Author Biography

Stephen R. Shaver is the rector of the Episcopal Church of the Incarnation in Santa Rosa, California. He earned his Ph.D. in Liturgical Studies from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA, where he has taught courses in eucharistic theology and liturgical leadership.

Table of Contents

PrefaceAbbreviationsChapter 1. Introduction: Theology in Multiple Metaphors1.1 Liturgical theology and the embodied mind1.2 An additive method1.3 Metaphors of eucharistic presence1.4 Some notes on scope and standpointChapter 2. Metaphor, Embodied Realism, and Sacramental Truth2.1 Introducing conceptual metaphor theory2.2 More complex metaphors2.3 Metonymy2.4 Polysemy and prototypicality: beyond classical categories2.5 Beyond objectivism: embodied realism for theologiansConclusionsChapter 3. Conceptual Blending and Two Ways of Feeding on Jesus3.1 Conceptual blending3.2 Asymmetric blends: bread is Jesus, Jesus is bread3.3 The Synoptic/Pauline metaphor: this loaf and wine are jesus' body and blood3.4 The Johannine metaphor: Jesus' flesh and blood are heavenly life-giving bread and drinkConclusionsChapter 4. Identity: The Great Divide4.1 The identity motif in Christian tradition4.2 Zwingli: "is" as a trope4.3 Luther: "is" as literal predication4.4 Some illustrative exchanges4.5 A cognitive-linguistic assessment4.6 Broader implications of the great divideConclusionsChapter 5. Identity: Bridging the Divide5.1 Overcoming the dichotomy: Robert Masson and the tectonic process5.2 Building on Masson's work: radial extension and prototypicality5.3 The Synoptic/Pauline metaphor as a tectonic shift5.4 Polysemy: identity and distinction in tensionConclusionsChapter 6. Representation6.1 Symbols as material anchors6.2 The Y2 construction: a more complex integration network6.3 Representation and Identity in coexistence6.4 Revisiting the polysemy networks from Chapter 5ConclusionsChapter 7. Change7.1 Development and variations of the change motif7.2 Reformed and Lutheran responses to the change motif7.3 The eucharistic gifts as bread and wineConclusionsChapter 8. Containment8.1 Development and variations of the containment motif8.2 Post-Reformation responses to the containment motif8.3 Transubstantiation: a special combination of change and containmentConclusionsChapter 9. Conduit9.1 Verticality and the emergence of the conduit motif9.2 Visual conduit language9.3 Reformed and Roman visual piety: an unexpected convergenceConclusionsChapter 10. Bringing the Repertoire Together10.1 Affirmations in common: the ecumenical repertoire of metaphors10.2 Embodied entailments: the duration of Christ's presence10.3 Embodied entailments: adorationConclusionsSelected Bibliography in Cognitive Linguistics

Review

He [Shaver] pushes contemporary eucharistic theology in a way that will likely prove to be invaluable. His work builds upon Hunsinger's writing with a remarkable freshness and offers a framework for taking an old conversation in a new direction. * Cody C. Warta, St Mary's College, University of St Andrews, International Journal of Systematic Theology *
Shaver's book provides a constructive and innovative contribution to contemporary sacramental and ecumenical theology. * Robert Masson, Heythrop Journal *
Those with ears to hear and eyes to see will find some helpful goods to bring to the meal that still divides. * Bryan D. Spinks, Journal of Ecclesiastical History *

Long Description

In Metaphors of Eucharistic Presence: Language, Cognition, and the Body and Blood of Christ, Stephen R. Shaver brings together the fields of cognitive linguistics and liturgical theology to propose a new approach to the ecumenically controversial issue of eucharistic presence. Drawing from the work of cognitive linguists such as George Lakoff, Gilles Fauconnier, and Mark Turner, and theologians such as Robert Masson and John Sanders, Shaver argues thatthere is no clear division between literal and figurative language: rather, human cognition is grounded in sensorimotor experience, and phenomena such as metaphor and conceptual blending are basic building blocksof thought. Complex realities are ordinarily understood by means of more than one metaphor. Inherited models of eucharistic presence, then, are not necessarily mutually exclusive but can serve as complementary members of a shared ecumenical repertoire.The central element of this repertoire is the motif of identity--the eucharistic bread and wine are the body and blood of Christ--grounded in the Synoptic and Pauline institution narratives. From a cognitive standpoint, thismetaphor can be understood both as figurative and as true in the proper sense, resolving a dichotomy that has divided the churches since the Reformation. The identity motif is complemented by fourmajor non-scriptural motifs: representation, change, containment, and conduit. Inaugurating a new interdisciplinary conversation, this book contributes to ongoing ecumenical reconciliation not only by addressing eucharistic presence but also by demonstrating an approach which may hold promise in other historically controverted areas. Meanwhile for cognitive linguists it offers an intriguing case study in the application of that discipline to theological questions.

Review Quote

"He [Shaver] pushes contemporary eucharistic theology in a way that will likely prove to be invaluable. His work builds upon Hunsinger's writing with a remarkable freshness and offers a framework for taking an old conversation in a new direction." -- Cody C. Warta, St Mary's College, University of St Andrews, International Journal of Systematic Theology

Feature

Selling point: Offers a new proposal toward resolving disputes regarding eucharistic presence, a central issue dividing Christian traditionsSelling point: Draws upon the exciting field of cognitive linguistics in a way that is new to liturgical studies (and just beginning to be explored within theology in general), and presents this field in an approachable and engaging way with suggestions for further readingSelling point: Offers a new full-length case study in how cognitive linguistics can be used to approach theological and religious questions

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