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Durham E-Theses The Anglican Eucharist 1900-1967: an historical survey of the theological and liturgical developments during this period with particular reference to the catholic and evangelical wings of the Church of England Hine, Pauline M. How to cite: Hine, Pauline M. (1970) The Anglican Eucharist 1900-1967: an historical survey of the theological and liturgical developments during this period with particular reference to the catholic and evangelical wings of the Church of England, Durham theses, Durham University. 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Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk 2 THE AIIGLICAII EUCHARIST 1900-1967 An historical survey of the theological and liturgical developments during this period with particular reference to the catholic and evangelical vfings of the Church of England, A DISSERTATION SUBI-IITTED FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN THE UNIVERSITY OF DURHAjyi IN JULY V^W, BY PAULII^E H.HINE B.A.(HONS), Dip.Theol. S.JOHN'S COLLEGE, DURHAM. The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be published without his prior written consent and information derived from it should be acknowledged. ABSTRACT The Anglican Eucharist 1900-1967 An historical survey of the theological and liturgical developments in this field in the Church of England with particular reference to the catholic and evangelical v/ings of the Church, . Theories concerning Eucharistic Sacrifice are considered particularly those of the 'Heavenljt Session' school of thought, Spens, Hicks, Hascall, and the conservative evangelicals together with the modifications of Lampe amd C.F.D.Houle, Various semi-official doctinal statements of the Church of England are also noted. Theories of Eucharistic Presence are also presented including those of O.C.Quick and William Temple in addition to those which could be more clearly distinguished as 'catholic' or 'evangelical'; an appendix relates all these theories to the practice of Reservation and Sxtra-liturgical Devotions. The theology of the Body of Christ, the Church, is considered in relationship to the Eucharist and with this the emerging theology of the laity. The rediscovery of the cosmic significance of the Eucharist is particularly noted in its relationship to current Roman Catholic and Orthodox thought. There is a survey of the Liturgical revision in the Church of England throughout this century with special reference to the question of Reservation, the 1927/8 Prayer Back debates a:::d the emergence of Series II. Reference is made to the Liturgy of the Church of South India and revision throughout the Anglican Communion as a whole. These liturgical revisions are then placed in their background of the European Liturgical Moveuent and the development of the Parish Communion I-Ioveraent in the Church of England. Finally liturgy and theology are seen in relationship to ecclesiastical architecture, irhich is shovm to have chan^-ed considerably to embody the new understanding of the Eucharist as corporate action and the Liturgy which has been designed to translate this into terms of worship. INDEX CHAPTER PAGE Introduction 1 I The Eucharist and Sacrifice 4 II The Eucharist and Presence 54 APPENDIX: Reservation and Extra-Liturgical Devotions 59 III The Eucharist and the Body of Christ ... 67 IV Liturgical Revision 81 V Eucharistic Worship 110 Bibliography 124 INTRODUCTION The study of the Anglican Eucharist in the first sixty- seven years of this century clearly demonstrates that such theology cannot be seen in isolation, it must be considered in relationship to sociology, liturgy and architecture. Further, Eucharistic developments in the Church of England can also not be studied in isolation but in the context of a liturgical movement which has not been bound to one denomination but grew up in the Roman Catholic Church while developments in the Anglican Church were independently beginning to point in the same direction. The influence spread to the Non-Conformist churches in England and in other jsountries. The Eucharist has come to be seen as in the days of the e early church - as the corporate action of priest and people together with and dependent on Christ, God the Father and the Holy Spirit. There has been a new awareness of what the Pauline teaching on the Body of Christ really means and a new theology of the laity has emerged. This has affected Eucharistic theology, Among ihore catholic-minded Anglicans there has been much more emphasis on the whole Church offering Christ's sacrifice, and with it their life and work from each day of the week, not just the priest offering the sacrifice.Evangelicals too have come to an understanding that we can share in Christ's sacrifice by obedience and suffering.^ There have been signs that the old differences between catholics and evangelicals over Eucharistic Presence may be growing less. In 1930 YfF.StoBr could state, ' in the Evangelical v/ing of the Church a new feeling for sacramentalism is arising', 2 and this is surely evident in the writings of G.W.H.Lampe in the 1950's who spoke of the consecrated elements in terms of •dynamis' and ' energeia', Other theologians have tried to make the doctrine of the Real Presencejby explaining it in terms of modern philosophies. Anglicans have also participated in the new understanding of the cosmic significance of the Eucharist both in their own writings and in the attention they have given to the works of Teilhard de Chardin and Orthodox theologians such as Alexander Schmemann. Theology and liturgy have been increasingly linked together, Ilascall with considerable justification attributes this to the work of Dora Gregory Dix, 'The close connection that now exists between theologians and liturgists in the Anglican Church is largely Dix's legacy.* 3 Dix's reassertion that the early Church savr the Eucharist as corporate action and the Liturgy itself having a fourfold pattern had effect on liturgical revision throughout the Anglican Communion and even outside it in the years that followea the publication of The Shape of the Liturgy (1945). Dix was both liturgist and theologian and deeply concerned not only v/ith how worship was conducted but with the whole question of vrhat vjorship was all about. Gabrial Hebert in the 1930's had introduced the Anglican Church to the sociology of Liturgy. He did much to inform his readers about what vfas happening in Europe and to deepen their awareness that the Liturgy must be seen in the light of its social and economic implications, and in its surroundings of the visual arts v/hich could be used to embody these themes. It was Hebert and his friends who helped to promote the Parish Communion Movement thereby restoring the Eucharist as the central communal act of Sunday worship fpr Anglicans - an achievement that has done much to break down the formidable barriers of churchmanship which existed in the earlier years of the century. The study of the Liturgy is no longer the persuit of the more catholic- minded Anglicans only, the evangelicals have produced many fine scholars in this field. Liturgical revision throughout the Anglican Communion has done much to embody these ideal§ of worship. Finally,after a slow start, architecture has caught up with liturgical and theological developments and ali three facets are studied in conjunction vfith each other. Church buildings are now designed to fit the Liturgy, in new churches the altar is visible to all, not tucked away at the end of a long chancel as was so often the case in the Victorian era. It is frequently placed in such a v;ay that westward celebrations are possible, that the family of God may feel that thej'' are gathered together round the family table for the family meal. The more corporate worship has become the more simple it must become also, ceremonial and church furnishings have beei: considerably modified and are now designed in such r, way that purpose rather than ornamentation is foremost. Divergences still remain and will no doubt continue, yet these developments have brought the Anglican Church to a greater unity in itself by the end of this period than was possible throughout the early years of this century. Footnotes 1. cf. especially C.F. D, Iloule, The Sacrifice of Christ. (l956). 2. V.F.Storr, 'Anglican Eucharistic Theology Today', p.312 in The Evangelical Doctrine of Holy Communion, ed. A.J.Macdonald. (1930). 3. In Theology. Nov. 1960. p.4. CHAPTER I THE EUCHARIST AND SACRIFICE At the beginning of the century the range of opinion on the sacrificial nature of th* Eucharist was very wide, it varied from the near 'memorial' approach of some Conservative evangelicals to a belief in the full Roman Catholic doctrine held by some ultra-catholics. Since that time a fierce war of words has been waged, and there have been valuable gains - the medieval equation of sacrifice and death has been almost abandoned, and from all shades of churchmanship has come the realisation that a more dynamic approach to the question of sacrifice is to be called for, in all this has brought the Church of England nearer to a united doctrine than has been possible for the last hundred years.