This comprehensive historical treatment of the doctrine of Christ's eucharistic presence breaks new ground for both Catholic and Protestant theology. An innovative method for discerning the meaning of this sacrament identifies four basic features as essential for eucharistic celebrations. These fundamental attributes are employed to interpret the church's unfolding understanding of the eucharist. Starting from New Testament texts, the church's major eucharistic formulations are examined in the early church, the Middle Ages, the Reformation, and the contemporary era.weiterlesen