priests in a People’s Church (London: SPCK, 2001), pp.3-23

Alister E. McGrath Christian Theology: An Introduction, Fifth Edition (Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell,

2011) Chapter 16, pp.400 – 423

Richard Giles How to be an Anglican: A beginner's guide to Anglican life and thought (2nd ed.)

(Norwhich: The Canterbury Press, 2003), Chapter 8: Bouquets and Bandages: The Anglican Approach

to the Sacraments’.

Nicholas H. Taylor Lay Presidency at the Eucharist? An Anglican Approach (London: Mowbray, 2009),

pp.1-10 & Conclusion

George Guiver Faith in Momentum (London: SPCK, 1990), Chapter 2: ‘Card Games’

Martin Stringer A Sociological History of Christian Worship (London: SPCK, 2005), pp.215-222 ‘The

“Parish Communion”’

sacramental theology for ordained ministry (mt002)

Documents

sacramental ministry

anglican sacramental

christian sacramental

sacramental meal

nature of ordained ministry

ordained ministry module

experience of lay ministry

distance learning module