A General Doctrine of the Sacraments and the Mystery of the Eucharist

In A General Doctrine of the Sacraments, Johann Auer aims to achieve a deeper understanding of the inner structure of the sacraments and of how they determine the structure of our Christian existence. He first examines the concept and nature of sacrament and discusses the three constitutive elements of a sacrament, namely, the essential structure of the sacramental sign; the saving reality and saving effects of the sacraments; and their origin, number, and the order among them. He then presents the most important roles of the minister and the recipient of the sacraments and deals with the world as sacrament and with the sacramental existence of human beings. He concludes his reflections with a final meditation on ""God's Sacramental Word."" In The Mystery of the Eucharist, Auer takes account of the biblical, historical, and theological aspects of the Church's teaching on the Eucharist. He begins with a survey of the evolution of the doctrine of the Eucharist in Catholic theology, then deals with the particular nature of the Eucharist's sacramental sign. According to Auer, the Eucharist as sacramental sacrifice provides the basis for correctly understanding it as a meal of participation in the sacrifice of Christ and as a meal of the celebrating community of Christ. He also discusses the Eucharist as an object worthy of adoration, as well as the topic of the Eucharist and the Church. This volume, which includes a thoroughly up-to-date and extensive select bibliography, will be of particular use in graduate and seminary courses in sacramental theology. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Johann Auer (1910-1989) was an ordained priest and professor of dogmatics and the history of dogma at the University of Regensburg in his native Bavaria. He also taught at the University of Bonn.