The Hidden Manna: A Theology of the Eucharist
Digital Logos Edition
Overview
The Hidden Manna has become a classic on Eucharistic teaching. Now in a second edition, accompanied by a new introduction by Fr. Kenneth Baker, a new preface from the author, new material from John Paul II, and the original foreword by Cardinal John O’Connor, this in-depth study lets the breadth and richness of the Church’s tradition speak for itself.
Fr. O’Connor presents and comments on substantial excerpts from the major sources of the Church’s tradition, extending all the way back to apostolic times. Focusing on the doctrine of the Real Presence, he follows the earliest witnesses from Berengarius’ challenge in the Middle Ages through the Protestant Reformation and modern disputes.
With Logos Bible Software, this volume is completely searchable, with Scripture passages appearing on mouseover and linking to your favorite Bible translation in your library. This makes this text more powerful and easier to access than ever before for scholarly work or personal Bible study. With the advanced search features of Logos Bible Software, you can perform powerful searches by topic or Scripture reference—finding, for example, every mention of “reformation” or “sacrifice.”
- Explanation of the Church’s teaching on the Eucharistic sacrifice and the Real Presence
- Analysis of the doctrines in context of their historical development
- Exploration of the relationship between the Eucharist and the Church
Top Highlights
“When Christ becomes present at Mass he does so not in order to repeat the sacrifice of the Cross but to draw us into it, to make us participants in his one sacrifice, priests and victims along with himself. The Last Supper and Calvary and the Mass are all the same sacrifice, not because the historical acts of the past are repeated or re-presented but because of the intrinsic unity that all these actions, past and present, possess in the one Priest and Victim.” (Page 309)
“It can happen that, by removing the shock, one will remove as well an accurate appreciation of the Eucharist, thereby obviating the response in faith that is necessary to accept Christ’s words. Jesus may have intended to shock.” (Page 96)
“he is the first to mention explicitly the change that takes place in the bread and wine when they become Eucharist.” (Page 25)
“ separates the reality and the sign or Sacrament of the reality” (Page 101)
“‘the sign considered in itself’, the ‘reality that was contained in the sign’, and ‘the reality alone’. In respect to the Eucharist, this would lead to calling the bread and wine and the consecratory words the ‘sign considered in itself’; the Body and Blood of Christ would be the ‘reality contained in the sign’; and either the Body and Blood of the Lord or the unity of the Church would be spoken of as ‘the reality alone’” (Pages 43–44)
Father James O’Connor gives us nothing less than a comprehensive study of the Church’s meditation on the Mystery of the Eucharist... The Hidden Manna is a superb work.
—Cardinal John O’Connor, Archbishop of New York
We owe a debt of gratitude to Fr. James O’Connor for writing this beautiful treatise on ‘the Sacrament of Sacraments’. The Hidden Manna is a remarkable accomplishment of Catholic scholarship.
—Fr. Kenneth Baker, editor, Homiletic & Pastoral Review
- Title: The Hidden Manna: A Theology of the Eucharist
- Author: James T. O’Connor
- Publisher: Ignatius Press
- Publication Date: 1988
- Pages: 420
Reviews
4 ratings
Sean
7/25/2016
This book is a scholarly study of the Roman Catholic doctrine of the eucharist, giving particular emphasis to the two related but distinct teachings of (1) the real presence in the mass via transubstantiation and (2) the mass as sacrifice. The author fulfills this main intention quite well. Though the long historical survey is at times tedious, it serves a legitimate academic purpose, and the author does a good job in presenting and substantiating the case that this has indeed been the consistent teaching of church down through the ages. The fourth and final chapter, where he theologizes, is much more engaging. I found the book an informative read and have no doubt that whenever I wish to clarify a point of Roman eucharistic doctrine I will turn to it again. Though I approached the work with an open mind and heart, as a protestant I found the theology presented herein unpersuasive. Indication was given early on that this would be the case when the author wrote in the preface, "There is, as well, no direct treatment of the sources of the theme as found in Sacred Scripture, since I trust that the abundant references to the Scriptures by the Fathers of the Church and the great theologians will be more than adequate to present the Bible as it is read and meditated upon by the Church." (pp. xv-xvi) There is much in this doctrine that is troublesome, and what divides us is neither superficial nor minor. Respect is given for the antiquity of this teaching, but when the argument is framed as, "This is what the church has always believed, therefore it cannot possibly be wrong," little room remains for dialogue or reform, only acquiescence. The comparison of the reformers to Judas Iscariot (pp. 163-164) was not appreciated. Technically, the linking to other Logos/Verbum resources seems quite good.
Beh
9/6/2015
GwG
2/18/2014
Deacon Tim Johnson
11/12/2013
