Synopsis of May 1999 Issue
Berard L. Marthaler
The Date of Easter, Anno Domini, and Other Calendar
Considerations:Chronology or Eschatology?, pp. 194 - 211.
Summary. Given the continued interest in developing a calendar that would be followed worldwide and in arriving at a uniform date for Easter, Berard Marthaler reviews the history of the calendar used in the Western world. As he traces the historical development of the calendar, he gives particular attention to the dating of Easter and notes the recent recommendations of the World Council of Churches and the Middle East Council of Churches regarding a common date for Easter.
As part of his consideration of the calendar, Marthaler discusses the distinction made centuries ago between time measurement and time reckoning and points out that time reckoning came to be seen as an intellectual exercise leading to contemplation. The framework provided by the notion of time reckoning eventually led to the dating of events anno Domini and to the symbolism assigned to Sunday as being the first day of creation, a new beginning, and as "the eighth day," the figure of eternity. Here, Marthaler observes that the Christian view of history could not avoid touching upon the human destiny as well as chronicling the past.
Commenting on the ecumenical effort to settle on a common date for the celebration of Easter, Marthaler states that although a common date can unite Christians, it should not isolate them from peoples who follow different religious traditions. As borne out by his discussion of the development of the Christian calendar, Marthaler reminds readers that Christians have a different view of history. Whatever the calendar says, Sunday will always be the sign of a new creation. The Great Easter refers to a day without end, a perpetual Sabbath. Anno Domini measures events from the birth of Jesus and reminds us that we are living in the final age.
Eleanor B. Hanna
Biblical Interpretation and Sacramental Practice:
John Calvin's Interpretation of John 6:51-58, pp. 211 -
230.
Summary. Eleanor Hanna analyzes John Calvin's interpretation of John 6:51-58 and his explicit rejection of this pericope as having any relationship to the Lord's Supper. Hanna contends that Calvin's interpretation does, however, reveal the interweaving of his experience of participation in the Lord's Supper with his principles of biblical exegesis. She says that since, for Calvin, worship should be according to Scripture, his biblical interpretation necessarily affected what he set forth as the authentic practice of the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper.
Hanna s begins by exploring Calvin's understanding of Scripture as the Word of God, since this is determinative for his exegetical method. She then discusses Calvin's exegetical principles by first giving attention to the key aspects of his concept of the Word of God under which all of his exegetical principles fit and then addressing specific principles. Finally, Hanna examines Calvin's interpretation of John 6:51-58 in light of his theological presuppositions, exegetical principles, and experience.
The analysis of Calvin's interpretation of the passage from John's Gospel leads Hanna to conclude that Calvin retained an ambiguity in his exegesis. On the one hand, he explicitly rejected a sacramental meaning for John 6:51-58, while on the other hand, his exegesis of this pericope has eucharistic overtones. Hanna comments that his experience with the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper may have been what enabled him to retain the ambiguity in his interpretation. She concludes that given the religious tensions of his day, the lack of modern insights, and his own exegetical principles, one must recognize Calvin's courage in not accepting an easy way out of his exegetical dilemma. Hanna suggests that he was not merely seeking an intellectual understanding of the biblical texts but rather, was striving to hear God s Word for God s people.
Margot E. Fassler
Liturgical Elements in the Hospice Sickroom:
A Case Study, pp. 230 - 246.
Summary. Margot Fassler begins with the observation that the church year embodies a commemoration of human struggle and change, which invites Christians to place individual life cycles against the backdrop of mutability and transformation offered by the liturgy. She opines that because modern life oftentimes spins haphazardly through time, Christians need at present to re-anchor individual life cycles in the liturgy.
Citing the work of Philip Aries on the history of death and dying, Fassler notes that Christian societies up until the twentieth century allowed for the intrusion of dying and death into the fabric of life. Beginning in the twentieth century, the attitudes toward death and dying shifted from a willingness to contemplate death to a denial of death and desire to sanitize all that surrounds it. Fassler suggests there is much in contemporary life which indicates that our own era is a watershed regarding attitudes toward death and dying. The hospice movement, the activist stance for the dying brought about by AIDS, and public remembrances of events such as the Holocaust are among the circumstances which have given rise to a reinsertion of the place of the dying into our society. As a result, Fassler urges that attention be given to the role ritual elements play in preparation for dying and in service to the dying themselves.
To illustrate the need for liturgical scholars, liturgists, church musicians, health care professionals, and pastoral theologians to attend to the subject of dying more broadly, Fassler shares her own recent experience of the dying of a family member. In doing so, she highlights the various ritual and liturgical elements which were included in this particular experience and which made the dying process meaningful for all involved.
Gerard S. Sloyan
On Leadership in Prayer, pp. 246 - 249.
Summary. Gerard Sloyan comments on what constitutes good ritual performance in public prayer. Liturgy, he says, is an art form. It is drama and ritual, and if well done, holy mystery. Sloyan says that the work of leaders of public prayer is to help the assembly raise their hearts and minds to God. Consequently, leaders must be mindful of good ritual performance.
After offering specific suggestions for the actions of the ministers of worship, Sloyan notes that there can be nothing showy about the actions of any of the ministers of worship; rather, they need to be demonstrative of what it means to be a pray-er in a community of others similarly engaged. He concludes that ritual performance is serious business. It is also cheerful and joyful business, but only if all the participants experience the joy of being there.
Nathan Mitchell
The Amen Corner, pp. 249 - 259.
Summary. To be is to worship; human existence is inescapably liturgical, doxological. Nathan Mitchell finds this to be the central theme of a recent book by Catherine Pickstock, entitled After Writing: On the Liturgical Consummation of Philosophy. According to Mitchell, Pickstock insists that doxology is what makes our existence as human subjects possible. Simply put, we become ourselves only in the act of praising God.
Mitchell shares with readers certain insights offered by Pickstock about the doxological understanding of human beings and human speech. Pickstock argues that our contemporary "information culture" resists this type of an understanding because it prefers to regard language as "an instrument of control" wielded by a "detached, ‘spiritualized' human self." Mitchell summarizes Pickstock's thoughts on how such modernist views are contrary to the earliest traditions of Western thought and philosophy.
Mitchell expresses sincere admiration of Pickstock's work and adds that After Writing will surely stir some controversy. For instance, he comments that Pickstock's habit of extolling the medieval Latin "Roman Rite" seems a flawed strategy. Her liturgical focus ignores the texts and ritual traditions of the Christian East. Mitchell also does not agree with Pickstock that doxology, as she defines it, is incompatible with modernity. He expounds upon this point in his introductory remarks about music and modernity. Finally, Mitchell notes that he would not share the agenda Pickstock urges of "radical orthodoxy," although he agrees that the liturgical reforms of Vatican II did not go far enough. All this aside, Mitchell encourages people to read what he describes as an enormously engaging book.
Music Reviews
The Adoremus Hymnal. Produced by Adoremus in cooperation with the Church Music Association of America. San Francisco: Ignatius Press 1997. Pew edition $12.95, Choir edition $17.95, Organ edition $24.95, four Compact Disks $14.95, free with organ edition. ISBN 0-89870-657-2 (choir), ISBN 0-89870-658-0 (pew), 0-89870-659-9 (organ). Review by Judith M. Kubicki C.S.S.F., pp. 260 - 263.
Common Ground: A Song Book for All the Churches. Full music edition £18.50. Edinburgh, Scotland: Saint Andrew Press 1998. ISBN 0-715207-53-9. Review by Judith M. Kubicki C.S.S.F., pp. 263 - 266.
Celtic Mass. By Christopher Walker. Choral books $3.25, Complete Accompaniment Book $10.95, Stereo Cassette $9.95, Compact Disc $15.95. Portland, Oregon: Oregon Catholic Press 1996. Review by Judith M. Kubicki C.S.S.F., pp. 266 - 268.
Book Reviews
History of Vatican II. Volume II: The Formation of the Council's Identity. First Period and Intersession. October 1962 - September 1963. Edited by Giuseppe Alberigo. English version edited by Joseph A. Komonchak. Maryknoll: Orbis/Leuven: Peeters 1997. Pages, xviii - 603. Cloth, $80.00. ISBN 1-57075-147-1. Review by R. Kevin Seasoltz O.S.B., pp. 269 - 272.
The Ecumenical Gift Exchange. By Margaret O'Gara. Collegeville: The Liturgical Press 1998. Pages, 192. Paper, $14.95. ISBN 0-8146-5893-8. Review by Richard R. Gaillardetz, pp. 272 - 273.
The Unread Vision. The Liturgical Movement in the United States of America: 1926 - 1955. By Keith F. Pecklers, S.J. Collegeville: The Liturgical Press 1998. Pages, xvii + 333. Paper, $24.95. ISBN 0-8146-2450-2. Review by Gerard S. Sloyan, pp. 273 - 275.
Sacred Passion: The Art of William Schickel. By Gregory Wolfe. Notre Dame, Indiana: University of Notre Dame Press 1998. Pages, xi - 161. Paper, $48.00. ISBN 0-268-01760-3. Review by R. Kevin Seasoltz O.S.B., pp. 275 - 278.
Symbolic Worlds: Art, Science, Language, Ritual. By Israel Scheffler. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press 1997. Pages, viii + 214. Cloth, $54.95. ISBN 0-521-56425-5. Review by Stephen Happel, pp. 278 - 280.
An Introduction to the Homily. By Robert P. Waznak. Collegeville: The Liturgical Press 1998. Pages, 147. Paper, $13.95. ISBN: 0-8146-2502-9. Review by Richard Stern, pp. 280-281.
Praying the Bible: An Introduction to Lectio Divina. By Mariano Magrassi O.S.B. Translated by Edward Hagman O.F.M.CAP. Collegeville: The Liturgical Press, 1998. Pages, 126. Paper, $11.95. ISBN: 0-8146-2446-4. Review by Demetrius R. Dumm O.S.B., pp. 281 - 282.
The Vocation of the Artist. By Deborah J. Haynes. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press 1997. Pages, xxii + 327. Paper, $27.95. ISBN 0-521-58969-X. Review by Mark A. Torgerson, pp. 283 - 284.
The Reading and Preaching of the Scriptures in the Worship of the Christian Church. By Hughes Oliphant Old. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans 1998. Volume 1, pages x + 383; Volume 2, pages viii + 481. Paper, $35.00 and $42.00. ISBN 0-8028-4356/6-5/3. Review by Gerard S. Sloyan, pp. 284 - 286.
The Changing Face of the Church. Edited by Timothy Fitzgerald and Martin F. Connell. Chicago: Liturgy Training Publications 1998. Pages, 224. Paper, $16.00. ISBN 1-56854-259-3. Review by Shawn Madigan C.S.J., pp. 286 - 288.
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